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Wakeboard championships in area this weekend

One contestant says he takes the competition ‘one trick at a time.’

Staff photo by Greg Lynch Ryan Gillen, 19, of Miamisburg practices Tuesday, July 28, at Wake Nation in Fairfield.

Ryan Gillen and nearly 90 other competitors will show off their skills this weekend at the USA Wakeboard and Wakesurf National Championships at Eastwood MetroPark and the USA Wakeboard Cable Nationals at Wake Nation.

Staff photo by Greg Lynch Ryan Gillen and nearly 90 other competitors will show off their skills this weekend at the USA Wakeboard and Wakesurf National Championships at Eastwood MetroPark and the USA Wakeboard Cable Nationals at Wake Nation.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Photos: Wakeboarders compete at Wake Nation

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By Kamari Stevens, Staff Writer Updated 7:50 AM Friday, July 31, 2009

Ryan Gillen, a 19-year-old Miamisburg High School graduate, describes wakeboarding as “laying your body out on the line.”

Gillen and almost 90 other competitors will be doing this at the 11th USA Wakeboard National Championships and third Wakesurf Nationals, being held at Eastwood MetroPark, and the USA Wakeboard Cable Nationals at Wake Nation in Fairfield.

Events start today, July 31, at 8 a.m., and run through Sunday. The tournament is free to the public.

Gillen, who is competing in the Wakeboard Cable Nationals, caught the wakeboarding bug when he took it up in Florida, where he is a sophomore at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.

“I started riding one day at my lake and I kind of took to it,” Gillen said. “I just got really hooked.”

This will be Gillen’s fourth event. He also plays golf at Eckerd and said the sports are similar.

“Golf is one shot at a time, wakeboarding is one trick at a time,” Gillen said.

After this tournament, Gillen plans on competing in more, including one in August. In preparation for this event, Gillen said he’s been riding his wakeboard every day to keep his body in shape.

“On the days I don’t ride, I just let my body rest because (wakeboarding) is a full-impact sport,” Gillen said. “My body (can) get beat up pretty fast.”

Gillen has been wakeboarding for only a year and a half but has experienced hard knocks. He said he has had minor injuries to his ankle and elbow, as well as several concussions: “It’s just a part of wakeboarding.”

Gillen will be competing in the age 18-24 bracket and said he won’t be upset with losing if he accomplishes what he sets out to do.

“I have a run planned out in my head,” he said of his routine. “I want to land every trick I throw.”

In his time wakeboarding, Gillen said his family and friends have been supportive.

“My family loves it,” Gillen said. “It’s different to them, but they definitely like to watch me.”

Gillen’s favorite trick is called a “dum-dum,” which he described as a “front roll with a backside 360 (spin).”

One of the most satisfying feelings is the adrenaline rush you get from performing new tricks, Gillen said. “You get so nervous by trying that new trick,” he said, “and when you land that new trick for the first time, you’re so relieved, you’re so pumped.”

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