Dylan Miler (@dylanmiller) has been riding professionally for 12 years.

In this video, this veteran pro rider shares his tips for learning to perform a Backside 180 while wakeboarding. Topics Miller covers include how to initiate the trick using the start-up roller of the wake, edging out, controlling your speed and where you should be looking while doing a Backside 180. Learn about the importance of your shoulders, where your weight is, timing the rotation, incorporating a grab,  and more. All footage shot using Dylan Miller’s Heyday Wake Boats H22.

Enjoy learning this trick.

Read Next: Get More Pro Tips

Watch Now: Check out the Heyday Wake Boats H22, the Boat Dylan Miller Rides Behind

The post How to Perform a Backside 180 Wakeboarding With Dylan Miller appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Gunnar Daft is a long-time professional rider with loads of experience and wisdom to share. In this video, Daft, describes some of the settings he uses to wring top performance from his Montara Boats Surf Boss 2.0, which our sister media outlet, Boating, named Boat of the Year for 2023.

In the vid, Daft describes the use of profiles, tab percentages, speed and more. Shot aboard Daft’s own Montara, you will also see him riding in this video. Enjoy and learn!

Read Next: How to Set Up Your Boat for Wakeboarding With Taylor McCullough

The post How to Set Up Your Boat for Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing With Gunnar Daft appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

In this video, world champion wakesurfer and @MasterCraftBoats pro rider, Jett Lambert (Instagram: @jettshreds) breaks down how to perform a backside Alley Oop. In the vid, shot aboard Jett’s own Mastercraft XT 24, the pro speaks about your position on the wave, the desirable speed, when to turn your head, and more. 

With advice from from a pro like Jett, you get insights such as how this trick is similar to a stalled 360 and why you may find this trick easier to learn if you are comfortable riding switch. 

Check out Jett Lambert’s advice, hit the water and learn this trick!

The post How to Do a Backside Alley Oop appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Claiming back to back victories in any event is impressive. When all four wakeboard divisions replicate the success from the year before, it is even more of a rarity. Drop that feat in the majestic waters of Robin Lake,  at the 64th Nautique Masters Presented by GM Marine,  in an event that attracts the most elite boat riders in the game, you can only be more in awe. Finally, sprinkle in the fact that the Men’s Pro winner has only been invited a few times, is more than a boat only rider, and isn’t always one of the favorites to win, you get a result that will likely never happen again.

Read Next: More 64^th Masters Coverage

One year ago, on Memorial Day weekend, Meagan Ethell claimed her 7th Masters title after a tough battle back from an injury that had the potential to sunset her legendary competitive career. In her 15th year being invited to the prestigious event, she secured her 8th winner’s ring with her classic switch and regular spin combos, composed and smooth riding style, with grabbed technical tricks like her indy roll to blind on her way back to the dock. All of this as a “veteran” competitor at the young age of 27, Ethell continues to exhibit the gameface and the dedication to fend off the Zahra Kell’s of the world, who seems to win most events she enters as of late.

If Massi Piffaretti’s victory in 2023 wasn’t one for the ages, his repeat in 2024 makes his accomplishment that much sweeter. A few years ago the question was posed, “can you win a pro event without multiple double flips and 1080s?” While more than capable, Piffaretti chooses to let his personal touch on wakeboarding shine through and separate his runs from the field. 3 impressive rewind tricks, solid spins and some relatively stock mobe 5’s stomped in some challenging conditions all totalled up for a winning run against some of the best boat riders in the world who failed to stand up their runs. A toe-side frontside 540, rewind 360 off of a hefty double-up was just….”chef’s kiss” as his fellow countrymen and women might say.

Jr. Riders Shion Takaiwa and Giulia Castelli showed how they are following in the Pro winners’ footsteps. Japan’s Takaiwa executed flawless Massi-type tricks, adding late grabs to technical spins and making rewind tricks flow in a contest run. On the Jr. Women’s side, you would be hard pressed to find a competitor that hasn’t looked up to Ethell and her gracious, winning ways over the years. She also just happens to add another Italian flag to the top of the podium, which undoubtedly added an extra smile to Piffaretti’s face.

The post Winning Back-To-Back: The Spirit of Wakeboarding Champions appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

A former competitive wakeboarder, Alexa Score is one of the busiest people you’ll ever meet. From her work as a producer and on-camera talent for three outdoor shows as well as working for the Minnesota Vikings and appearing in Zac Brown Band videos, she is living her best life—especially when you consider she has been battling chronic myeloid leukemia since the age of 16. We caught up with her about her life on the water and her efforts to help other childhood cancer victims through the Surf to Save Lives event benefitting St. Jude’s Children’s Research hospital.

You grew up on Green Lake in Minnesota. How did you get involved in watersports and wakeboarding?

My family wasn’t really involved in watersports, but I got involved in the Little Crow Ski Team when I was nine. I was a swivel skier and even stood on the top of a 42-person pyramid. I have the bumps and bruises to prove it.

I got started wakeboarding when my older sister came home from college and started doing it on the lake with her friends. I started realizing I could be competitive when I won the women’s amateur national title at the WWA Nationals in 2011 when I’d really only competed a couple of times.

You were first diagnosed with leukemia at age 16. How did that change your life in general and your passion for wakeboarding?

There was a period of nine months where I struggled to get out of bed or do basic things like just walk down the stairs. Then when I turned 17, when I started feeling better, I graduated early from high school and said, “I’m moving to Orlando and nobody can stop me.” I found healing and passion in competitive wakeboarding and being on the water. I didn’t know how long I had to live and with my prognosis. I was literally riding the wave.

Are you now in remission?

I’m not in remission. I still take an oral chemo medication every day and see an oncologist every three months. I’m very fortunate—there are a lot of people under the same circumstances who can’t work and struggle on a daily basis.

What is your involvement with Surf to Save Lives?

I’ve been partnered with MasterCraft for three years now and this our second year doing the Surf to Save Lives event. From May 22 to October 1, all you have to do to participate is download the MasterCraft Connect app—it doesn’t matter what kind of boat you have. When you’re on the water participating in any kind of towed watersport—tubing, kneeboarding, waterskiing, wakeboarding, surfing—for every minute you log on the app, MasterCraft will donate $1 to St. Jude’s [up to $75,000.] All you have to do is log in while doing something you love.

I attribute a lot of my success to the first pediatric doctor I had. The drug I’ve been taking since I was 17 to stay alive was new back then. Now, thanks to research, there are five drugs to help people like me. St. Jude’s is on the cutting edge of care and research to help kids who have cancer.

You no longer compete, but do you still get out on the water?

Watersports was my first passion and still is my number one passion. When I’m home in Minnesota during the season, I spend every free minute on the water (I just got my new MasterCraft XT24 yesterday) taking friends and family wakeboarding and wakesurfing. I also still swivel ski and foil. It’s all about having fun on the water and creating memories.

The post On Board With: Alexa Score appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Like a lot of aspiring watersports athletes, Brian Grubb traded water skis for a wakeboard in the late ’90s, but it was a picture of a pro riding skateboard-style that would prompt him to trade bindings for sneakers and grip tape. Grubb would go on to be a driving force behind the burgeoning sport of wakeskating, capturing National and World Championships in his rookie year on tour and forging a career that would last for decades. It’s his relationship with Red Bull, however, that’s thrust the now 43-year-old into the national spotlight. Grubb’s recent drone-towed wakeskate session across the rooftop infinity pool of a Dubai skyscraper—followed by a 77-story BASE jump to the beach below— has become the energy drink behemoth’s all-time most viewed clip on Instagram.

Why wakeskating?

I grew up water-skiing and wakeboarding in Florida. I saw some shots in the mags of (wake pioneer) Scott Byerly riding with no bindings and had to try it. I loved the freedom of it and hitting rails and kickers was super fun for me. It was such a new sport that we were doing tricks no one had ever done and that was very rewarding.

Still, it was a pretty niche sport. How did you attract Red Bull?

I got connected with Red Bull back in 2001 with some help from my friend Parks Bonifay who was already on the team. I was getting a lot of exposure in the mags and doing pretty good competing in wakeboard rail contests on my wakeskate. It was a new sport, but Red Bull took a chance with me and together we helped grow wakeskating into what is it today. Red Bull is the best sponsor in action sports and goes above and beyond to help its athletes achieve their dreams.

Your career has lasted longer than most. How have you managed to stay popular?

I’ve dedicated my whole life to watersports, and it has been very good to me in return. I’m always trying to do new things and ride in places no one ever has. I’ve had some amazing opportunities to do this with the help of Red Bull and my other sponsors. I don’t turn down opportunities and am always on the move. I have a friend group that also lives like I do and we are always chasing the next adventure.

The latest stunt in Dubai was crazy. How do you dream up something like that, and what goes into making it happen?

The wakeBASE was my dream project. It was just a wild idea for a while, but started really coming together after we built the drone and now had a way to tow it. Red Bull has an amazing team that helped with the logistics in Dubai and with the Address Beach Resort. It’s a 79-story building and the pool is the highest infinity-edge pool in the world at 965 feet. It’s an awesome BASE jump with about 7 seconds of free fall.

Read Next: Brian Grubb and Cleopatra’s Pool

So what’s next?

I’m always looking for the next adventure and traveling around the world to find it. Lately I’ve been chasing big waves on the e-Foil and looking forward to going on the road this summer with Malibu Boats on the Just Ride Tour.

The post The Brian Grubb Interview appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Grom Quest Challenge Winner, Zoey Carroll, a wakeboarder from the USA, is a 2022 World Wake Association national champion in the age 10-13 girls’ division and now competes in the Junior Pro division. Carroll was selected from a worldwide pool of competitors, and is one of eight new “Stars of Tomorrow” that GoPro adds to its team.

Athletes selected range from 9 to 17 years old, and were selected through GoPro’s Grom Quest Challenge, a video-submission-based talent search designed to identify the next generation of top action sports athletes.

The eight newly signed athletes will receive monetary and equipment sponsorship from GoPro to help advance their professional careers and will be showcased on GoPro’s social channels to help grow their personal brands. They will also have the opportunity to meet and learn from GoPro’s world-class roster of established pro athletes.

“GoPro is committed to helping today’s top young action sports athletes realize their dream of going pro,” said Rick Loughery, GoPro’s Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications. “Through our Grom Quest Challenge, we’ve identified some of the most impressive young athletes in the world, and we’re excited to help them achieve their goals and showcase their talent to the world.”

Grom Quest Challenge winners include top young athletes from a wide range of action sports:

• Ned Hart: Surf | Age 17 | Australia. Ned is a highly decorated surfer having won the 2023 Young Gun Big Wave award, Tracks Magazine’s ‘Wave of 2023’ award and was a finalist for several Australian Surfing Awards in 2023.
• Ema Kawakami: Skate | Age 9 | Japan. Ema won the Japan Skateboarding Federation vertical contest in 2023 and the Wingram Cup 2023 Vertical Series Vol. 1 and holds the Guinness World Record for the most backside 540 skateboard tricks in one minute – eight tricks.
• Connor Stitt: BMX | Age 13 | USA. Connor set the record for the world’s youngest person to land a triple backflip on a bike.
• Duke Woodman: Freeride Ski | Age 12 | USA. Duke is the youngest member of Atomic’s North American Junior Freeride Team and went undefeated in his rookie International Freeskier & Snowboarder Association (IFSA) freeride season, having won all four of his regular season events.
• Zoey Carroll: Wakeboard | Age 12 | USA. Zoey is a 2022 World Wake Association national champion in the 10-13 girls’ division and now competes in the Junior Pro division.
• Axel Dominguez: Surf | Age 16 | France. Axel finished 4th in the European Championship and is currently ranked 17th in the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Junior Surfing Championship.
• Finley Davies: Mountain Bike | Age 15 | United Kingdom. Finley took the wildcard win at the BikePark Wales + Red Bull Vanta Jam in 2023.
• Jaydin Smart: Motocross | Age 10 | USA. Jaydin is an elite rider and a three-time Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross national champion.

The Grom Quest Challenge is an ongoing contest open to all sports and athletes around the world who are 17 years old or younger. Participants can submit their clips to the GoPro Grom Quest Awards Challenge via the GoPro Quik App or at GoPro.com/Awards. Learn more about the challenge here.

Grom Quest participants were asked to submit video clips of their best performances in their given sport. Submissions are made through GoPro’s Quik app and must be captured on a GoPro camera. The Grom Quest Challenge is ongoing and open to athletes around the world aged 17 and younger.

The post Young Wakeboarder Wins Spot on Team GoPro appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

In this video, Heyday Wake Boats pro rider, Dylan Miller shares his knowledge, experience and expertise in setting up his very own Heyday H22 for wakeboarding, foiling and wakesurfing. A pro athlete for 12 years, Miller lets you in on his settings for ballast, wake-shape, speed and more, using his Simrad MFD screen at the helm. Miller talks you through set up issues, and then rides to show you what the results of that set up might look like.

How does Miller use the wake plate? What speed does he like for foiling? Get the intel on these aspects of boat set up…and more! Watch the video.

See our review of the 2023 Heyday H22.

The post How to Set Up Your Boat for Wakeboarding, Foiling and Wakesurfing With Dylan Miller appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Video by Sean Kilgus/BFY Action Films

In this video, Matt “Miracle Matt” Manzari, provides instructions for learning to perform a pop shuvit. Also known by various iterations such as shove-it, shove, or simply shuv, this trick is fun to do and is the act of spinning the board underneath you and then re-landing. And, you can learn to do it using the tips provided in this video by Manzari. What foot is key? What part of the wave should you start on when learning the pop-shuv? Check out the video, in which Manzari rides behind his own Centurion Ri230 then head out on the water!

The post How to Perform a Shuvit With Matt Manzari appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.

Matt Manzari, burn survivor, inspirational speaker, and rider for Centurion Boats loves helping people find their story. That shows in this video, wherein Manzari describes setting up a boat for watersports action. His ability to communicate shines through. Shot aboard Manzari’s own Centurion Ri230 model, the tips and advice he offers will apply to setting up any watersports boat. 

Read Next: How to Set Up Your Boat for Wakeboarding With Taylor McCullough

The post How to Set Up Your Boat For Wakesurfing, Wakeskating and Foiling With Matt Manzari appeared first on Wakeboarding Mag.