Louise Sawyer

June 13th, 2011 | Rider of the Month

PhotoCred: Swami Studios

ab: Louise! Where are you from?

ls: Reading, PA.

ab: How did you get into wakeboarding?

ls: My good friend Monica and I discovered wakeboarding while attending graduate school at Texas State University in the winter of 2005. An acquaintance had a ski boat and invited us to join him on the lake. He brought his wakeboard and we each gave it a whirl- Monica got up her second try and I stood up on my third try (keep in mind that I’m 5’0″ tall and was riding a size 147 board and extra large bindings). In just a single session the seed was planted and we were itching to ride again. Unfortunately our friend’s boat broke so we were forced to explore other options. That’s when we learned about the Texas Ski Ranch. It turns out cable riding is very practical for poor college students such as ourselves at the time. I found it to be more affordable and accessible. By the way, everyone thought we were crazy for learning to wakeboard in the winter, but to us it was the best scenerio- no lines! Plus, to northerners the Texas winter weather is quite bearable.

ab: Since then, you’ve become quite the cable rider. What are some of the places you’ve travelled to hit up a good cable?

ls: I love to experience different cables. Last summer my friend Marisa and I completed an “I-35 cable tour”. We drove from TSR to WakeSport Ranch outside of Fort Worth, Mid America Watersports in OK, and KC Watersports. It was an absolute blast- I’d like to make it an annual trip if I can. I have also been to CWC in the Philippines and a few parks in Florida.

ab: Sweet! So what has been your favourite cable so far?

ls: The Texas Ski Ranch is my favorite, but Wakesport Ranch in Ohio is a close second. Did I mention I’ve been to that cable as well?

ab: You didn’t! What are some tricks you are working on getting at the moment?

ls: I’ve been working on grabbing and tweaking the tricks in my bag and getting more consistent with my blind tricks. I got really frustrated with the S-Bends so I took a bit of a break from them and just recently started working on front flips instead. I’m getting REALLY close and anticipate landing one soon (under rotating them just a bit). As soon as I get the fronts down, I’ll start working on S-Bends again. I figure having fronts will help me land the S-Bends since they are just a laid out version of the front.

ab: Good strategy! What are your thoughts on cable contests?

ls: I seem to be jinxed when it comes to major comps. I always get injured right beforehand, or some big family or work event is scheduled for the same weekend. Honestly though, I try not to put too much emphasis on competition since I really just like having fun out there. I did end up competing in the Points Chase National Championship this past fall. I was the only girl in the Advanced Division, and really rode the best I’d ever had. I threw down a tootsie and switch blind judge in my run, then landed a regular roll to blind for my wild card. Out of twenty guys I made it all the way to the finals and placed fifth overall. I have won some girl comps in the past, but I’d have to say this is my greatest wakeboarding achievement to date.

ab: That’s amazing Louise. So great to see women charging like you! Can you tell us about your gnarliest bail ever?

ls: I’ve had sooo many crazy bails it’s hard to pick just one! I’d have to say my gnarliest crash was several years ago when I kneed myself in the face while trying a tootsie roll off a kicker at CWC. I ended up with a non displaced skull fracture and a big black eye. It took me some time to start doing them again, but I’m proud to say that I’m no longer scared of the trick.

ab: How do you feel about winching?

ls: I like winching; though, I’ve been a bit “gun shy” after experiencing a very bad crash while attempting to wall ride a concrete slab last spring (this would also fall under the category of gnarliest bails).

ab: In my opinion, you have THE BEST wakeboard video out there for a female rider, I love it! Can you tell us a little bit about the making of the video and song?

ls: Thanks about the video. Of course, what really makes the video is the song. I’m fortunate to have a very creative and musically talented boyfriend who came up with it. He developed the song first and then we made the video for it. This was at times challenging because he mentions tricks in the song that I hadn’t yet learned to do. So it forced me to progress and learn new tricks. All in all, it was a lot of fun to make. I especially enjoyed karate chopping the wakeboard in half : )

ab: So which tricks did your boyfriend sneakily get you to learn?

ls: Two in particular- “tweaking the indy grab” which turned out to be a bs shifty indy grab with a poke in the video, and “270 on, 270 off” on the roof top rail.

ab: Do you have any shred travel plans in the near future?

ls: I plan to check out the brand new Wake Nation cable in Houston as soon as I finish up work for the school year. Josh and I want to travel overseas at some point…but haven’t decided exactly where just yet. I’d love to go to the Thai Wake Park, but we’ll probably end up going somewhere in Europe….

ab: OH! Europe! What cable parks are catching your eye there?

ls: I’d like to try out the Turn Cable in Germany, Princes in England, but really anywhere!

ab: Favourite Obstacle?

ls: My all time favorite obstacle to date is the large roof rail/wall ride at Wake Nation Cincinnati. I don’t know if it has a specific name or not, but that thing is fun! You can hit it like a rail, wall ride, or transfer.

ab: That sounds really fun! Who’s your favourite cable or rail rider?

ls: There are many sick female cable and rail riders from all over; however, I think Steph Caller from the UK has the most style hands down. I haven’t had the opportunity to see her ride in person, but have seen her videos online.

ab: What do you think the ladies can do to push the women’s side of wake?

ls: This is going to be a very feminist response… but try to change the focus of women in the wakeboarding world from physicality to wakeboarding skills. I’m not discourgaging showing skin or anything like that, but I hate wakeboarding videos where women are seen poised flirtatiously more than they are shown riding. It is definitely a male dominated industry and I think it’s important for women to encourage the business to focus on what is pertinent: our riding!

ab: What do you do when you’re not shredding?

ls: I have a career that takes up quite a bit of my time. I am a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (known as a school psychologist outside of Texas) and work for a school district. It’s hard work, but a very fulfilling job.

ab: Very cool! Shout Outs?

ls: Thanks to TSR, Phun Promotions, Throw it Down, Swami Studios and Josh Rice!

ab: Alright let’s take another look at that awesome video Josh made… I just love it! haha Thanks Louise!

http://www.vimeo.com/11450193

Author: Ally

Ally Boothroyd created TID back in 2007 to help girls get some much deserved media presence on the web. She coaches several TID All Girls Clinics across Ontario, Canada. If you'd like to contribute content, photos, video or rider profiles please get in touch with her!