While it's not an NCAA sanctioned sport, wakeboarding does have it's own following and skilled collegiate athletes. Recentley, Chico State's finished 2nd, in the West Regionals in Gerber. But one young woman imparticualr was shredding water better than the rest.
Chico State Senior Raequel Hoffman is one of the best wakeboarders you will ever see, bar none.
Hoffman says, "It's just a kind of lifestyle that cannot be beat. When everybody's together and watching your friends or your family ride, you're always happy for them."
This past weekend Hoffman came in 1st place at the West Regionals Outlaws Division, that's the highest one there is, right here at Villa Lagos in Tehema County. However her most impressive feat so far as a wakeboarder came a few months ago when she traveled to Chuncheon, South Korea and won the Pro Women's Division at the IWSF World Championships.
Hoffman says, "Never ever would have thought that I would've been a world champion, but it feels incredible now." She adds, "Just being able to have been there was a great experience in itself."
And it was an experience like many others that she got to share with her younger sister. You see Shawna Hoffman, a 17 year-old Senior at Durham High, is also an incredible wakeboarder. She came in 5th at the World Championships.
Raequel Hoffman says, "We're never competitive against each other, we're always trying to help each other out."
Shawna Hoffman says, "It's really reliable to kinda have that older sister that's right there with you on the dock." She adds, "We're just really happy for each other when each one of us just rides really good, or even if I happen to ride bad, but as long as she rides good, I'm really happy."
However there is one downside to the sport, the physical toll it takes on you, something Raequel is very much aware of.
Raequel Hoffman says, "It's definitely a sport that can be really tough on your body, so I'm not gonna be able to be doing it forever and I've known that for a long time, so I've definitely come up with some back up plans." She adds, "I wanna be able to be a teacher so that I can have summers off and still be able to take my family wakeboarding someday. "
Riding the wakes here at Villa Lagos, I'm Lee Carrell for Action Sports.
