Reed Hansen will compete for his fifth straight wakeskate World title when the 2011 Rockstar WWA Wakeboard World Championships presented by Supra descend on Indianapolis on Aug. 18-21. It’s a new city for the Worlds but familiar stomping grounds for Reed, whose extended family is active in the Indy water-sports scene. In addition to his unprecedented winning streak and the support of a handsome crowd of Hansens, Reed gives us his top five reasons Wakeboard Worlds is the can’t-miss event of the year. — Chelsy Tracz
The best tow boat pulls it.
The Supra Launch 242 is an awesome boat, which really makes for good riding. All the wakeskaters, myself included, are stoked that it pulls the Worlds. The wake is lippy, but it still has a good place to land. It will give riders the best wake of all the boats out there right now.
It’s the most diverse.
I always push myself to a new level to get ready for Worlds because I’m competing against riders from all around the globe. You get to see people with different styles doing stuff you wouldn’t normally think about. It inspires you to run out there and try different tricks.
Prestige sets it apart.
Just having the name World Championships, that in itself makes it the most prestigious event of the year — and the fact that riders come from around the globe to compete at this one contest. It’s definitely better to have everybody involved.
It has the highest riding level.
At the first event of the year, everybody’s just warming up, breaking into their riding and getting all their tricks back. But by the end of the year, they’ve had all summer to perfect their current tricks and learn new ones. That makes Worlds the most exciting event to watch because everybody has everything so dialed. The consistency and performance is way higher.
Amateurs compete alongside pros.
All the kids and their families make for a huge crowd, and they’re so stoked to meet and hang out with the pros, which is always a bonus. Plus, it gives so many riders the opportunity to call themselves World champions. What kid doesn’t want to win the World Championships in his division? They’re focused and they’re excited about it.
