Wakeboarding on high

MANILA, Philippines – Wakeboarding in the Philippines is not as new as most people would think. It has in fact been around for quite some time, since the early 90s via waterski enthusiasts who had access to boats and would ride wakeboards which would resemble surfboards with sandals.

Wakeboarding is, after all, an evolution of waterski disciplines, which has grown in popularity due to its appeal to the youth. Now wakeboarding is one of the fastest growing watersports in the world, and the Philippines is slowly and surely gaining ground in terms of being a destination to wakeboard and developing world-class local talent.

The first steps towards a formal presence was brought about by the WASP (Wakeboard Association of the Philippines) in 1999, which was spearheaded by JV Borromeo and a few of his friends who were very much into the sport after retiring from Jetski racing. They would conduct small-scale clinics for their friends in Subic, simply enjoying the lifestyle of hanging out in the boat and under the sun.

Cable parks

The real emergence of wakeboarding in the Philippines however has to be completely attributed to the opening of cable parks. Cable parks is a much cheaper alternative to riding simply because one doesn’t need to own or rent a very expensive boat, thus allowing more people to participate.

The very first cable park in the Philippines is Lago de Oro in Batangas, which was followed several years later by the now famous Camsur Watersports Complex in Bicol.

Another one has opened up in Davao called Deca Wake Park. Two more cable parks are anticipated to open in Clark and Laguna, which are much more accessible to Manila.

Pretty soon, you can bet that the population of wakeboarders will explode. – Rappler.com