Three comepting wakeboarders took to the water Saturday at the final installment of the Louisiana Collegiate Wake Tour in Monroe before it was Kyle Jordan’s turn to ride.
Jordan, a mechanical engineering junior, got on his board and executed a raley, launching in the air like Superman, before moving into a series of aerial tricks, jumps and grabs.
This was the fourth tournament of the school year for LSU Wake, the University’s wakeboarding and wakeskating club. The team went into the tournament after a disappointing score at a tournament in Mississippi earlier this month and with only eight team members able to compete, said Brannon Lauber, business senior.
They redeemed themselves that afternoon when they found out they won the tournament by the small margin of half a point, Lauber said. LSU Wake won the entire Louisiana Collegiate Wake Tour, beating other universities in the region and qualifying for the national tournament in Shreveport on May 30.
In wakeboard tournaments, Lauber said, the boat goes down to the end of the course and turns around to go back to the starting point, allowing time for about six tricks. Each of the six divisions of the tournament has a limit to the maneuvers they are allowed to do based on skill level, and each trick earns points for the rider and the team.
Lauber said LSU Wake was founded around 2003 and currently has nearly 60 members. The club practices after class and on weekends and is open to anyone who’d like to join. Before the tournament this weekend, the teams spent time together at a team party. Jordan said they were like a “broternity.”
Robert Doggett, a political science senior who competed in the intermediate division of the tournament in Monroe, said LSU Wake is funded by club member dues, local sponsors and the fundraiser they have when they host a tournament in Zachary every year.
At the end of his ride Saturday, Jordan said he knew the last maneuver of his ride had to be perfect to raise their team score and beat Mississippi State. He launched and grabbed the board to add to his score, winning his division and giving LSU Wake the points they needed to win overall.
Fifteen schools will be competing at the national tournament, significantly more than LSU Wake normally competes against, Doggett said. He also said the team could only bring their four best wakeboarders, the team’s top girl and top wakeskater to the three-day-long national tournament.