Wakeboarding show at GNF includes flips, spins over water

PERRY -- Cody Hesse of Florida has been wakeboarding since he was 7.

The 20-year-old professional wakeboarder performed with ease a “crow mobe front foot nose grab 360” at the Georgia National Fair on Sunday afternoon as part of the Rail Jam! Wakeboard Show. It involved a back flip, grabbing the wakeboard and spinning 360 degrees.

Hesse earns his living through competitions and shows such as the one at the fair.

He said it’s the sport for folks who love the sun, love the water and love the adrenaline rush.

Wakeboarding kind of started from water skiing, said Nate Flynn, the wakeboard announcer for Step Up Productions, which put on Rail Jam.

“It mimics water skiing and a little bit of snowboarding,” Flynn said. “These guys are doing some snowboard slides across the rails, but they’re also doing flips and spins on the water.”

He said the show includes a three-obstacle setup up pulled by a winch and two pools “where these guys fly over the whole setup or slide in these rails.”

The show places spectators just a few feet away from the action, as opposed to making them watch riders from a hundred yards away.

The show is offered four times daily at the fair: 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

For more information, visit www.stepupproductions.com.

To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9599.

This story was originally published October 5, 2014 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Wakeboarding show at GNF includes flips, spins over water ."