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The notice enclosed with confirmation of our reservation at the Pine Lake resort announced that the wake board world championships would be held over the weekend. It would attract competitors from all over the world and it was hoped, would add to the enjoyment of our holiday. “What’s a wake board?” I was asked. I didn’t know but it evidently required water and a motorboat. Of all the weeks we had chosen, it had to be when the tranquillity of the lake with its bird sanctuary, friendly swans and ducks, was to be shattered by speeding outboards, aggressive competitors, and excited visitors. Everything was quiet enough when we arrived Saturday afternoon and several people in colourful waterproofs were practising, being towed on boards up and down the lake by a fast speedboat sending astern a white spume of water like the flowing mane of an enormous white stallion. The significance of the wake board became apparent as we watched the towed participants jump sideways, left and right over the wake of the speeding craft. Some just cleared the wake as they leaped, others reached a considerable height, some even twisting 180 degrees in mid-air. Their footwear was firmly fixed side-by-side to the single board, which meant that they were towed with either right or left leg leading. The underside of the boards had several lengthways keels, ensuring that the board could only skim the water with keels in the direction of travel. The 300-odd mile drive from the south was often in frustrated fits and starts on the motorway clogged with Bank Holiday traffic and we were beginning to feel weary. Gratefully, we retired early as the late summer sun was gilding the sky over the lake and beyond into the distant Cumbrian hills. The sounds of revelry from the marquees echoing across the water gradually faded as we drifted into welcome slumber. Early Sunday morning, the bulk of competitors and visitors arrived; competitors conspicuous with their metre-long boards lying across the rear seat of cars, fitted to special frames in estate wagons, pick-ups and vans, or strapped to motorcycle pillion seats. Spectators, singly, or in groups and families drove up boisterously, most ignoring the ten-mile-an-hour speed limit imposed to protect children and animals. After parking in one of the scarce spaces, they gravitated toward the marquees where steam and smoke from the barbecued burgers and onions swirled into the air, the aroma overwhelming the usual pastoral scents of the well-tended gardens around the lake. The wake board competition quickly got going as each contestant was towed at speed. They held the towrope with one hand and by veering wide to left or right, accelerated to great speed then launched themselves into the air over the wake, first to the left, then to the right. Changing their grip in mid-air, they twisted, turned and even somersaulted before regaining their balance, often unsteadily, the other side of the foaming wake. The more difficult manoeuvres by the acrobatic competitors caused frequent spectacular tumbles into the water yet the knowledgeable crowd warmly applauded all these attempts. The persistent drizzle that shrouded the lake in wet mist marred the day for competitors and supporters but, contrary to our original fears, our vacation was not disturbed and we now know what was involved in a wake board competition. Copyright © 2005 L A Rogers
Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com
Dr Len Rogers is Professor of international business at International School of Management (Paris, New York, Tokyo, Barcelona) and a director of Computer Resources International SA Luxembourg. His address is len.rogers@pandora.be and his website www.lenrogers.com/ (currently being reconstructed and updated).
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