Part 2: Dream Job – but have YOU got the balls to go for it?
Matt signing autographs at Wakestock, photo by Michael Wincott
Have you had to make any sacrifices to follow this career path?
Living out of my van has been one and not being able to see friends regularly. In the past there has been worry over where the money’s coming from to make it through the next month. However, all very small prices to pay for the life I lead. Being on the road is fun as hell and although I don’t see the same friends all the time, I get to hang with loads of different groups of friends and the uncertainty of it all adds to the fun.
What advice could you offer people about the type of attitude it takes to be a success in this industry?
If sponsorship isn’t what you’re after, and you don’t care about events then hell, do whatever you like. I think the only issue really is just some people expect everything to land on their laps. Times are tight in this industry and across all Freesports so you have to be offering something different in order to stand out from the crowd.
Did you ever doubt yourself, and if so what kept you going?
There are always doubts, for sure, but I know what I want and doubting myself isn’t going to get me there.
What are the best things about of this type of life?
Ah man, that’s easy, getting to do what I love for a living! Along with the actual wakeboarding comes the lifestyle of course, traveling, partying and so on but it’s the time on the water that it all comes back to. If you don’t love the thing you’re trying to make a living out of then you aren’t going to do well at it.
Thanks Matt great advice, you’ve certainly given us an insight into the sport as well as valuable information that our ambitious readers can put into action in their own careers.
“Urban Wakeboarding” – Matt riding along the canal in Birmingham and running into a bit of trouble along the way www.grainmedia.co.uk
As well as talking to Matt, we hooked up with some of his team mates. These cream of the crop athletes in Wakeboarding gave us the lowdown on; how to rise to the top of your game in a competitive industry, plus how to overcome fear and demolish any barriers which might be holding you back. Here’s what they had to say…
Scotty Broome photo by Andrew Fawcett
What tips would you give other people who want to pursue an unusual career?
Sean O’Brien – The easy part is that it’s not really going to feel like work if it’s something that you absolutely love to do. You will wake up every morning loving life. The hard part comes with overcoming the uncertainty of an unusual career.
There are a lot of things that I don’t really have control of. What if I get injured? What if the economy gets worse and as a result I get dropped by my sponsors? Do your best to make sure you aren’t replaceable. I guess that really applies to everything in life. Be yourself and be unique. Surround yourself with people that understand you, have confidence in you, and support what you are trying to do. This makes everything so much easier.
Kathleen Moore – If you have a passion then live it. A big lesson I’ve learned is that you can live your passion and be successful by employing another aspect to support you. For me, my coaching is my source. For my partner its making wakeboard films. There are many aspects that support sporting communities and related associations. You just have to be confident and think outside the box.
Financially supporting yourself is one of the biggest hurdles aspiring extreme pro athletes and creative people in general, will encounter . Sponsors are amazing but we can’t always rely on them to fund our lives.
If your young enough to still have parents to support you then soak it up. But make your education a priority. Its no fun struggling to do the thing you love if you can’t pay for the resources you need. We have to support ourselves and think about the future. A good education and pursuing your business opportunities are just as important.
Photo by Ian Beattie
Brad Smeele – Learn everything there is to know about your chosen career. The best way to do this is through the people around you who have been through it.
Be open to any advice you can gain along the way. Your peers will be your best tool for learning the ropes and meeting the people you need to meet. But at the end of the day you need to look out for number 1 and work hard.
If you put 110% into everything, people will notice. They will be more likely to help you along the way if they can see that you are passionate about what you are doing.
Dan Nott – Never give up. It will always be tough to make a career out of something small or different but if you work hard anything is possible!
Photo by Luisa Montalbetti
James Young – Be dedicated and certain that is what you want to do. Don’t look back as that will just slow you down, the only steps are forward.
I have learned to never lose focus as it will leave you trailing.
Scotty Broome – To be successful in any career you have to be passionate, so if you really want to do it keep trying. You will always have to overcome some interesting highs and lows. If you love it then the fact you are there is pretty great.
Photo by Andrew Fawcett
Robbie Rendo – Always give your best to follow your dream and just do what makes you happy.
You face high risk situations every day being an extreme sportsperson. How do you deal with fear both in Wakeboarding and in your personal life?
Sean O’Brien – To make it through any high risk situation it is extremely important to understand what you are capable of and have confidence in your abilities. Without that assessment, a risky situation can quickly turn into a dangerous one. Don’t second guess yourself. Once you start doing that, its not going to happen. So do whatever you can to build your confidence and then come back to it.
Kathleen Moore – LIVE! Life is about taking risks. For me the thrill of taking a risk and coming out the other end successful, or at least knowing I’ve given it my best shot is what its about. It’s what drives me and why I’m so addicted to wakeboarding. I’m constantly being challenged mentally and physically. It’s the best feeling ever, pushing yourself outside that comfort zone and getting away with it. There is no place for fear in extreme sports. If you hesitate your chance of going down is rapidly increased. Fear has to be channeled into focus and I think this applies in everyday challenges.
Brad Smeele – The main fear in wakeboarding is attempting new tricks. It can be pretty intimidating attempting that first one. I find the key to working through it is breaking the trick down into smaller, simpler parts and taking it step by step. This can relate to everyday life situations too. For me one of my biggest fears, outside of wakeboarding, is the fear of not being able to afford to go to the next contest, or even to buy food next week. Same process, break the problem down… Don’t let the fear cloud your mind.
Dan Nott – Fear is one of the biggest obstacles in wakeboarding and to over come it you need to be 100% confident in what you are doing. When you are learning a new trick if you come at it thinking that you WILL land it most of the time you will atleast get close to it, but if you come at it scared and half hearted then you will never make it.
James Young – Wakeboarding has many high risks. I have been knocked out, had broken bones, black eyes, dislocations. The only thing that gets me through these injuries is looking forward to getting back on the water. It gives me a sense of freedom. Wakeboarding makes me happy, and gives me heaps of adrenaline, to make me feel good and want to push myself even more.
I deal with fear by thinking about the end result. If I learn a new trick that I’ve been trying over and over it’s such an immense feeling when I pull it off.
Scotty Broome – Fear of any kind will obviously hold you back from doing whatever goal you set. It can also do worse things such as; cause injury, and ultimately time away from what you love. The way I look at it these days; is that we’ve all only been given one life and we should appreciate it to the fullest in every situation. Whenever I go for a wakeboard, surf, skate or (occasionally) snowboard I want to go as hard as I can, challenge myself and have as much fun as possible. I think you can apply that on any level.
Robbie Rendo – In wakeboarding I beat fear by taking everything step by step. For example when I’m learning a new trick I will try it small and slow first then build it up from there. In life I try to put my fears aside and get on with it.
What has been the biggest hurdle you have had to overcome to be successful in Wakeboarding and how did you do it?
Sean O’Brien – The only real setback for my riding has been some injuries. It was my passion for riding as well as the support from my family and friends that has allowed me to overcome any obstacle that have gotten in my way.
Kathleen Moore – I think selling our boat and moving to the UK was a tough realization in my career. I had no idea of what wakeboarding was like in the UK, all I knew from previous visits was that it was cold, small and masses of water were minimal.
My first six months in the UK were tough, I was stressed out and always rushing to get as much in as I could. I had great support from my partner and coach. As we got to know the UK scene and how tight is was; I started to see the light.
This transition in my life taught me that to be successful in sport wasn’t all about competition results. There were other aspects of the sport that could reward me. The community support was overwhelming and the opportunity for me to coach presented itself. My barriers were just in my head and I learned to deal with whatever, life threw at me. My advice is to stay positive and remember the sole reason why you’re doing what you do.
Brad Smeele – Hurdles are put in front of you to test you. Once you overcome them they will only make you stronger. The biggest hurdle has been, and still is, injuries. Wakeboarding is a tough sport on the body. It’s pretty common to have a knee, shoulder or back injury. For my lower back injury I spent a lot of time doing ‘Pilates’ which is a method of core strengthening. I was fortunate enough to get sponsored by a Pilates studio.
Dan Nott – The hardest thing is getting enough time on the water to keep progressing. Once you reach a certain level you need to be on the water at least once a day but preferably 2-3 times. I managed to overcome this when I got my first boat 2 years ago. Another good way to get more time on the water is the recent explosion in the cable wakeboard scene. With the cable you can wakeboard for hours. You don’t have to rely on boat or a driver.
James Young – The biggest hurdle was to go from Junior men to the pro men divisions. Even though the levels of riding were close the experience the pro men have is a lot more. Getting the confidence to ride amongst the pros and keep my cool was my biggest hurdle.
When I compete against people more experienced than me, I just try to block them out of my mind, have a game plan and stick to it. The thing that drove me was having the support of my dad who told me ‘just do your best’ so I do and I see what I need to do to become better.
Scotty Broome – The biggest hurdles I’ve had have probably been; initially trying do tricks in a contest that you can do with your eyes closed at home and also injury as a result of doing this sport for about 12 years. Injury is ultimately a given at some point doing this, so you have to learn to look after yourself and prepare your body for whatever your going to put it through.
Robbie Rendo – For me to fulfill my dream of being a professional wakeboarder I have had to leave my family and country and learn to grow up on my own. It was hard for me when I was younger but now I’ve got used to it.
Here’s some more information about these exceptionally talented Wakeboarders
Sean O’Brien
Age – 26
Location – Orlando, FL
Years riding – 12
Competitions
1st – “No Fear Double-Up contest” 2005
2nd – “Off Axis” Contest 2007
Other Achievements
Sean started the Orlando Wakeboard Academy Sponsors – O’Brien, Rusty, Arnette, Straight Line, and orlandowake.com. www.orlandowake.com Age 30 Location – Sydney, Australia/UK Years riding – 8 Competitions Australian Nationals (Pro Woman Champ) 2004 and 2007 Photo by Michael Wincott Other Achievements
Represented Australia World Games, Germany 2005 & World championships. Sponsors Age – 22 Location – Auckland, New Zealand Years riding – 9 Competitions 2007 NZ National Champion Photo by Michael Wincott Other Achievements
2008 – Became 4th person to land a 1080. Sponsors Click to see Brad doing the 1st Regular 1080 ever landed. Age – 25 Location – London, UK Years riding – 15 Competitions 2008 Titles: Sponsors Age – 20 Location – London, UK Years riding – 7 Competitions 2008 – 1st King of Cable 2009 – 6th Wake Park World Series Pro men stop 1 Sponsors Age – 24 Location – Sydney, Australia/ Orlando, Florida Years riding – 12 Competitions - 2004 Asian X Games – Malaysia (5th) Other Achievements
2 X Alliance Wakeboard Magazine Covers Featured riding in Insurrection 1 & 2, Blue Screen, Accidental, Bent Felix, Our Time & Ozinus. Sponsors Location – Argentina/Spain/UK/USA Years riding – 8 Competitions Argentina and Latino America Champion Sponsors Click to see Robbie in action www.robbierendo.com.ar Thanks guys, wow their passion and dedication is so uplifting and empowering. Now your feeling fully pumped up and inspired, what are YOU going to do? what action can you take RIGHT NOW? let us know in the comments what results you got. Interview by Angel Greenham Illustrator – Dan Spinks
Nominated for The Wake Awards “Move of the Year” for a KGB 5
www.obrien.com/Kathleen Moore
European Wakestock Champ 2007
Started Brisbane Wakeboard Association 2002 with Eban Escott.
Runs two websites, frontedge.tv/ ranked in the top 3 wakeboard Podcast.
www.rideforpeace.tv/ A worldwide event, supporting World Peace day on the 21st September.
Surf Dome, Liquid Force, G Shock, Master Craft, Ultra Sporteu, Headzone, Masterline, Skate Electric, Wing Wetsuits.Brad Smeele
2007 UK Wakestock Champion
2008 Planet X Champion
Ronix Wakeboards, www.iwake.com, Mountain dew, Skull Candy, Ju$t a Dollar, Capix Helmets, Urban Rider Winches, Ballistics Wake and Snow.Dan Nott
1st – European Champion 2008
1st – Wakestock Blenheim Champion
1st – South American Championships
3rd – IWSF (International Waterski Federation) Word Championships
Reef, Mastercraft, Ronix, Monster Energy, QuaysideJames Young
4th – Wake Park World Series Pro men stop 2
Princes Club, Ultra Sport, Liquid Force, Oakley, Kustom Shoes, Mastercraft, Balin.Scotty Broome
- 2005 Planet X Wake Slam Jam (3rd place)
- 2006 US Pro Wakeboard Tour and King of Wake (18th overall)
- 2007 Wake stock UK (5th place)
3 X Wake Magazine Covers
2 X Boarder Magazine Covers
- Jstar Wakeboards, Tige’ Boats, O’Neill Wetsuits and Clothing, Smith Optics, Skullcandy Headphones, Reef Shoes, Rockstar Beverages.Robbie Rendo
Wakestock Champion
UK Nationals Champion
Spanish Nationals Champion
Nautique Open Champion UK 08
Rip Curl, Liquid Force, Megatlon Gym.
Video of Dan Nott and Robbie riding
http://www.facebook.com/robbierendo
Co Editor – Justine Gardiner
Photography by Johnny Wiggla , Michael Wincott, Andrew Fawcett and
Ian Beattie
Special thanks Jon Drever and Orlando Von Einsiedel from Grain Media
