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

USA Wakeboard Top 25

The team rankings going into Nationals have been posted. VT is currently 7th. We look forward to exceeding expectations this Spring.

Full List:

25) USC
24) Long Beach

23) Ole Miss
22) Boise state
21) Mississippi State
20) Ohio State
19) Oklahoma State
18) LSU
17) Louisiana Tech

16) Wake Forest
"Wake Forest is the new kid on the block with one of the newest clubs, starting this year just weeks before the east regional. Led by Tori Koch, after qualifying for nationals they are off to a good start already."



15) Indiana
"Indiana knows what’s up. With a team that puts it all on the line with every ride. At regionals they came out in force but their all-out approach over consistency put them at #3 in the Midwest."



14) Sacramento State
"Sacramento has shown that they know when and where to play their cards. This year is no different. Their strong women’s riders may just be the ticket."



13) Texas Tech
"Texas Tech had a solid showing in the south central regional. The red raiders have a great core and are a fun group to watch but do they have the firepower to be a title contender?"



12) Ball State
Last year’s finish: 9th
"Ball State comes back for their second nationals looking to stay in the top ten. Returning 3 of their riders from the last year they may have their work cut out for them."



11) Central Florida
"UCF has the second most team titles with 3, and after a few years out of the loop they are back competing again. Led by Nick Kamper, they’ve got the guys side, but do they have a girls? "



10) Tennessee
"Tennessee’s first year at nationals resulted in a sweep of the men’s divisions, and the highest ever team score at nationals. A few graduations later and Tyler Greene and Brad Riddick lead this mystery."



9) Texas
"After keeping to themselves for a few years, the longhorns are back. A second place finish at the Shreveport regional was a good way to start. But we know Texas has to be eyeing another title."



8) Florida Gulf Coast
Last year’s finish: 10th
"Florida Gulf Coast has the talent to take the title. A roster of girls that can shred, a wakeskater that drops hammers, and 2010 national champ Kevin Wipplinger back from a knee injury, with the right weekend they may be this years sleeper."



7) Virginia Tech
Last year’s finish: 3
"Virginia Tech has been a powerhouse in the east region winning 4 of the last 5 regionals. Last year was their first national team podium at 3rd. But with all new faces, their maturity and contest experience is in question."



6) Chico State
Last year’s finish: 1st
"Defending champs are looking for a third team title in 4 years. They graduated the top female rider Diana Fleenor and veteran Rob Way, but don’t be surprised, last year they took the title with the 6th seed."



5) Arizona State
Last year’s finish: 5th
"ASU made their Collegiate National Debut last year taking 5 despite a few injuries. With RJ Pabon and Ryan Platt back from injuries, motivated, and coupled with year round training, they have an upper hand on half of the top 4. With a healthy team this year and last years experience don’t be surprised to see these wakedevils on the podium."



4) Louisiana-Monroe
Last year’s finish: 6th
"ULM has the most decorated Waterski team in history with over 20 team titles. With a strong group of riders, and support from their school, they hope this is their start for wakeboarding. The warhawks had a solid performance at the largest regional and walked away with the title."



3) Florida
Last year’s finish: 7th
"Powerhouse Florida holds the most team titles with 4. With newcomers to their team Freddie Wayne, and skater Marcus Knox they are looking to push that total even higher. With a lake on campus, a history of winning, and school support these gators have all the things champions come from."



2) Wisconsin
Last year’s finish: 2nd
"The unlikely Wisconsin, last year’s runner up, made a quick rush towards the top in only their third year as a team. They pack a deep roster with the first dual Collegiate champ (John Zdeblick on wakeboard and wakeskate in 2012), and 6 of 7 wins on the way to their 3-peat regional title. The only thing holding these badgers back is their frozen waters."



1) Central Washington
Last year’s finish: 4th
"Central has come out strong the last few years but has battled some unfortunate injuries that kept the team off the podium. Thomas Olsen has shown that there isn’t much that can slow these guys down from head injuries to broken boards. Calling Radar Lake home may be the advantage these guys need. All healed up now with a deep roster, CWU may just be able to put it together this year and walk away with the title"

Empire Wake: Collegiate Wake Series Atlanta

Last weekend, VT Wake travelled to Lake Lanier outside Atlanta to compete in Empire Wake's Collegiate Wake Series. We brought a solid team of 10-15 riders and 95 riders ended up competing from 11 schools. Some notable accomplishments were Edan Fletcher placing 3rd in Open, Doug Cofer placing 3rd in advanced, and Brian Veasey placing 4th in Beginner (and surviving a crash into the dock). We are now ranked 5th in the nation in the Empire Series and will be travelling to Knoxville, TN this weekend for USA Wakeboard Collegiate Regionals.

http://empire-u.blogspot.com/2012/10/kicking-of-collegiate-wake-series-at.html

http://empire-u.blogspot.com/2011/08/standings_26.html

Raph.

Amazing new video of Raphael Derome. Enjoy!

RAPH from Liquid Force on Vimeo.