Wind Presents Challenge for Wakeboarders

Danny Hampson from Key West, Florida, representing Liquid Force, demonstrates Wakeskate jumps off the ramp.
There certainly was talk from spectators about the tricks being performed by the wakeboarders on the lake but most of the chatter was about the wind. It was steady from the north, cold, and all day. Still, on a very sunny Saturday, the fifth annual Jersey Wakeoff drew 62 competitors in eight divisions and close to 900 spectators to the beach at the Lake Forest Yacht Club in Jefferson.
Jersey Wakeoff 2012 organizer Ryan Sorensen, left and Michael Levinson, right.
Nick Poulin from Manchester, New Hampshire, won the grand prize of $1000. He was the last competitor of the day to ride the wake, finishing just before the sun set behind the hills of Hopatcong.
Winners of the other divisions were: Arden Kassaleh in the Kids division, David Prilutsky in the Novice division, Thomas Povanda in the Masters division, Ashley Dorn in the Girls division, Darren Hendershot in the Intermediate division, Forrest Stern in the Wakeskate division, and Daniel Bentson in the Advanced division. Winners in each division received a certificate for free admission into next year’s wakeoff and a pair of wood sunglasses. As the winner of the Advanced division, Bentson also won a camera from GoPro and a $200 check.
Midway through the day, the crowd was treated to a wakeskate show by professional wakeskater Danny Hampson. A Liquid Force sponsored rider, Hampson attemped numerous tricks off the ramp located in the swim area in front of the beach. Wakeskater boards do not have attached boots. Riders wear only tennis shoes and ride the waves (or jump the ramp) as if they were on a skate board.
White caps greeted the morning sessions, including the Kids, Novice, Masters and Girls groups. By the afternoon, the lake was still very choppy but at least the white caps subsided.
“Everyone is riding about 60% of their potential because of the wind,” said event organizer Ryan Sorensen midway through the afternoon. “But they’re all making the best of it anyway.”
“Conditions are pretty bad today but it’s no reflection on the event. It’s Mother Nature—we have no control over it at events like this,” said Michael Levinson, 26, from Lake Hopatcong.
Levinson competed in the Advanced division, landing a back roll, a Tantrum and an Air Raley. He’s been wakeboarding since he was 12 and has competed in each of the five Jersey Wakeoff competitions, winning the Intermediate division back in 2008, the first year of the event.