Setting up a contest run:
The new season has begun and we’ve all started to ride again. This month, we look at how to get set for the SA Pro wake Tour. The dates and information for this year’s events are available on www.wakesa.com, or you can consult their Facebook page too. Remember: if you’re hurt, you can’t ride! So stretch every day and spend time training in the gym.
In planning a contest pass, there are many different ways and plenty of opinions on what’s right; but here are a few of my own guidelines for you to use.
• First of all, make sure you know all your tricks and that you have them on the lock down, and have a couple that you can link together – this will come in handy, say, when you land a Scarecrow switch so that you can then come in primed for a switched toeside off 5.
• A pass is just 380 metres; excluding the rails, you could easily get five tricks in without too much difficulty but remember that the judges want to see quality as opposed to repetitive tricks! Make sure that if, and when you grab the board, it’s done properly and that you poke it out if you can.
• If you have all your most strenuous tricks in your first pass, you might be a bit tired in your second run, so bear it in mind when choosing what to throw in. It helps being fit because it’s less of an issue. Keep the tricks tidy; try not to do tricks that you don’t land clean every time as the judges won’t be able to judge if you’re falling.
• When there are rails in the course, make sure you Ollie on and get the full pull – if you come off early, you’re not going to scoop the max points. Try a spin or tap the last piece if you’re hopping off; these fresh ideas are what the judges are looking for!
