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.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #3-Kyle Barmoy

The first rider to crack the Top 3 is Kyle Barmoy from Westminster, MD. Kyle probably has the most raw talent of anyone to come through VT. His level of comfort on any board is pretty unbelievable. On a snowboard trip with some VT wake riders, he attempted a 720 on his first hit of the day without ever previously seeing or hitting the jump. While he washed out on the landing, it is a testament to his knack for boardsports. Kyle is also a very well rounded rider. He has inverts, spins, switch tricks, raley based tricks, and style. He has a legit Batwing, an absolutely flawless Tantrum to Blind, and he's a rider who can spin both on-axis and off-axis. HS FS 540s, TS FS O/A 720s, HS Front to Fakies, Crow Mobes, the list goes on. The only thing keeping Kyle from the #1 spot on this list is his limited time at VT. After 1 year, Kyle elected to move back closer to home and is now attending college in Maryland. With his talent, continued progression, and a full 4 years at VT, Kyle could have very well been one of the best collegiate wakeboarders of all time.

kyle barmoy 09 from Terry Bailey on Vimeo.

  

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #4-Edan Fletcher

Coming in at Number 4 is Edan Fletcher, a fifth-year senior Engineer from Pittsburgh, PA. Edan is the definition of style. With a strong snowboard (and skateboard) background, he approaches wakeboarding with a different mindset than your average rider. Edan has a perfect Nosegrab HS Backroll, a nasty grabbed TS FS 360 landing wrapped, and has been experimenting with a variety of wrapped spins, including HS and TS BS 360s. He is undoubtedly the most stylish rider to come out of VT and is also one of the better rail riders in the club. Keep an eye out for him as he returns to Nationals after missing last year. Edan's style combined with an growing bag of tricks and consistency make him a rider to watch for.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #5-Adam Van Dyke

At number 5 on the list, Adam Van Dyke is arguably the best spinner in the club. The Senior Marketing/Management major is another Smith Mtn. Lake native and lifelong Liquid Force rider. While he has a solid bag of toeside inverts, Adam is a classic example of the phrase “spin to win” with his victory in Men’s C at the 2012 Alt Games (Nationals). He can do all 4 Frontside 540s and both Heelside and Toeside Backside 360s. He suffered a nasty knee injury and complications from a massive double up last year just weeks after Nationals. After a November surgery, he has been working extremely hard in hopes of being back in time for Nationals 2013. When he gets back on the water, expect to see Adam chasing down both Heel 7s and HS BS 540s with a vengeance this year. -Nick

Adam Van Dyke spins like a top... from Nick Schrein on Vimeo.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #6-Jeff Goldblum

Coming in at #6 is Jeff Goldblum, one of the key pieces in getting the VT Wakeboard Club on the map. The former President was a longtime CWB rider that has recently switched over to Humanoid. Jeff is a rider who does things the right way. He grabs almost all of his tricks, which includes plenty of bangers. Batwings, 540s, Roll to Reverts, Switch Backside Spins, you name it: Jeff does it with style. His long stint at VT included a major ankle injury, but Jeff fought back to ride better than ever. He posted one of VT's best individual performances with a 1st place finish in Men's B at Alt Games 2012 (Nationals) in Oklahoma City. The judges rewarded his diverse bag of tricks and the work he puts in to grab every trick. He threw down a flawless run that included a good mix of inverts, spins, and raley-based tricks, with zero falls. That victory combined with a HS BS 180 that is so stylish that he tweaked his knee from poking it so hard, makes Jeff one of the best riders in VT wake history.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #7-Paul Minter

Next on the list is Paul Minter at #7. Paul graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is now living in Richmond, VA. Like Danny Maine, Paul rode the Liquid Force PS3 for years. He is a great switch rider...doing both switch spins and multiple switch inverts including regular and switch Backrolls and Roll to Reverts/Halfcab Rolls back to back. He has one of the most legit Elephants around and is the only VT rider with a legit HS O/A 180.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #8-Daniel Maine

Daniel Maine is the first of several Smith Mtn. Lake riders on this list, coming in at #8. Danny is an Engineer that finished up his time in Blacksburg last year. He has been riding the Liquid Force PS3 for years and rides behind a Super Air Nautique 210 at home. Danny is a well-rounded rider with a nice selection of spins, inverts, and both HS and TS raley based tricks. 360s, 540s, Roll to Reverts, Batwings, etc. Danny can do a little bit of everything.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #9-Brian Benjamin

Coming in at #9 in the list is Brian Benjamin. The Lake Anna rider graduated in 2010 is now living in the Washington D.C. area. Brian is one of the few VT Wake riders with a knack for off-axis spinning. His TS FS O/A 540 is one of his go to tricks and he also has a great Indy Lookback. He is known for charging double ups, even in competitions (see the video below). Brian has been rocking CWB setups for years and was a key piece in leading VT to a Final Four appearance at Nationals 2009 in San Diego, CA.

Top 10 Riders of All Time: #10-Grant DePhillips

     The first rider to crack the VT Wake Top 10 Riders of All Time list is current President, Grant DePhillips. The Junior Industrial Systems Engineering major from Pennsylvania has made huge strides in his riding since coming to Virginia Tech. Grant is a powerful rider, boasting huge raley-based tricks and several different inverts that he boosts well into the flats. Grant rides the Liquid Force Trip, which complements his riding style well. He is one of the few (maybe the only) VT riders to rock a classic HS Frontflip, and has recently added some 540s to his quickly growing bag of tricks. Expect Grant to make some noise in competitions in the coming years. If his current progression keeps up, it is very likely that Grant will climb further up this list in the future.

VT Wake Top 10 Riders of All Time

We have asked alumni, current club members, friends, etc and are compiling a list of the Top 10 Virginia Tech wakeboarders in club history. This is based on each rider's bag of tricks, competitive success, and style, among other things. Stay tuned to the blog over the next week or two for the countdown.

2013 VT Wake Season Preview

2012 was a good year for VT Wakeboarding. After a 3^rd place finish at CBS Alt Games (Nationals), including 2 division (individual) champions, we kept it going. This fall we attended both an Empire Wake event and USA Wakeboard Eastern Regionals. Despite missing a few of our top riders, VT Wake was able to put together some great runs at Regionals and stole the title from the hosts-University of Tennessee. That makes an impressive 3 Regional titles in the last 4 years.

            Looking into 2013, we are hoping to continue to do big things. VT Wake alumnus Nick Schrein is working on a new full-length video. His last effort, called “Gauntlet,” was released in 2009. It was one of the first free full-length wakeboard videos ever released. We are looking forward to seeing what he comes up with this time around with a new crop of riders that he has been filming.

            On the competitive side, we are looking forward to attending Alt Games once more, which will be held May 25^th weekend in Shreveport, LA. USA Wakeboard recently released their latest rankings-listing VT at #7. We hope to once again exceed expectations and have a great time. While we graduated a very good rider in Jeff Goldblum last year (the only rider we lost), we are very optimistic about our team’s future. The progression by the Cofer twins and current president Grant DePhillips is mind-blowing. If they continue at this pace, the club will be a contender for years. We are also super stoked on some of our new riders. Scott Buchwald is a good addition to the guy’s side, and we are pumped to have another girl rider in Kate Cashwell. Maybe the most important new piece to the VT Wake team is freshman wakeskater Eli Archer. We have been blown away by his skills and consistency on his wakeskate and think he will turn some heads at Nationals this year.

As mentioned earlier, we only lost one rider from last year’s Nationals team. Joel Wagner is back for his last year of eligibility and remains one of the top riders in Collegiate Wakeboarding. Edan Fletcher continues to impress with his smooth style and has been riding more since a Spring Co-op/Summer Internship last year that kept him out of the VT Wake scene for a while. Senior Adam Van Dyke suffered a torn ACL and some serious complications just weeks after Nationals 2012, but is working extremely hard to hopefully be back in time for Nationals 2013. The girls side is still in good hands with Julie Benjamin, Jessica Smith, and Sydney Hobart. Julie remains a very consistent rider and Sydney and Jessica continue to push it, working on several different new bangers.

As for the club itself, we are hoping to increase our fundraising efforts substantially, with a few great projects already in the planning stages. Additionally, we want to boost our social media presence and bring our friends and fans lots of wakeboarding related content. Keep checking the blog and our Twitter (@VTWake) for the latest from the club and our friends in the wakeboarding industry. 

Shred on,

-VTWake