About us

The World Wakeboard Association Europe

WWA Europe is an independent regional affiliate of the World Wakeboard Association. It was established to help meet the demand for future growth and progression of all “wake” sports in Europe. WWA Europe is run separately under the direction of a board of directors who are committed to the development and promotion of all disciplines and organizing wake sports in a way that does not inhibit individual freedom or creativity for riders or event organizers.

Mission - The WWA is dedicated to the development of wake sports worldwide and introducing new participants to all disciplines and the lifestyle that truly is the soul of our sport.

Who We Are:

Founded in 1989 by Jimmy Redmon, a California surfer of Liquid Force fame and one of the original inventors of the wakeboard, the World Wakeboard Association is a non-profit organization created by riders for riders, to advance and progress all wake sports around the world. The WWA organizes wake sports in a way that does not inhibit freedom and creativity of the individual rider and is designed to showcase the most innovative riding and current trends in our sport.

What We Do:

The World Wakeboard Association is the premier global sanctioning body of wakeboarding, wakeskating and wakesurfing. Our goal is to maintain the highest level of safety for the participants and spectators of wake sports by providing fair and consistent standards, rules, guidelines, insurance, and other services for riders and event organizers.

switch heelside 900 - Daniel Fetz - by Damo Liddy - CWC Philippines 2007

The History of Wake

It’s not entirely certain where wakeboarding originally came from, but it’s certain to have progressed from many different sports during the 1980's. There are several key sports and individuals that stick out as major contributors in the history of wake.

Surfing is one of wakeboarding's closest relatives and was one of the main influences for the sport. One of the earliest forms started with surfers getting pulled out to sea by boats to catch waves, or sometimes even from the shoreline by a truck. From this, shorter boards started being used. A San Diego surfer named Tony Finn developed one of the first wakeboards called the Skurfer, a hybrid of a water ski and a surfboard. In the early 1980's he and his partner started mass-producing the Skurfer, which looked a lot like a mini surfboard.

Later, straps were added to allow riders to perform additional tricks. What makes this interesting is that this innovation came from two different people at the same time, who had no idea what the other was doing. Finn added the straps to his Skurfer, while Jimmy Redmon in Austin, Texas, added straps to his Redline design water ski board, which was a smaller version of a surfboard causing raves in Texas. The significance of foot straps can’t be overestimated in the evolution of wakeboarding. Foot straps allowed for big air to take place and made it more dynamic and free-flowing.