Interview with Wakeboard Club Soon-to-Be President

Cal State Long Beach's Wakeboard Club is back this semster with new members, new officers and new struggles. The Wakeboard Club has been around for years, recruiting student wakeboarders and students who want to learn how to wakeboard.

The Vice President of the club and soon-to-be President, Tony Vercelli, agreed to an online interview concerning the goings-on of the Wakeboard Club this semester thus far.

TR: Tony, how long have you been involved in the club?
TV: This is my second year being involved with the club.

TR: What happened with the club's boat? When will it be back?
TV: The boat has had a few problems, so it is up north in the shop getting routine maintenance and repair. It will be back in a couple of weeks ready to roar.

TR: Can anyone join the club, even if they have no previous experience?
TV: The club is open for anyone to join. We have many people that want to learn. It is great because it is such an enjoyable sport and when people learn they get hooked. It is all really awesome to see someone learn to wakeboard or water ski. We have people from all abilities, which makes for a great group of people.

TR: What are some of the events that the club will be involved with this semester?
TV: This semester, if all goes as planned, we will be competing for qualifying for nationals that take place next spring. The competition team is in the rebuilding state so it will be exciting to see how well we do. We also have about three trips to various rivers and lakes this semester that will make for great club trips and events that the club members will never forget. A couple of the trips will be to the Colorado River, and one will be to Lake Elisnore. We will be having one of two club parties. We are also in the works of planning a Pro Day, where we will have a couple professionals come out and give a demo to everyone. Next spring there will be much more as well.

TR: How did the first Friday go with the temporary replacement boat?
TV: Right now, we are currently using a Whaler as our boat while our team boat is getting repaired. While it doesn't have that big of a wake and is not the most ideal bot to use, it has still gotten the job done. It has been great though, because it is a really good boat for teaching someone how to wakeboard, so in that sense, the Whaler has been really effective.

TR: Is the club mostly comprised of guys? Do you want girls to join?
TV: The club is pretty even when it comes to guys and girls. There are lots from both genders which is great to see because it definitely shows that no one is intimidated and everyone just wants to come out and have a good time.

TR: How is the wakeboarding club different from the team? Do you have to be in the club to be on the team?
TV: There are two components to the club. There is the club itself, where they meet on Fridays and ride, go on club trips and other events. Also, there is the competition team. They compete against other schools nationally. If you are on the team, you are in the club. It is all one thing, but there are about 10-12 of the club members that are on the competition team. Anybody is open to tryout for the team, in which the captains assess the rider's ability and decide if there are fit to be on the team. The team practices throughout the week, while the club days are only on Fridays, but now will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well to give the club members more water time. Even though the team members practice more and get more water time, the are still part of the club and do everything together with the rest of the club members.

TR: How can people join? Is it too late this semester?
TV: It is never too late to join the club. Anybody who is interested and wants to do it can join anytime. We invite everyone to come out on club days and check it all out and decide if they want to join. We have a great program here at Long Beach State. We want to make the club as big as it can be and just have a good time and as much fun as possible. We want to promote the stoke of water sports and give everyone a chance to enjoy a truly unique sport.


For more information, check out the Wakeboard Club website.
The club is in the process of finding a student IT to help them upgrade the website this semester.

Photo Credit: Tony Vercelli