"Stoked." In its informal form the Dictionary defines it as "excited or thrilled." This pretty much sums up the feeling I'm in, never mind that I, too, am pain personified. My arms may still be sore from being pulled out of their sockets, and bolts of pain may still shoot up from my thighs, but after having my face planted in the water countless times, I finally did it. I finally managed to get up on my wakeboard. I am stoked.
It all started when I, emboldened by my nth beer for the night, took on the challenge of going wakeboarding with my friends, much as I tried to convince them to get into something much easier like playing the yoyo. Just my luck that the only two people I know here in Singapore are into this kind of watersport. So there I was inside a van the following day, seated beside a couple of wakeboards, nursing a hangover and dreading what's sure to be a bone-crushing experience ahead.
We arrived at the Marina Country Club in Punggol, located in the northeastern part of Singapore. I brightened up when I saw the adjacent Marina Walk. It was beautiful. Shielded by the southern tip of Malaysia, the placid coastline functions as the perfect wet berth for boats of varying shapes and sizes. This too, serves as the view for the generous stretch of wooded walkway riddled with tables and chairs. All in all, these make up for a chill-out ambience to end the day over a cold drink with friends, either swapping stories about the day's dive adventure, about the fish that got away, or the new tricks learned while wakeboarding.
On the other side of the stretch is a commanding view of a massive dry berth. My jaw dropped at the sight of hundreds of boats stacked neatly like books on a shelf, and as an added bonus I was able to catch a bit of boat-retrieval action when a forklift plucked a boat neatly out of its slot. Right beside the dry dock is the Sea Sports Centre, a stretch of about 7 establishments catering to adrenaline-inducing watersports such as wakeboarding, water-skiing and powerboating. Everything about this place screams of water-related action.
Finally we were loading a 20-foot Mastercraft X-7 with our wakeboard gear. This 350 horsepower boat, inspite of its length of 20 feet, is roomy enough for 7 persons, loaded with amenities such as storage lockers, a tower for the rope, rotating board racks to keep the boards out of the way, and a ballast system to create the perfect wake. Did I mention that it comes with a set of booming speakers? Call me cheesy but the combination of the wind dancing in my hair, the huge wake left behind by the boat travelling at bullet-speed, and the crisp sound coming from the speakers is enough to make me think that I'm in a wakeboard video. Ah, to be away from the urban jungle!
My daydream of being in that boat scene in the Miami Vice movie was cut short when Suter, Launch 2002 Wakeboard School Instructor slash boat driver told me that my turn is up. After donning the Coast Guard approved life vest, my beginner wakeboard was placed before me. Beginner wakeboards usually have longer fins in the center, aside from the built-in set of fins on each end, for better control and tracking. Bound on the wakeboard is a pair of open-toed boots (I am to learn later that they also come in closed-toe versions for better control of the board). Usually called bindings, this is where you slide your feet in with the aid of soapy water, and secure them on with laces. The feeling could be restrictive, with your feet being strapped on these things. But it gets even more challenging when you're already in the water, floating with the wakeboard on, holding the handle, and waiting for that 40 feet rope to tug you and bring you skipping merrily on the surface. This is called the deep water start.
The deep water start is accomplished with the body facing the boat. Arms are extended and placed on each side of the front knees while holding the rope. Just imagine yourself squatting horizontally but with your knees closer to your chest. After giving an audible signal that you are ready (e.g. "Let 'er rip!" or "Show mercy!"), the boat will pick up speed and pull you out of the water and on your feet. The board should be gliding across the water as you slowly stand up and shift your weight back while keeping the handle low to gain control. Sounds easy, right? Wrong.
If it's any consolation, the thought of having experienced wakeboarders laugh at you while you look like an idiot in the water is unthinkable. You'll only remind them of what an idiot they must have looked like when they started out. So cliche as it may sound, the true enemy here is yourself. Which was why I wasn't in speaking terms with myself for quite some time.
A good sense of balance and weight distribution is the key here, and it takes plenty of falls before you can figure it out so go easy on yourself and your expectations. Be assured though that you will eventually get on your wakeboard. All the wakeboard instructors in the Sea Sports Centre will see to that. Once you are able to do that, the real addiction to the sport begins. You'll realize that the learning curve is progressive, as you can only get better in learning new tricks as you become more comfortable riding on a speeding wakeboard travelling at 19 to 23 miles per hour.
Wakeboarding in Singapore, or learning it, is very convenient and accessible considering that everything here is 20 minutes away. You don't even have to purchase your own equipment since the rentals are free, be it a behind-the-boat session in Marina Walk Sea Sports Centre, or in a cable-ski park like Ski360 in the East Coast Parkway where one is pulled by an overhead cable mechanism. I was told however that learning to wakeboard behind a boat is highly recommended before trying the cable-ski park, and this must be because the instructions are more personal, the water more calm, and the speed may be manipulated.
So, now that I've impressed my friends by living up to their challenge, I am now headed for the cable-ski park, a cheaper option since there's no need for a gasoline-powered boat. Afterall, even though I may be broke, it cannot keep me from wanting to be stoked.
