Last week, Lagoon Wake Park, part of the Hove Lagoon complex, launched their Ladies Evening Wakeboarding sessions in the stunning Brighton sunshine. The evening sessions, running 6-8pm every Tuesday using two of their three Sytem 2.0 rigs, was fully booked for their season opener. Lagoon Wake Park invited GB wakeboarder Sarah Kingdom along as guest coach for the seaside wakeboard event, and of course, Wide-A-Wake were there to see what went down.

The first of a string of stunning sunny coastal days, the Brighton sea air welcomed everyone to the lagoon adorned with beach hut roof tops and colourful murals. It’s safe to say that the British summer holiday feeling was rearing its head, boding well for the wakeboarding Summer months ahead on the South Coast.

For many, it was a chance to blow off the cobwebs of the winter, revisiting the basics and eliminating bad habits, however there were new tricks too. After a warm up and assessment of trick ‘wish lists’ the girls got cracking with their coaching time with Sarah, rotating between the two cables. Rachael managed to banish her precarious board-slide up the box, and learnt to ride away from it switch, Maggie got her dock starts, and Cherry was spinning like a top! Amy addressed her windsurfing stance influence and get the corners much more easily as did Kat with a reviewed cut. Little Sophia looked like she’s never been away and Lei nearly bossed the box on her skate.

Despite the glorious weather, it soon got a wee bit chilly and it was time to warm up with WAW Goodie Bag treats from LDN Muscle and Angry Squirrel and give out the Goodie Bag prizes. Each attendee went home with a party bag of samples and give-aways from Breathe, Natural Hero, LDN Muscle and Angry Squirrel, but the overall WAW Goodie bag winner for this session was Cherry Parnell and the Angry Squirrel Coffee award for ‘Angriest Squirrel’ went to Rachael Cockle.

Lagoon Wake Park continue to support Ladies Wakeboarding having secured Sportivate funding for the third consecutive year giving whopping discounted rates to 17-25 year old novice female wakeboarders. We’re delighted that this club continues to support and push the development of the female side of our great sport. Check out their website for further details.

Massive thanks to Lucy McCormick and James Stuart for all their help in getting WAW involved with this event, Mel Russell for her help on the night and Paul Buttle and Emma Long for their photography.

Hove will host their Ladies Day on 18th May showcasing a number of watersports, including wakeboarding with guest coaches Sarah Kingdom and Steph Caller. Come and join in and see what else Hove lagoon has on offer. Book your place go to their website www.lagoon.co.uk

The ‘marvelously mental’ Megzy Barker joins the exceptional line-up of Breathe Boardwear’s International team of female wakeboarders. Her impressive riding and ‘in your face’ riding personality, has seen her join the upper echelons of female wakeboarding with team mates now including wakeboard ‘A-listers’ including Raimi Merrit, Ange Schrieber, Haley Smith and Anna Hajek! The British rider who’s taken the UK boat riding scene by storm, heads off to Indonesia this week to represent at the invitational IWWF World Cup. Alongside fellow Brit Charlotte Bryant, we have huge hopes for this little ripper, as do Breathe Boardwear. Here’s what they had to say about Megzy joining heir team.

“We are really excited to have up and coming UK rider Megan ‘Megzy’ Barker as part of the Breathe Boardwear team for 2013.

Megzy first came to our attention at Wakestock last year, where she placed 4th, narrowly missing out on a podium place. It was during Wakestock that she met our founder, Cianne and she certainly left a lasting impression – when we started talking about sponsoring a UK based rider she was top of the list so we’re stoked to have her on board.

Megzy has a great energy and embodies a lot of what Breathe Boardwear are about with her positive attitude, dedication and determination to go big – both on and off the water. She is an excellent example of what can be achieved if you are willing to work hard for something and is definitely someone that younger riders or girls just starting out in wakeboarding can look to for inspiration.

We reckon 2013 is going to be a big year for Megzy and can’t wait to see her repping in Breathe Boardwear gear.”

Check out the full range at www.breatheboardwear.com
Breathe is also available at www.tantrumwake.com

The IWWF will be live streaming the event, so stay tuned to www.iwwf.tvover the weekend to catch the girls in action.

Photo © Kay Ransom

Boasting a stunning Tattershall castle backdrop, Just Wake opened their doors to the ladies for twice weekly sessions last weekend. The twin System 2.0 cable park in Lincolnshire is welcoming the girls with gusto, offering Friday morning AND Tuesday evening ‘ladies only’ time, so everyone can fit it in around work. Just Wake invited GB rider Sarah Kingdom and Wide-A-Wake to help get things off the ground last Friday.

Set in the grounds of Tattershall holiday park, it’s hard to not feel like you’re on holiday at this beautiful facility that opened last year, especially with the castle peering over and military jets giving loop the loop displays! Certainly not the average wakeboard experience!

Before the session started, the girls literally had a taste of one of the Goodie Bag supporters, Angry Squirrel Coffee as part of their pre-ride preparation. We followed with warm up and then assessed everyone’s ‘trick list’ to help get some points of focus for the two hour session ahead.

The girls, as is always the case at chicks sessions, had a blast! The one to one coaching of the System 2.0 allowed each girl to get undivided attention and those on the dock to observe, pick up a few more tips, practice handle passes and see every amusing bottom slide on the water in its full glory! Nobody missed a thing. The fun on the dock was effervescent, so much so that until after the session, we were completely unaware that these ladies didn’t know one another until 2 hours before!

Girls’ sessions really are where the female wakeboarding community show its value in the grand scheme of things. There was so much laughter, new tricks, new passions and new riding buddies made!

Every rider attending received a WAW party bag with samples from Natural Hero to help with the inevitable ‘day after’ feeling, Breathe Boardwear, the brand of female wakeboarders by female wakeboarders and LDN Muscle with recipe ideas and tips for improved fitness. The LDN Muscle buttercups and flapjacks were demolished by Goodie Bag winner Emily Cook!!

Elle Brewer “The good thing about the morning was that girls don’t judge like boys do!! Really enjoyed having a laugh with the girls and meeting other female boarders. Having a female coach who knows how we all feel was amazing and the advise sarah gave to us was from another female perspective so that was nice! Elle xx”

Alexandria Phillips “I loved getting to wakeboard with women of all different abilities, gives you way more confidence than when you’re with guys. And was awesome to have a pro coach. I loved the goodie bags, made it great fun and already at a gym to supplement the wakeboarding cause you really should!! The recipes made me feel like I was eating something healthy, Thanks for a sick day!!! Lexy x”

Stephanie Epton “Loved the angry squirrel coffee and loved trying a new sport. Met some great ladies and can’t wait for my next go. Steph X”

The WAW Goodie Bag was awarded to Emily Cook and the two Angry Squirrel awards were given to Sarah Partridge and Steph Epton. Well done ladies.

Huge thanks to Suzi and Andrew of Just Wake for their amazing hospitality. We look forward to seeing what the Just Wake girls get up to over the season.

The weekend felt as though Summer may not be a distant dream! With temperatures rising and freckles bursting out of hibernation, the crowds gathered for the first of the AOD (All Other Division) tour stops for 2013. The wakeboard boat competition hosted by LDBWakeschool at JBSki had three girls divisions;  Girls, Junior Women and Masters Women and British rider Jules Haley made up part of the judging team. In association with the newly established UK Rider League ranking scheme all riders were able to collect points to give them UK ranking positions throughout the season. So there’s even more reason to get involved with the competition scene.

Well done to all that attended, supported and got involved. Special props to Hayley Ashley landing her front roll for the first time in competition, and Heather Owens who surprised even herself landing two new tricks for the first time ever! Toe 360 and a scarecrow from KTB in Junior girls sent her to the top of the podium.

It’s a great event with great support for women’s wakeboarding. The next AOD tour stop is at Quays 15th June 2013.

Results
Girls
1 Melissa Lock
2 Demi Pearson
3 Ellie Par

Junior Women
1 Katie Batchelor
2 Laura Christian
3 Charlotte Millward

Masters Women
1 Hayley Ashley
2 Emma-Jame Pickard
3 Heather Owens

We’re always keen that you girls take care of yourselves as we all know that wakeboarding can be pretty tough on your body. We want to encourage you to make the gym a regular part of your activity to support your wakeboarding but realise that many of you aren’t big fans of the gym. So we’ve teamed up with LDN Muscle to help show you that the gym can be fun and getting strong and eating right, need not be a tasteless chore. In the true spirit of Ladies wakeboarding sessions, they’ve given us a few recipes for low carb, low fat, high protein cakes! Yes you heard right, healthy cakes that will help with your recovery after wakeboarding. Yes, we love them too! They’ve also devised a simple, fun easy to follow on-line guide to getting that dream bikini figure we’ve all dreamed of. Wakeboarding doesn’t work everything, and a good well rounded fitness regime and core strength, will also help keep injuries at bay.

LDN Muscle work out cakes will be available at participating WAW chicks events during 2013.

For great tips and advice check out www.ldnmuscle.com and find them on Twitter @LDN_Muscle

Last weekend, despite the freezing rain, the girls braved the elements for JBSki’s season opener, Spring into Season. Not only was the cable wakeboard competition a welcome catch up for everyone over the long, long winter off season, the IWWF sanctioned event allowed the girls to earn ranking points and give the GB Cable Committee a chance to get their scouts on the look out!

There were two categories, Junior Ladies and Open Women to do their worst on the high water level and new obstacles. Challenging at times, entertaining at others, the girls brushed off their winter cobwebs and are back to take on 2013. Two long standing injury recoveries from Sophie Cordery and Sarah Kingdom, saw both JBSki riders make podium. Winter rehab well spent.

Congratulations to Chloe Goudie and Steph Caller taking the top spots, and all the girls who entered.

Results
Junior Ladies
1 Chloe Goudie
2 Katie Batchelor
3 Lottie Harbottle
4 Darci Goulty

Open ladies
1 Steph Caller
2 Sophie Cordery
3 Sarah Kingdom
4 Emily Heffernan
5 Charlie Hay

We’re delighted that Natural Hero has joined our 2013 Goodie bag campaign to bring you their incredible natural muscle soothing products. ‘Tested on athletes not animals’, the 98% natural ingredients in their Hot Ginger Muscle Rub, 99% natural Cool Peppermint Muscle Spritz and 100% natural Hot Ginger Muscle Soak, are a very welcome after the chicks wakeboarding sessions. We know you’re going to thank us for introducing you to the wonderful soothing world of Natural Hero, and hope you’ll ride that little bit harder knowing there is a treat waiting for you at the end. Natural Hero offer an environmentally friendly path to ‘superpowered recovery’. We like this and think you will too.

Check out their website www.naturalhero.co.uk

At WAW we’re keen as beans (sorry!) that you make the very most of every session you have out on the water. So we’ve teamed up with Angry Squirrel, the self-confessed ‘nut-job’ behind Wasps and England Rugby ‘man mountain’ James Haskell’s coffee brand to help give you increased endurance, concentration and performance for your wakeboarding. This little squirrel is ‘nuts about coffee, fitness and all kinds of active pursuits’ (including chasing female wakeboarders – don’t say we didn’t warn you!)

The ‘Train hard, Play Hard’ ethos of James Haskell’s fitness revolution is embodied in this specially blended coffee by The House of Coffee. Using beans from all over the world, Angry Squirrel packs a ‘punch’ but without an aggressive taste. It’s also guaranteed to wake you ‘the heck up’ for those early morning sessions! Angry Squirrel will be waiting in a big fat mug with your name on it at participating WAW supported chicks sessions in 2013. We’ve also got signed pictures of James for a lucky few. Time, ladies, to play the Angry Squirrel at his own game! Once you’ve gone Squirrel there’s no other coffee alternative!

Get your Squirrel Power at www.angrysquirrelcoffee.com

You can follow Angry Squirrel and his rants on Twitter @JHAngrySquirrel  We suggest you laugh at him, it makes him even more ANGRY!

We are very excited to announce that Breathe Boardwear will be supporting the WAW Goodie Bags for 2013. This vibrant women’s brand is made by wakeboarders for wakeboarders and has its roots firmly embedded in a passion for wakeboarding and a passion for getting more girls on the water.

Breathe Boardwear was founded by Irish National wakeboarder Cianne Naji, when her hobby escalated into her business when illness forced her to retire from wakeboarding: The brand was built on a determination to represent girls who shred and encourage more girls to try wakeboarding. Tragically, Cianne lost her battle with cystic fibrosis in January 2013, but her overwhelming zest lives on in Breathe Boardwear, her incredible legacy to women’s wakeboarding. We salute you Ci.

We spoke to Breathe to give you a better understanding of this incredible individual, who’s spirit and ‘balls out’ attitude to life, we hope, will carry through to the girls sessions where you can win some of Ci’s Breathe items.

How did Ci go about re-channeling her wakeboarding passion after she could no longer ride?
Outside of wakeboarding Cianne’s other great passion had always been art and drawing and she frequently combined the two by re-spraying wakeboards and doodling on helmets and trainers, sketchbooks…even people’s arms!

When it came to setting up Breathe Boardwear it was a pretty natural progression from doing this as a hobby to turning it into a brand and company. Cianne never did anything by halves so what was initially going to be some hi-tops and maybe a couple of t-shirts evolved into a full 2 lines of clothing, equipment and accessories.

What were her aims and goals for the brand? Did she always think big?
Once it was decided to go ‘all in’ and do the expanded lines, Cianne was determined to design a range of products for girl wakeboarders that were bold and bright but most of all functional and to build a brand that would become recognized and respected throughout the industry. The dream was that someday we’ll be able to hit a cable anywhere in the world and see girls out shredding in Breathe Boardwear gear.

Given her creative flare, undoubted passion for the sport and bubbly personality, what will be her legacy to wakeboarding?
Having had the privilege of knowing her and working with Cianne we are all determined to fulfill her vision for Breathe Boardwear and women’s wakeboarding around the world by continuing to develop our lines and bringing out products that Cianne would be proud of - so you could say that Breathe is her legacy to wakeboarding.

Her real legacy though goes beyond wakeboarding – it’s the lasting impression she made on anyone she ever met, her loyalty and determination, her good humour and indefatigable spirit – these are all things that people loved her for and have been inspired by and what she will be remembered for most.

Thanks to Ciaran de Barra for the photos of Ci.

Check out the full range at www.breatheboardwear.com

Everyone gets a chance to compete at the prestigious Wakestock! Check out details of qualifying events and have your Wakestock moment…

Wakestock has become one of the most prestigious and fun events to ride at in all of Europe. Generally it is an invite only event and only a lucky few get to ride the boat course at Pwllheli Marina and the legendary pool gap on the festival site. That is all changing for 2013! There are new wake parks popping up faster than new bands these days and with that comes a huge new group of skilled riders. You only have to head down to your local wake park too see that there is a ton of unknown riding talent, smashing the rails and kickers.

Wakestock will be running 6 qualifying events in 2013, and offering over 20 wild card entries to Wakestock. If you win a qualifying spot you will get the full riders treatment at Wakestock 2013. You get your ticket for free and full access to the VIP and riders area, and most of all you get to hit the pool gap with the likes of Daniel Grant, Nick Davies and Nico von Lerchenfeld!

The 2013 Wakestock Qualifiers will take place as follows:

Spring Open at Glasfryn Wake Park – Sunday 5th May 2013

Pool Gap qualifier only
3 wild card spots available in open men
This is also the 1st stop of the Industry Grassroots Tour
To enter contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Blackpool Wake Series Stop 1 at Blackpool Wake Park – Saturday 18th May

Pool Gap qualifier only
3 wild card spots available in open men
This is also a stop of the Industry Grassroots Tour
To enter contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Just Wake, Tattershall Lakes Country Park – Saturday 1st June

Pool Gap qualifier only
3 wild card spots available in open men
2 wild card spots available in open women
2 wild card spots available in junior
This is also a stop of the Industry Grassroots Tour and on Sunday 2nd Just Wake will host the only qualifier for Red Bull Harbour Reach
To enter contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hove Lagoon Wake Park, Brighton – Saturday 22nd June

Pool Gap qualifier only
3 wild card spots available in open men
2 wild card spots available in open women
This is also a stop of the Industry Grassroots Tour
To enter contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Wakeboard UK Wakeboard & Wakeskate National Championships – 6th & 7th July

Boat comp qualifier only
3 Wildcard spots available in open men
2 Wildcard spots available in open women
To enter contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hannams Hub Wakeskate Jam – 25th & 26th May

Pool Gap Wakeskate qualifier only
2 Wildcard spots available in the Wakestock Wakeskate Jam
To enter contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

All the invited riders for Wakestock 2013 have already been sent an invite. If you don’t have one, then you need to get to one of the qualifying stops! If you have any questions about the riding at Wakestock please contact (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)