The Blue Collar Club

People often call Virginia Tech's football team a "blue collar team." We never get the 5 star recruits, we rarely have a flashy offense, and our coaching staff is mostly made up of VT alumni and Virginia locals. But, our teams always work hard, we play great defense, and our coaches turn unknown recruits into NFL stars.

The same goes for our wakeboard team. We rarely get superstar talent, our boat is over 20 years old, and we ride in cold weather most of the year at a very working-class lake. But, we own our boat and do most of the maintenance ourselves, we drive 24+ hours to competitions, and we push past small wakes and icy cold conditions to progress. We may not have it all, but we have a blast making do with what we have. Check out this video for a little peek into our daily life.

VT Wakeboarding-The Blue Collar Club from Adam V on Vimeo.

SML Sunday 10/6/13

Fun day behind Adam's Malibu VLX. Alex Broyles landed his first (progressive) HS Backroll but unfortunately the Malibu's double ups took another victim with Doug getting 6 stitches and a chipped tooth as a reward for boosting off the 2nd roller. Check it out:

SML Sunday 10/6/13 from Adam V on Vimeo.

Regionals Recap

Last weekend VT Wake travelled to Knoxville, TN for 2013 Eastern Regionals. Hosted by University of Tennessee again, this year's competition was smaller than past years but featured some very good riders and a tight battle between VT and UT. The competition was held at the same great site as last year and was pulled by UT's sick new 2014 Mastercraft X-Star.

Due to current president Sean O'Toole's huge recruiting push this fall, VT brought three teams to the event. We are excited to have so many new members who are so pumped about the sport. This is the biggest group of young riders that we have had in years and there is plenty of young talent on the rise.

VT's "A team" this fall was composed of:
Men's A-Adam Van Dyke
Men's B-Joe Cofer
Men's C-Doug Cofer
Men's D-Sean O'Toole
Women's A-Sydney Hobart
Women's B-Julie Benjamin
Wakeskate-Eli Archer

Highlights included Joe Cofer posting the only stand up run of the entire contest and Eli Archer having one of the strongest wakeskate runs we have ever seen at Regionals despite only riding once in the last month! His run included wake to wake grabs, a flawless 360 shuv-it, and a wake to wake nosegrab HS FS 180. Sean O'Toole had one of his best sets ever, showing the hard work he has put into his riding this year. Unfortunately, despite an early lead, UT's Men's riders were too much and the Vols pulled away toward the end, edging us out 605 to 595 for the final team scores. Savannah State rider Colby Bernier and UT rider Adam Holdsworth both had impressive runs featuring a Pete Rose, KGBs, and a TS 720. Either way, we still had a lot of fun and qualify for Nationals. With the rate of progression by several of our riders, the future looks bright for the competition scene in 2014.

Results:
Julie Benjamin-1st place Women's B
Sydney Hobart-2nd place Women's A
Eli Archer-1st place Wakeskate
Sean O'Toole-1st place Men's D
Doug Cofer-2nd place Men's C
Joe Cofer-2nd place Men's B

Jeff Goldblum Uncut

VT Wake Alum Jeff Goldblum takes a set on the James. Some steezy tricks, no editing. See all 4 clips here

This kicker is sketchy but fun. Filmed in Pittsburgh on the Monongahela river

Janky from Edan Fletcher on Vimeo.

Gaper Day Celebrations

We hope everyone had a great 4th of July yesterday! Not only a holiday to honor our great country; the 4th is also recognized as "Gaper Day" to a select group of wakeboarders. Details on the origins of Gaper Day are hard to find, but it is generally believed to be started by some of the original Smith Mtn. Lake wakeboarders years ago. While SML is a great lake most days of the year, on the 4th of July it turns into a madhouse with tourists. If you can't beat em, join em...right? Thus, Gaper Day was born. If you missed it, be sure to bust out your orange PDFs, jet skis, kneeboards, and neon next July 4th and enjoy the holiday...the gaper way.

GoPro Session with Adam Van Dyke

Tuesday morning quick-hitter for you...

Coble GoPro Session from Adam V on Vimeo.

VT Wake Awards 2012-2013

As we look back on the 2012-2013 school year, we wanted to recognize some of the stars of the VT Wakeboard Club. Introducing the first annual VT Wake Awards. Some are serious, some not at all, but this is the best (and worst) we have to offer.

Rider of the Year AND Best Freerider: Edan Fletcher

Honestly, Edan could have won Comp Rider of the year too. He's just good at everything. Sickest style of anyone in the club and has been rock solid in every competition he has entered in the past couple years. He was the anchor of the team this year both in competitions and in freeriding. Well deserved.




Most Improved: Sean O'Toole

Sean was a solid rider going into last semester but he really turned it on in 2012-2013. It seemed like he was learning new tricks every day he went out. Scarecrows, TS Backrolls, Tantrums, etc. Realistically, he probably doubled his bag of tricks in one year and is looking like he is on pace to become one of the top riders in the club next year.







Rookie of the Year AND Most Fun Person to be on the Boat with: Eli Archer

Eli came into the club as a Freshman this year and immediately it was clear that he was going to be a great addition. In addition to his great wakeskating skills (our first true wakeskater in a few years), he has a great attitude. He's always stoked to watch other people ride and is the happiest guy on the boat no matter what. We are all looking forward to having the Giraffe around for several more years.



Best Comp Rider: Joe Cofer

Joe is another rider that really stepped it up this year. He has a great bag of tricks now but to give you an idea of just how consistent he is, get this: He learned TS Backrolls on his second try and landed 5 more in a row that day. 2 weeks later that trick was firmly in his competition run even in the super challenging conditions at Shreveport. Not many people can do that.



Crash of the Year: Sydney Hobart
Sydney falls a lot. Usually on little things like this and not trying the new bangers that freak her out. This IS NOT the actual crash of the year (not filmed) that occured at Nick's house last fall, but it's a gem. It's a good thing she's resilient because I know if I took that many edge catches (and she doesn't even use fins) I'd probably sell my wakeboard. Call her the Mohammed Ali of the club because she sure can take a punch.
Sydney Takes A Tumble from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.

Best Video Section: Joel Wagner-Gnarcolepsy (produced by Nick Schrein)
No surprise here. Joel's bag of tricks is unrivaled, and Nick Schrein picked an awesome song for this edit. @33:42

Gnarcolepsy from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.


Favorite Groupie: Claire Papp

Every team needs a "Team Mom" and for VT Wake that is First Lady Claire Papp. She's always on the boat and even made the trip down to Nationals. She can stay as long as she keeps bringing sliced oranges, water bottles, and bandaids.








The Nicholas J. Schrein "Bad Luck" Award: 
                                     Adam Van Dyke
Torn ACL, Torn Lateral Meniscus, Blood Clot, 3 ER visits, 3 months on blood thinners, getting the flu 2 days after knee surgery, getting an infection because he was allergic to the stitches, and getting a second knee surgery...the stats speak for themselves.








The Jeffrey J. Goldblum "I just can't quite leave yet" Award: Nick Schrein

5 years at VT just wasn't long enough. It's like that guy who just can't break up with his girlfriend. It's OK though, Nick is a great guy to have around and he was able to make a SICK full-length video of the club by being in the area. Thanks Nick! While we wish him luck in pursuing his dream of moving to FL, we don't mind if you stick around for a little bit more riding.

VT Wakeboarding goes on a field trip

Last weekend, a group of VT Wake riders made a trip to meet up with the numerous Richmond VT Wake residents to do some wakeboarding and finally hit some of the great winch spots on the James River like this one:

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/24295670

...and then Tropical Storm Andrea came through and the city of Richmond closed the river due to extremely high river levels.

So the winching didn't quite work out. The second thing we learned is that Richmond is HUGE. Everything was 30 minutes to 1 hr+ away. So the logistics never worked out for riding boat either.

So we did the next best thing...and went to King's Dominion in matching VT Wake tanks.

We had a blast riding some of the best rollercoasters in the area and riding the log flume. VT Wake always slams our boats...

Dude Log

Thanks a bunch to Jeff and the Bradys for letting us stay at their houses and for the hospitality. Even though the wakeboarding (and the bacon festival) didn't work out, it was a great time. We'll have to try again sometime soon. 

Nationals 2013 Video

Check out the highlights from VT Wake's trip to 2013 Nationals!

VT Wake Nationals 2013 from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.

Nationals Recap

Last weekend VT Wakeboarding made the trek down to Shreveport, Louisiana for USA Wakeboard Collegiate Nationals. Always a first class event, this year didn't disappoint. We rode for 3 days against 11 other schools: Ball State, Central Washington University, University of Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas Tech, and Wisconsin.

Fortunately, the weather cooperated for the most part, but the riding conditions were challenging all weekend. The event site was great for spectators (right through the middle of downtown), but the rough river water gave riders from all schools problems. VT battled it out all weekend as one of the legitimate contenders. This year was one of the most complete teams we have ever put together...not out-of-this-world in any one division but strong in each. Central Washington came in as the heavy favorite, and soon showed everyone why. Their team was strong throughout with elite Men's talent, winning Men's A, B, C, and D much like the impressive Tennessee national championship team in 2011. If that wasn't enough, they brought a second Men's A rider to compete individually, who took 3rd place! After the dust settled, VT finished 4th overall behind Wisconsin (3rd), Florida Gulf Coast University (2nd), and Central Washington University (1st). The University of Florida rounded out the top five.

Individual highlights included several podium finishes by VT riders. Grant DePhillips finished 3rd place in Men's D and Joe Cofer finished 2nd in Men's C in their Nationals debut. Jessica Smith put up some of the highest scores in Women's B all weekend, including the highest semifinals score, but had a fluke run in the finals. She still finished an impressive 4th place in her first ever Nationals as well! Edan Fletcher returned to Nationals and kept up his competitive success. Largely considered the best freerider and most stylish currently in VT Wake, he still somehow has managed to be our most consistent competition rider over the last few years. After riding Men's C for VT in 2011, he moved up to Men's B and placed 2nd in a very competitive division that featured 2012 Men's A 2nd place rider, Tom Olson (CWU). Lastly, Joel Wagner got some redemption from his disappointing 2012 Nationals performance and made the finals in Men's A in his last Nationals appearance. We will definitely miss Edan and Joel next year!

All in all, VT advanced 6 of 7 riders to the semifinals, 5 of 7 to the finals, and ended with 3 podium finishes. With this fourth place team finish, we have now placed in the Top 5 in three of the past five years (2009, 2012, 2013) and are proud to be one of the elite teams in collegiate wakeboarding. We hope to acquire a true wakeboard boat this summer/fall and take our riding to new levels in the coming year. Thanks to everyone who has helped us along the way and for all of the support! See full Nationals results here.

Check out all 500 Nationals photos that Grant took here!

Good luck to our Nationals riders this week!

Stay tuned to the blog and our Twitter (@VTWake) for updates and coverage from Nationals. VT will be travelling to Shreveport, Louisiana to compete among the best in the country at USA Wakeboard Alt Games this Friday through Sunday. After a 3rd place overall finish last year, we are hoping for even better this year.

Our riders that will be representing VT are:
Joel Wagner
Edan Fletcher
Joe Cofer
Grant DePhillips
Sydney Hobart
Jessica Smith
Eli Archer

Wish them luck!

Gnarcolepsy Premiere

On Wednesday night, VT Wake premiered our new full-length video by Nick Schrein. He has been filming and editing tirelessly for the last 5 years on this project and it shows. We had about 40 people show up to the premiere on campus and the feedback was extremely positive. This is definitely Nick's best work to date.

The video features riding by Edan Fletcher, Joe Cofer, Doug Cofer, Grant DePhillips, Patrick Wynne, Sydney Hobart, Jessica Smith, Sean O'Toole, Garrett Wootton, Scott Buchwald, Eli Archer, Adam Van Dyke, Joel Wagner, and more. Check it out for yourself!

Huge thanks to Nick Schrein for all of his time and effort.

Gnarcolepsy from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.

Sunday Afternoon Entertainment

Countdown to the Gnarcolepsy premiere is on! Can't wait to show everyone our new full-length video this Wednesday night. Until then, check out the latest in the wakeboarding/wakeskating world on this chilly Sunday afternoon.

Wake Games Pro Mens Finals:
Wake Games - Pro Men from WakeWorld on Vimeo.

Ridiculous new Shredtown Video:
TUBULAR from Andrew Adams on Vimeo.



Rusty Malinoski and Fox:

Byerly Toe Jam Winch Gap (Wakeskate Pro Tour highlights):
http://www.alliancewake.com/skate/byerly-toe-jam-hammers/

In honor of Earth Day...

VT Wake is in the process of organizing a Claytor Lake clean up day. We are lucky to have such a great place to ride just thirty minutes from campus and want to keep it clean for everyone. Stay tuned for exact dates, but we hope other Claytor locals will join the effort and give back!

1st Spring Riding Pictures of 2013

VT Wake is finally back behind the boat. The water is warming up fast and the progression has already started. Check out the first batch of pictures from the last couple of weeks!

photo by Matt Taylor

Eli Archer

Eli Archer

Adam Van Dyke's first set back from ACL surgery
photo by Matt Taylor

Scott Buchwald

Scott Buchwald

Sean O'Toole

Eli Archer

Videos of the week: Collegiate Crashes, Thai scenery, and Gordon Harrison

Check out the latest wakeboard action from the web.

1.) Sam Carne in Thailand-



2.) Gordon Harrison-

http://www.alliancewake.com/wake/gordon/

3.) Arizona State Winter Crash Reel

Congrats to our new 2013-2014 Officers

We had elections last night and our officers for the next school year will be as follows:

President-Sean O'Toole
Co-VPs-Grant DePhillips and Joe Cofer
Treasurer-Sydney Hobart
Secretary-Julie Benjamin
Member at Large-Doug Cofer
Recruitment Chair-Scott Buchwald

Thanks to all of the hard work by the 2012-2013 officers! We are looking forward to seeing what the future brings for VT Wake.

What you may have missed in wake recently...

There is some crazy progression and innovation going on in wakeboarding/wakeskating/video editing right now...and it's only the very beginning of the season! In case you may have missed it, we put together a highlight reel in one post of the latest and greatest wake videos to hit the web. From handle pass double inverts wake to wake by Dowdy, to cable 1260s by the Breddas brothers, to cranberry bog wakeskating, to 240 frames-per-second video, these are all must-watch videos.







One Shot by Breddas.com from Breddas on Vimeo.



Kyle Alberts-The Pro that Never Was

Spring Winching: CRC Pond

Before this latest snowstorm arrived, VT Wake managed to get our first taste of riding in 2013. It was just a quick winch session but it was good to get back out there. It looks like we'll be stuck with snow for a few days, but the extended forecast is looking promising. Hopefully we'll have some boat footage to share within a couple of weeks. For now, enjoy this quick clip of Sean O'Toole and Eli Archer.

VT Wake CRC Winching 3/23/13 from Adam V on Vimeo.

Spring Break Updates

Hope all Hokies are enjoying their Spring Break. Lots of VT Wake riders are in Florida for break, including Sydney Hobart. Sydney made a stop through Orlando to do some cable riding and hang out with her cousin, LF rider Gordon Harrison, and some other friends. Great to see some Hokies getting back on the water.

Speaking of getting back on the water...looks like the weather is finally starting to cooperate. After a cold winter and some Spring Break snow a few days ago, the weather is starting to turn around. Just checked the 10 day and not one forecasted low is below freezing (although you should never trust the weathermen). Not the warmest or sunniest forecast, but we are used to it. Sounds like the Maroon Marauder is ready to be dewinterized any day now. Hopefully the 45 degree water will warm up fast!

Throwback Thursday-Gauntlet Trailer

As we await Nick Schrein's new VT Wake full length movie, Gnarcolepsy, we wanted to bring it back a few years for Throwback Thursday. Gauntlet was Nick's first full length effort, filmed back in 2008. It's fun to look back at some VT riders back in the day and see how they have progressed since then. Joel is the only rider still around from Gauntlet, but many of the featured riders still wakeboard regularly. It's also cool to see the progression in filming and editing quality by Nick. His skills and equipment have improved a lot over 4 or 5 years and Gnarcolepsy will be some of his best work yet. Another nugget: The band featured in this Gauntlet trailer is the Baker Family Band. That is the same Baker family as Sam Baker, a good friend of several VT Wake riders and current roommate of Gordon Harrison, whose cousin Sydney Hobart is one of VT's top girl riders. Small world.

Gauntlet Trailer 2 from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.

Riders to Watch for in 2013: Garrett Wootton

We are starting a new series of articles to highlight some of the up and comers in VT Wakeboarding, or riders who have been progressing fast that we expect to make some noise in 2013. The first rider on the list is Garrett Wootton from Virginia Beach, VA.
After transferring from Old Dominion University a year and a half ago, he began pursuing a degree in Business Management and joined VT Wake. Garrett embodies the 757 lifestyle. He is super laid back, loves boardsports, and rides with style. As for his wakeboarding, he came to Tech with a backroll and some solid heelside spins, including HS FS 540s.


Just in the last season, Garrett learned:
-TS FS 360s
-TS FS 540s (landed his first one behind an 18 foot center console with a wake "the size of my shoe")
-TS Frontrolls
-Scarecrows

Ya...so maybe he used to be a slight heelside hero...

Either way, he nixed that moniker pretty quickly and progressed well, especially for only being his fourth season of wakeboarding. Competitively, Garrett has been a big part of our Regional success, earning a podium spot in his division in both 2011 and 2012. For 2013, Garrett is hoping to get TS FS 360s down landing wrapped, tantrums, raleys, and maybe start experimenting with TS FS 720s.

Garrett brings a great sense of humor to the club in addition to his wakeboarding skills (and a whip straight out of dub magazine). We are happy to have him at VT and look forward to seeing his riding reach new heights during the rest of his time in Blacksburg.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #1 Davis Prillaman

Taking the top spot on the VT Wake Top 10 Riders of All Time list is SML native and CWB rider, Davis Prillaman. Oddly enough, he and #2 Joel Wagner attended the same high school. Davis graduated from VT in 2009 with a degree in Engineering and is now living in Charlotte, NC. He is another rider with amazing raw talent that can do just about anything on a wakeboard. While he wasn't too involved in competing for VT he was at the top of the local wakeboard scene in NC/VA and his riding certainly left a mark on the club. Davis could go for months without riding, then go out on a mediocre wake and land Tootsie Rolls, Method HS BS 540s, Mute TS O/A 720s, Batwings, Moby Dicks, and more. No warm up needed. While several riders on our list have specialized in certain areas...Adam in spinning, Joel in handle pass inverts, Edan with his style, etc...Davis is the complete package. He really doesn't have any holes in his riding. He can go big, spin, do technical tricks, blast off double ups, and he has style. Unfortunately, Davis doesn't wakeboard as much anymore, but his riding cemented him as the #1 rider in VT history and it looks like he will hold that spot for a while.

Mute TS FS O/A 720

Double Up HS Roll to Revert

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #2-Joel Wagner

       

Holding down the Number 2 spot is Joel Wagner, another Smith Mountain Lake rider who recently started riding for Liquid Force. Joel just finished his final semester at VT with a degree in Accounting and is now working in the Northern Virginia area.

          So what makes Joel so good? First--he has a huge bag of technical tricks. The list of handle pass inverts alone that he has landed is incredible. Tootsie Rolls, Roll to Blinds, KGBs, Crow Mobes, Skeezers, Dum Dums, and more. Second--Joel is a switch MONSTER. VT riders in general take lots of pride in being good at switch riding, but nobody in the club can match Joel's switch ability. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he wakeboards "Regular," but skateboards "Goofy." Joel looks so comfortable switch that sometimes you forget which foot forward he is. His switch scarecrows are sometimes bigger and more laid out than his regular ones. He has a huge bag of switch spins, switch inverts, and even switch raley based tricks and switch Whirlybirds. 

          Joel has always been a good technical rider, but last year Joel really put in work to step up his spin game. While he has landed a handful of BS 540s and 720s, he has never focused as much on spins as he did last year. His work paid off; his spin game went through the roof as he got all four FS 540s on lock back to back. He also added some style into his repertoire with technical spins like grabbed switch TS FS 360s landing wrapped and a legit Stalefish HS BS 180. 

          Competitively, Joel has been the anchor for VT's team over the past several years. After a finals appearance at Nationals 2011 in Men's A,  Joel won the individual title at Eastern Regionals 2012. Joel went into Nationals 2012 riding better than ever, but unfortunately had a fluke run that took him out of the hunt. Expect Joel to show why he was voted one of the Top 10 collegiate wakeboarders in the country by WakeWorld when he returns for his last year of eligibility at Nationals 2013. Joel is the real deal. 

Joel Wagner 2010 from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.