How do you see the future of women's wakeboarding, and what changes would you like to see?
Women's wakeboarding is heading in an amazing direction. I see it growing fast, with new riders working hard and the top athletes progressing at incredible speed. Overall, I'm hyped about where women’s wake is headed.
I’d love to see more women’s full parts. I know these ladies are capable of putting together something insane.
What is your favorite trick to perform, and why?
One of my current favorites is the nose back 7. It just feels so powerful and solid.
How do you handle nerves or pressure before competitions?
I don't feel nervous.
What role do social media play in your wakeboarding career?
Social media is a great tool if you use it right. It helps build your brand, express yourself, improve filming and editing skills, and put yourself out there. But it's a slippery slope with reading comments and caring about what people think of you.
What does your training routine look like in a typical week?
Off-water training 5 days a week, and riding 7 days a week.
What has been the most memorable moment in your wakeboarding career so far?
Honestly, it’s less about a specific moment and more about the daily grind. Pushing to get better every single day—those are the times I’ll cherish forever.
What advice would you give to other young athletes wanting to pursue wakeboarding?
There is a spot for you in this sport. Do your own thing, push at your own pace, and become the best version of yourself. Authenticity is the most powerful trait on the water.
***Interview - Next Generation 2021 - Print Magazine
HEY CAMPBELL!
I was so happy when I saw you for the first time shredding in Valdosta and I was so impressed with how much steeze you had already!
When did you start wakeboarding and how did you get into wakeboarding?
Heyyyy!! Thanks for the compliment! It was around my 9th birthday and we were driving on the interstate in Orlando and I saw OWC out the car window. I asked my mom if we could have my birthday party there. We ended up taking a group of friends for my birthday. We thought we were going to learn to ski but they started us on kneeboards and some of us were on wakeboards by the end of the day. Cooper and I both loved it so much that we wanted to go back the next day. From that point on, we went about once a month for about a year, mostly just riding in circles without hitting any features. We loved it so much that we gave up soccer, got a pass and started going more regularly!
How old are you now?
I am 14 (my birthday is Oct. 7th, so I may be 15 :)
When did you start riding contests?
Around 10 years old, after about 2 months of hitting features on the standard side, I did my first contest on the advanced cable at OWC. It was called Slider Spectacular and I competed in the beginner division.
Contest or filming?
Ahhh, that's a hard one for sure! Contests are what push me to progress and learn new tricks. Whereas I love that when filming, you can do a trick a couple times to get the perfect hit, or the perfect angle. I may have to go with contests because I LOVE TRYING TO BE THE BEST RIDER I POSSIBLY CAN AND CONTEST RIDING REALLY PUSHES ME TO DO THAT. After every comp, whether I win or lose, I learn something from it and I always want to go ride the next day and work on something that would have helped me score better.
When I see you riding, your mind looks light and you are flowing through the park. If you are trying a new trick do you just go for it, or do you feel scared too? How are you handling a new trick?
I would love to say I just send it and I’m not scared of tricks, but that would be a huge lie. I definitely get scared sometimes, but I try not to let that get in the way of my progression. I would also say that it depends on if I’m in a sendy mood or not. Some things for sure I just send and if it goes wrong, it goes wrong and I figure out how to fix it for next try. As for other tricks, I can get in my head about them so I either get a friend or a crew to try something with me on whatever feature I'm working on or I let it go for the day and try it the next time I ride.
I know your brother Cooper has the swag in his shoes and is a good brother to look up to, is he telling you sometimes what trick you should do or do you let him know what you want to learn?
COOPER IS THE BEST BROTHER IN THE WORLD, I AM SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR HIM! HE DEFINITELY PLAYS A HUGE PART IN MY RIDING BUT WE RIDE SO DIFFERENTLY THAT WE DON’T REALLY TELL EACH OTHER WHAT TO TRY, BUT HE DOES HELP ME OUT SOMETIMES WITH NEW HIT IDEAS. WE DEFINITELY ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER AND ARE EACH OTHER’S BIGGEST FANS.
Who else gives you inspiration on the water?
I love watching other people ride, whether they are a pro or just a friend from the park, I try to get inspiration from everyone I can.
If you are not on the water or in school what else do you love to do?
I love to hang with friends, cruise our neighborhood on my OneWheel, dream up wakeboard features, eat BBQ pulled pork, and laugh my face off.
Big shout out to your mom and how supportive she is! How often does she drive you to the park during the week and which cable do you ride the most?
Yes! I am super grateful for all her support! My home park is Odub, but I also ride a ton at Nona Adventure Park and Elite Cable Park. In the summer, I ride 4-5 days a week, and in the winter closer to 2-3 days a week. We don’t live super close to any of the parks so I’m thankful she makes the drive so often!
What’s your absolute favorite feel good trick right now?
Gosh, that's so hard. I always like a fat KGB or an air raley because they feel so floaty and cool. Although recently I've been loving a nice solid nose press or just any press, period.
Trick you would love to learn?
All of them! haha! There are just so many that I've been thinking about trying lately. One of my dream tricks would be KGB 7 ;)
Describe what your favorite day would
look like and who with?
I would wake up, get in a private jet with a bunch of Copycats. We would design features on the plane and we would land at a cable park that somehow has all of the features we just designed. We ride all day and night with a film crew getting clips, we have BBQ pulled pork for dinner, laugh around a campfire and then we camp in our renovated VW buses.
One of my favorite riders is ………….because....
This is waaaaay too difficult! Please don’t ask me this question because I would have to give you 20 people with a paragraph long reason why they are each my favorite. Hahaha!
I know you and your brother are using social media for the first time recently, how do you feel about it?
I’M HONESTLY KIND OF GLAD THAT I DIDN’T START EARLIER. I’M GLAD MY RIDING WAS ABOUT ME HAVING FUN AND PROGRESSING AT MY OWN SPEED INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON WHAT TO POST AND WHAT FEEDBACK MY TRICKS WERE GETTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
I’VE BEEN USING INSTAGRAM FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW AND HAVE HAD FUN LEARNING HOW TO MAKE EDITS AND CONNECTING WITH OTHER RIDERS THAT I WOULD NOT KNOW ABOUT WITHOUT IT. I THINK IT IS A GREAT WAY TO GET YOU AND YOUR RIDING OUT THERE FOR PEOPLE TO SEE AND I LOVE WATCHING OTHER PEOPLE’S EDITS AND GETTING INSPIRATION FROM THEM.
I THINK AS LONG AS YOU DON'T LET IT TAKE YOU OVER, THAT IT CAN BE A GREAT TOOL.
Your plans for the future are solely with wakeboarding or do you have something else in mind?
Well....of course I would love to ride as long as I can, but I know that one day my body won't like it anymore or I will want to take a break to become a mom. I really love designing features in a 3d software and honestly, my dream job is to be a feature designer, so it would be sick if I get a chance to do that in the future.
If you could visit a new park tomorrow, which one would you love to see?
My first choice would be 313, but CWC and Wasserski Langenfeld are also at the top of my list.
Something else we should know about you?
When I’m at the cable, I work really hard, but I also play a lot!!! Super zingers are my favorite, lol.
Any words for the cats out there?
To the cats who have paved the way, thank you for showing me that girls can do some insane stuff on a board, we can support each other, push each other, and have fun while doing it! To the groms, progress at your own pace and don’t put too much pressure on yourself…and most importantly, enjoy every lap!
Photo: Tim McGee
Comments