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Published: Tuesday, Jul. 13, 2010 / Updated: Tuesday, Jul. 13, 2010 01:33 PM

Matt Sellhorst: Tips for new wakeboarders

I have to admit, I’m a water skier. When I was 11, my brother and I mowed lawns, saved cans and did anything else we could think of to make money to buy our first slalom ski.

During the summer, we saved up $100 and bought an O’Brien Freestyle from Bohnson’s Water Sports. The case put us $20 over budget, so Dad and Mom pitched in a little so we could protect our new purchase.

Although I still love to slalom, I know if I was a kid today, my brother and I would be mowing lawns to save up for our very own wakeboard.

Learning to ski or wakeboard can be a tough time for kids and parents. I know first hand the stress can make it even harder for the kid in the water to get up. Especially when everyone in the boat is trying to tell you what to do.

Calm voices, no yelling and simple phrases can make all the difference for your kid getting up their first time.

So, here are a few little tips to help make getting up on that board for the first time a little easier. I look at getting up on a wakeboard like four separate stages which sometimes will help your kids.

Alright, you’ve got your board strapped on and the rope in your hands. The board is keeping your legs afloat on the water so just relax. Go with the waves and don’t fight it.

Stay calm back there, have your child imagine they’re an astronaut on a space walk, smooth and effortless floating on the waves..

Once they’re comfortable in the water with the rope, its time to get up on top of the water. The key here is to be compact, like a ball.

The point of the ball is to keep as much water from splashing in the boarders face as possible. If their arms are pulled in towards the chest, butt dragging; knees locked out they’ll get a face full of water. And, that’s not fun for anyone!

Instead, have your boarder form a ball, with the board floating comfortably in front of his shorts with knees bent and elbows outside the knees. Practicing on land before getting behind the boat will allow the future boarder to feel the correct position.

Standing up too early often results in breaking at the waist and face planting in the water. I’ve done it water skiing, wake boarding and bare footing, it’s not fun!

This won’t take long, maybe a few seconds, if throttling properly. Stay in The Ball until the boarders shorts are out of the water. Then, keeping your back straight, stand up. Thinking of it as getting out of a chair will keep your boarder in the right position.

Most of the time, standing will slide the back foot to the rear pointing the front toward the boat. If that swing doesn’t happen, have your boarder squish down with their back foot. Pretend they are squishing a grape slowly using the heel. This slight shift in weight to the rear foot will set the board in proper position and the rider in a great boarding stance.

I’d love to see pictures of your new boarder and comments on how these tips helped in their learning process. From here, it’s on to jumps, tricks and big air! Good luck, from ‘Your Friend in Boating!”

Matt Sellhorst is the pleasure boat specialist at Lake Wylie Marina. He also is the author of “The Pleasure Boat Buyer’s Guide: 11 Mistakes Boat Buyers Make ... and How to Avoid Them!” available at BoatingTheCarolinas.org. You’ll generally see Matt on Lake Wylie with his girlfriend, Sarah, and dog, Lucy.