Featured Rider For September is D.F.T.R. Josh
I had the opportunity to go riding with Josh on one of his Monday sessions, watching him ride and landing his moves, it was like watching someone ride who is just barely learning a new trick. He got a big old grin after each trick, you can tell this guy just loves to ride! If you have been around the sport for a while you have seen him, you might not have known but you have. He’s the one at the boat show helping set up, helping tear down, hanging out and having a good time with the people he’s around. Josh spends much of his time hanging out at the wakeworld.com forums, meeting people in the area and arranging rides behind different boats, with different crews. He’s also got some mad awesome video editing skills. Josh is an asset to the wake boarding community, if you get the chance to go on one of his Monday sessions, or any session, it’s going to be good times!
Josh has been helping WakeUtah.com in many ways, providing Trex for the Seven Peaks Rail Jam, we used his Jet Skis for the Delta Rail Jam. If you see him out on the water, tell him thanks for all that he has done for the community in Utah.
Check out his site www.downfortheride.com
Name – D.F.T.R. Josh
Age – 29 yrs young
Sponsors – Hyperlite Wakeboards, Liquid Force Bindings, Jet Pilot, Straight Line, Pro Tech Helments, Billabong, Bullet Lines, Oneal, Wakeutah.com, Wakeworld.com, Natural light.. Not really, these are the company’s that I support from buying and using their products to posting on their forums!
Board Set Up – 2006 Hyperlite Parks/2007 Roam while 2008 CT Shanes sit on top.
Hobbies other than wake sports – Video, Film, Internet, Basketball, Harley’s, My kids!
Biggest Accomplishments – My first pull behind an Inboard! I learned my first 2 inverts beind a 24′ Cuddy with no tower. It was a whole new program behind an Inboard with Ballast
Goals this Season – W2W HS Indy BS 180. Huge thanks to Ryan Shima for the pull and patience up at Willard till I finally stuck the landing.
Favorite Pro and Local Riders – Pro – Mark Kenny (RIP) The kid is the greatest. 2nd Randall Harris, this guy makes a Stailfish to BS 180 into the flats an art form. Local – Everybody I ride with, I got friends that can barely clear the wake to others going huge. I will shout a huge thanks to David H, Ryan D, Ryan S, E.J., Jim, Dewey (god I’m sounding like a boat whore), Mike, Shane, Wayne and anybody I missed with a boat that has gave not only myself but my family time on the water.
Favorite Trick to watch and perform – Any new trick landed for the first time. For some reason nothing else matters when you land that fist trick and your still on your board. Fist time I landed the BS 180 W2W I threw the handle and put my arms in the air like it was my fist trick ever landed.
About wakeboarding? There is nothing like pulling up to the lake and not a ripple in the water. It’s a sport that not only you can hang out with your friends but your family also can join in. My dad was on the boat for my first invert and I think he was happier than I was. It’s a sport that takes you to your limits till you succeed and push the limits even farther. Then somebody with a tube comes in and F’s up you line! LOL, Welcome to Utah!
What do you like about the local scene? For most of the people that I know they are more than willing to meet and ride with new people and discover new places to ride. We have some of the best spots to ride depending on the day and then you break out the winch and it is endless. My wife calls me last night that somebody was in the flooded park with a 4 wheeler and railing on a picnic table, I was to late with the camera. If this was you, let’s get this on film!
Who do you ride with? David H., this guy is obsessed with getting to the lake. It seems like anybody with free time he can make time to get to the lake no matter the day. We head out for a morning session to get him back to work early, as I’m walking in the house and my phone is ringing with David saying he got his work stuff done and wants to go back to the lake. Also I try to bum a ride with the Wakeworld Northern Crew sometimes! I want to throw a huge thanks for everybody that made the Monday Crew happen this year!
