For the past few years I’ve been able to get riding pretty early than most, usually around February is when the temperatures start to go up. But, unfortunately the start of this season was a bit of a let down for me due to some injures. With a damage report of a broken knee cap, broken leg, blown out ankle, scoliosis of my lower spine and knee surgery in a matter of 12 months seems to be the main reason I was sitting on the couch not riding. After some good hours put into physio looks like it should be time to get back on the water and do what puts a smile on my face!

I am currently sitting in the Vancouver Airport waiting for my plane to Toronto and then a few more hours and I will be back in Orlando. I’m heading down for around 12 days to ride the Cable for the first time and I am really excited. Hopefully this time around Florida will be a little more friendly and I won’t be going home with a $3000 medical bill.

p.s. good luck to the guys who are riding in the Wake Games this weekend!

Editors Note: Check out those Nike 6.0 Mogan Wakes in the picture. Thats flying with style.

Support Evan and his Sponsors by Shopping his Gear: Hyperlite Wakeskates, Billabong Boardshorts, Billabong Wetsuits, Von Zipper, Nike 6.0 Wakeskating Shoes, OGIO Bags, and The Best Wakeboard Shop in the World, Wakeside.com

Check out all our new Women’s Spring Clothing at wakeside, featuring awesome spring styles from Billabong, Ezekiel, Hurley, and more.

Billabong’s line of Jr’s Clothing offers amazing pieces at unbeatable prices. The spring line is inspired by summery feminine styles, like the Billabong Frisco Top (shown above). Billabong Women’s Clothing includes a great assortment of knit and woven tanks and tops that showcase plaid, floral, and geo print trends. The Billabong Nina Tank and Billabong Solid Tube Tank (shown below) are a couple of our favorite spring basics. Billabong Women’s Boardshorts collection features polka dots, plaids, and mixed media prints and are some of the best looking boardshorts for this season. Shop Billabong Women’s Clothing now and get what you need for spring.

Ezekiel’s spring clothing features a strong line of dresses, tanks and flowing tops with a good mix of bold and pastel colors. We’re most stoked on some of their unique jersey knit tops (Ezekiel Ellie Top) and their light cotton tanks (Ezekiel Simone Cami) and dresses. Ezekiel’s women’s clothing has always been rooted in unique streetwear and their spring collection definitely reflects that. Shop Women’s Ezekiel Clothing at wakeside and be ready for spring style.

New Spring Clothing has been arriving daily at wakeside.com. Women’s Boardshorts, Women’s Tees, Women’s Hoodies and Women’s Tops are just a few clothing categories that have been infused with new spring styles. Shop Now!

Now Tigé is taking it to another level by giving you a chance to join in the fun! Tigé will be flying one lucky WakeWorld reader and a guest to this year’s Tigé ProAm wakeboard tournament in Portland, Oregon the weekend of June 20-22. The lucky pair will be put up in a hotel for two nights and get the VIP treatment and hang out with the Tigé team for the entire weekend at one of the biggest wakeboarding events of

the year. If they want to compete in the tournament, the entry fees will also be picked up by the generosity of Tigé Boats! With four amateur divisions included as a part of the Tigé ProAm, the winners are sure to find a division in which to show off their skills.

There will also be ten runner-ups awarded with an official Tige ProAm tee shirt.

To get entered, simply fill out the form below and the winners will be chosen at random. This contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. One entry per person. Entries must be received by midnight on Friday, May 9, 2008. Read rules below before entering.

Rusty was riding the Hyperlite 3DS but it was just a little small for the big man from up north. It was time to give Rusty a board that he could easily spin 1080’s on. Rumor has it that Rusty was able to land his 6th 1080 on the 3rd set of his second ride on the Merek Wakeboard. Hyperlite had to get their hands dirty in the DINE department trying to utilize the same technologies that have gone into the Hyperlite Murray Wakeboard and the Hyperlite Sub VI Wakeboard. Just like the Hyperlite Sub 6 the Rusty Merek will be light in weight and stronger than Greg Dick’s kung fu leg sweep. Rusty wanted the board to be timeless so instead of putting his own name on it, he signed it with the name of his first born son. Merek Jaxon Malinoski was born 2 days after Christmas. Rusty will continue to push the sport of Wakeboarding for years to come. Look for him in Drive the New Wakeboard DVD from BFY.

2009 Hyperlite Marek
MSRP: $700.00
Sizes: 136cm, 141cm, 146cm

“Possibly the most anticipated shape to hit the market in years.”

Rusty Malinoski and Hyperlite are proud to present the newest addition to the Hyperlite D.I.N.E. line, the Marek. This series is built to be the fastest, most responsive ride in the Hyperlite lineup. With four 9º angled fins set just inside a two stage channel, the Marek initiates an edge with little effort. The tip-to-tail step-down rail assures solid edge holds all the way through the wake. Combine these features with the abrupt continuous rocker line and you have a board with speed and pop like nothing else on the market. Internally the Marek series is built with a fully machined Nova core, which is the lightest, snappiest core Hyperlite has ever offered. To make sure this series stood up to the punishment Rusty can hand out, it is inlayed with strategically placed carbon torsion zones for maximum durability and responsiveness.

Features:

• Shaped by Aaron
• Fully Machined Nova Core
• Carbon Torsion Zones
• Abrupt Continuous Rocker
• Two Stage Channel
• 9° Angled Fins
• Molded Landing Feature
• Monocoque Construction
• Layered Glass
• Limited Lifetime Warranty
• Built in the USA
• Fins: 4 - 1.0 P-Wing

Choosing a winner was difficult with so many good entries. After sifting through a bunch of stinky old shoes we found what is in our opinion the best looking worst shoe in the bunch. Our first prize winner of the Nike 6.0 Shoe Give-A-Way Contest is Jeren from the sunny state of Florida. Check those puppies out. Jeren’s Reef Byerly Wakeskate Shoes have seen better days or have had some rough nights. He claims he has glued them together 10 times already, and we believe him. It is definitely time to get this kid in some Nike 6.0 Wakeskate Shoes. We are stoked to get him hooked up.

We were not planning on a second place but again the pictures were awesome. Wakeside would like to sort of congratulate, but still hook up Mark from Tennessee with a Nike 6.0 T-Shirt and some stickers. Hopefully you can bandage your shoes up with the stickers, but you will be look’n good in the new threads. Just one question, what do your feet look like after riding and do you still have 5 toes? I heard you didn’t need them all anyway, and yeah congrats on the winning of free stuff.

Nike 6.0 is action sports lifestyle. The Nike 6.0 team is taking inspirational cues and design influences from Greek mythology and vintage pop art, remixed through a modern action sport perspective. Think ancient designs, bold graphics and patterns, all twisted up. Keep checking Wakeside.com for the latest styles in Nike 6.0 footwear.

Check out the newest Nike 6.0 Air Mogan Premium Shoes, Nike 6.0 Air Mogan Wake Shoes, Nike 6.0 Air Zoom Oncore Shoes, Nike 6.0 Dunk Low NKE, Nike 6.0 Mogan Jr, and now for the ladies the Nike 6.0 Air Mogan Womens Shoe.

The arrival of the Gravis Cortex Shoe has been highly anticipated. It’s the ultimate blend of style and function featuring: premium leather upper materials, breathable mesh lining, perimeter support cushioning footbed with custom printed graphics, a compression molded midsole, and a high traction rubber court outsole. For those who don’t want to sacrifice a good looking shoe to painful feet, the Gravis Cortex will keep you covered. You feet will be supported and well ventilated and will still be able to turn heads. The blue accents on the Cortex are what makes this shoe stand out and give it that fresh pop to add a spring in your step.

The Men’s Gravis Data shoe is slightly reminiscent of an old school adidas. Except this one’s a little beefier so itwill last a lot longer and keep your feet a little more supported. With leather uppers and athletic mesh lining, the Gravis Data gives you a high-end yet athletic kick look. The Data also features a sport support cushioned footbed, an EVA insert, and a high traction rubber sole. This shoe should make you run 10% faster in 60% of sidewalk foot races.

The Gravis Spritzer Sandal is offered in many different colorways. It’s that perfect sandal that you always need to go with everything from boardshorts to sun dresses. I’m obsessed with blue right now and therefore love the Women’s Gravis Spritzer in Scuba. This sandal features a super cushioning EVA footbed with arch support, a thin webbing strap design, and a high traction sole. If you can only buy one sandal this summer, buy the Gravis Sprizter Sandal. You won’t be disappointed.

Black flip-flops go with everything, but if you’re looking for something just a little more unique take a peek at the Gravis San Lucas Sandal. The Sanlucas is everything you want from a little black flip-flop, but gives you a little hint of color with the canvas inlay on the strap. The Gravis Women’s San Lucas Sandal features a cotton damask top material and synthetic leather straps, an EVA topdeck with massaging numbs and arch support, nylon webbing toe separator, and a durable traction outsole.

Get more information on Gravis Women’s Sandals and Gravis Men’s Shoes at Wakeside.com.

Represent the team and cop a pair of your own before the Ricochet Tour winds down for the season.
The Ricochet Encores debut 4/15 so stay tuned.

Boise, ID - March 27, 2008 - He’s young, anti-hip, and way ahead of the trend curve when it comes to spotting business opportunities within his niche. He’s not your typical “businessman,” but don’t be deceived by his boyish “skater” demeanor. Over the last 3 years, Dbot5 founder Bryce Hepworth has been a busy bee - busy building a “board” brand from the ground up, and to hear him tell it, it’s been anything but boring.

The Dbot5 story revolves around the vision of a younger Hepworth, who was tired of being pandered to by brands who didn’t “get” him or his passion for skateboarding and snowboarding. According to Hepworth, he soon realized that it wasn’t just his passion; it was the passion of millions his age whose sport of choice involved a board of some kind or another
Dbot5 is a lifestyle. Our objective as a business is branding and making things cooler,” Hepworth states emphatically when asked about Dbot5. “When it comes to running our business, we’re very focused - some might say serious - traits typically not associated with the ’skater’ stereotype. We’ve spent considerable time and effort sourcing the best manufacturing and internal team to help us develop products we envision” Hepworth says, deadly serious. “We develop products that we’d love to use, not just trendy crap we think will sell,” he concludes.

To hear him tell it, the challenge of starting a brand from scratch has just about run him ragged, pushing he and his family almost to the breaking point. But in those few short years, he’s gained a lifetime of experience and a library of tales from the front-lines, “I feel like I’ve aged a decade in the last three years - physically and mentally. However, every day has been well worth the potential risk. We slide boards down stair-rails for fun. I guess I am a risky ‘mutha’. But like skateboarding it involves tons of practice, my business is no exception. I have been training my whole life for this.”

Hepworth’s excitement is visible as he discusses the recent decision to depart from the brand’s core product, wakeboard accessories, “As the founder and owner of Dbot5 Wakeboard Tower Accessories, I have seldom wakeboarded! Frankly, I’ve grown tired of the wakeboarding scene, There, I said it - I feel like I’ve just been outed! I’ve been a passionate skateboarder and snowboarder my whole life; wakeboarding was introduced later, and I have a great deal of respect for the guys and girls that do it well. They have supported me so much and I love them. But, truth-be-told, I am the guy you flipped off behind the family motorboat, bobbing in my orange life-jacket, and two water-skis.”

When pressed about what prompted the decision to depart from the wakeboard scene, Hepworth clarified:

“We’re not abandoning wakeboarding. We’re simply adjusting our focus. A lot of the focus and energy to push ourselves in the board sports we owe to our passion for music. One of our first products to hit the market was a boat speaker. I want to develop products for customers who, like me, use music to help them take their board sport to the next level. Skateboarding has taught me how to visualize a difficult trick that may take months to get right. It usually comes after listening to a favorite few songs that help push me to the next level. I love listening to music when I skateboard - wakeskating - or traveling for work.

“Our horn loaded DBot5 Jet Pack boat speakers were specifically designed to improve the progression and ‘game’ of our industry athletes. They’re like giant headphones for your boat. Here’s my point: If your objective is going to the lake to ‘drink some beer,’ surround yourself with random dudes, and to talk porn with your shirt off; these speakers are not for you. They were designed with the progression of wakeboarding in mind. Our products, our brand, and our lifestyle, aren’t for every boat on the lake. And no, our products won’t make you ‘extreme.’ “Regarding other products Dbot5 will be unveiling this year, Hepworth elaborated;

“When we’re too sore to skateboard we’ll go hit the back 9 (aka ‘the golf course’) with iPod, headphones, and Dbot5 golf clubs in tow. We have plenty of cultural comrades on the green, believe it or not, with knickers, graphic t, tatt’s and all. The older generation is getting nervous. If you don’t want to be like gramps or champs, buy em’. I’m excited about where our golf products will go this year. It’s no longer a sport/pastime for white guys with million dollar inheritances or hand-me-down businesses.”

Dbot5 currently has an assortment of wakeboarding and boat accessories, as well as travel bags and other soft goods such as apparel. In response to their future product development plans, Hepworth noted, “We’ve spent considerable time traveling the globe listening to what our customers want (check out our efficient travel bags). We do our best to apply this feedback into our everyday business model.

“We are leading in our industry with the best engineers and best practices in manufacturing. If consumers have questions about any of our lifestyle products, we have specs, or can get you in touch with an engineer. We leave the door wide open for feedback, and welcome inquiries.”

So what does the future look like for a lifestyle brand like Dbot5? To sum up, Dbot5 chief executive, Bryce Hepworth summarizes, “Going forward, Dbot5 will focus on a range of products that fit within our boarding lifestyle. We’re working to make products that we love and that we’d actually use. I’ve spent the last three years applying this mantra in our business and, perhaps ironically, I’m ready to show the world that an unconventional ’skater kid’ can be successful too. Get ready for an awesome 08-09″

Dbot5 creator and owner Bryce Hepworth (29) spends half his year in Boise, Idaho and the other half in China overseeing product development and quality assurance of the Dbot5 line.

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