THE ENDLESS SUMMER: Orlando, Florida.

July 15th, 2008 | Articles

Life at the Projects

They say all good things come to an end, but to me, summer in Canada is way too short. When September rolls around I feel a little part of me die. I decided I had to find a way to live the endless summer, so I started asking questions and taking numbers, trying to find a way to make the move to Orlando.

When I heard that Joel Adair took the position as the new camp director at The Projects, I knew it was my chance. I emailed him right away in order to make my presence known and show him that I would do anything to help. By January it was time to make the move, and I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me since it was a work to live and ride program. I knew little about what I was going to be doing down there but I was excited for change. After spending two consecutive winters recovering from ACL surgeries I welcomed the opportunity to catch up with wakeboarding and log some time on my board, and what better place to do it than The Projects? I bundled up my nerves and some board shorts and headed to the sunshine state.

Cooking meals was a small price to pay for getting to ride in some of the best conditions out there. The Projects boasted three private lakes, a world-class rail park, and is the most photographed location in the world. I got to witness some epic building, riding and filming. Making the move to Orlando was definitely the best decision I have ever made. I learned a lot about the industry, and myself, and it opened my eyes to a whole different world from the one we see each year from June till September. The amount of dedication to the sport in the Projects is surreal. I learned to live eat and breathe wakeboarding, not that I didn’t already, it just brought it to a whole new level.

It’s not really hard to live at a place like the projects; from the time you wake up till you go to sleep you are surrounded by the scene. The first morning I woke up there I walked out of the doors into heaven: this amazing triangular lake set up, rails built by Patrick Panakos and brand new Air Nautiques. There was only one day in 5 months that was rough, it was amazing. I also got to ride with Canada’s top riders like Oliver Derome and Yan Thibault, who are able to spot the slightest tweak in your riding and show you exactly how to perfect it. The two French Canadians helped me with my style and fluidity and also encouraged and pushed me to try new things.

I never did learn how to stop the water from freezing, or how to prolong Canadian summers, but from my time at The Projects I did grasp the most valuable lessons: the importance of learning the basics to have a good foundation to progress upon, you’re not trying unless you’re falling, time on the water is time on the water, wakeboarding is fun, and never count on a specific time for dinner, because something always comes up.

Author: Leslie Sparkes

Leslie Sparkes is a contributing writer from Ontario Canada, she heads up all of the girls clinics at the famous BASECAMP in the Muskokas. Please check out their website for more details thebasecamp.ca