Spotlight: Wakeskater Tanner Champion

[o] Drew Glaser

We recently contacted local wakeskater Tanner Champion and asked him a few questions about this up coming summer. We're really stoked to see what's in store for this kid! He hooked us a a little video as well. Enjoy.

INTERVIEW

Alright man, let's start with the basics. Name, Age, Hometown, Sponsors, Favorite Beer.

Tanner Champion, 19, Nanaimo, Ripcurl, Dragon, Etnies, Alternative Groove, SlayshTank Media.

I am from the Island so I have to support Lucky Lager!

Have you always just been a Wakeskater or did you get into through Wakeboarding?

Kneeboarding was always my favourite. 

Nah I wakeboarded for a bit, but found wakeskating to just be way different, I had a lot more fun skating then I did strapped in.

It seems as though Wakeboarding is deffinetly a lot bigger then Wakeskating, do you think will get to that level?

Yes and No, It seems to be going in a total different direction right now. Wakeskating is a lot newer, and growing very fast. Theres only so many more flips one can do on a wakeboard, but wakeskating hasn’t even began to expand. Soon enough there will be more wakeskaters, it is a lot more cost friendly too!

Is there a lot of local talent is the Wakeskate scene?

There isn’t a large scene to begin with is the problem. I ride with my girlfriend and buddies, there all progressing pretty quick! It`s fun to watch them learn, keeps me on my toes. In BC there’s a couple other sluggers, James Balzer is an OG whos been doing this for awhile, Taylor Hanley is down in Victoria getting work done and im sure there’s some little groms just killing it under the radar.

During the Winter, wasn't it tough to get riding time in? Or did you have to travel to get you ride on? 

My girlfriend suits up and drags me around always. A couple other buddies are stupid enough to want to ride in the cold as well. Florida is defiantly a lot nicer place to be though.

Now that summers here your gonna be riding all the time, stoked? 

Ive been riding all the time for the last few months! But really the warm weather is very long over due. Summer brings tubers, and tubers bring waves. So if you are out tubing when were out jamming- stay away!

So I here you got Backside Flips, true? Any other big tricks in the books now?

True! Ive been trying a lot of switch stuff these days. I just got switch flips again last week!

Ive just been winching a lot lately. A winch is basically a motorized spool of rope that allows us to shred anywhere and anything. It brings a whole new page to wakeskating. Just trying to push the envelope, trying to be original!

Are there a lot of competitions in the near future for Mr. Champion.

Summers going to be nuts. We have all the local stops, Sproat lake has a big one that everyone should go to! I will be at a Cable stop in Manitoba, Wakestock in Ontario, Nationals are in Kamloops this year, and then Toe Jam at the end of summer in Florida.

ENVƎ is all about the Electro music, do you get down?

Who doesn’t get down! Of course I get down.

Thanks for the love ENVƎ

 Spring Wakeskating

Tanner Champion Spring Wakeskate from Tanner Champion on Vimeo.


Photo: Drew Glaser Photography