The future of professional wakeboarding is headed for cable.
Instead of a boat, there would be a cable tower, said competitive wakeboarder and Vancouverite Drew Kennedy. Its kind of the future of the sport.
Cable wakeboarding, a subdivision of the water sport, uses a permanent overhead cable systemlike that of a ski chairlift connected to fixed towersto pull boarders into the water at high speeds and up onto ramps where they execute their tricks.
The cable system eliminates the need for a boat.
Kennedy, 25, who will be competing Aug. 26 to 28 at this years national wakeboard championships in Kamloops, won the 2008 Ontario wakeboard provincials and made the move to the West End later the same year. Since then, hes been active in B.C.s wakeboard scene through riding, teaching and competing. This summer, he was a showcase boarder in Kelownas third annual Centre of Gravity sports and music festival held July 29 to 31.
He and boarders from across the country displayed their tricks while using a mechanical wire system.
I would love to see a cable park be built in [the Lower Mainland], Kennedy said, citing Deep Cove as a good location.
So would Olympic hopefuls.
In July, the International Olympic Committee announced cable wakeboarding as one of eight new sports being considered for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
Although Canada has only two cable parks, one in Quebec and the other in Manitoba, advocates say the sport is surging internationally.
Its growing because you dont need a boat, said Tanya Chmilar, director of B.C. Wakeboard. All you need to do is bring your lifejacket and your board.
Chmilar believes the Olympics are looking favourably at the inclusion of cable wakeboardinginstead of wakeboarding by boatbecause of the consistency allowed by the cable.
In wakeboarding, there are different ropes, different speeds. There are so many variables that you cannot keep it constant, she said.
However, in cable, its one length rope on set speed. There are no unpredictable variables.
The cable alternative also cuts costs, according to Chmilar.
She estimates an average $42 daily rate to access unlimited runs at a cable park, as oppose to the extensive costs of renting a boat and filling its gas tank.
I think itll open it up a lot more if it becomes an Olympic sport, Kennedy said. There will be more tournaments, more cable parks. There will be more opportunity for people to go out and wakeboard.
The lack of cable parks in Canada are due to a lack of exposure and investor interest, Chmilar said. Theres not a lot of disposable income and its not really advertised as much.
Wakeboard federations will have no hand in whether any cable parks go up in Vancouver. The task, Chmilar said, will be up to interested private investors, as was the case with the parks in Quebec and Manitoba. One nice benefit of being in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»is that the water doesnt freeze. It would be ideal for our Canadian athletes to come train here, instead of the costs of going down to Florida, she said.
Kennedy said the 2020 Summer Olympics will come too late for him to compete, but if cable parks were to sprout up in Vancouver, he knows many young athletes who could bag a medal or two.
Twitter: @kimiyasho
