DESCRIPTION Wakeboarding Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. The rider is usually towed behind a motorboat, typically at speeds of 17-24 miles per hour, depending on the water conditions, board size, rider's weight, and rider's comfort speed. This speed can also depend on the year, make, and model of the boat because some boats, not meant for wakeboarding, produce a different size wake that may not be adequate enough for the rider. But a wakeboarder can also be towed by other means, including closed-course cables, winches, PWCs, trucks/cars, and ATVs. Wakeskating Wakeskating is a water sport and an adaptation of wakeboarding that employs a similar design of board manufactured from maple or from fibreglass. Unlike wakeboarding, the rider is not bound to the board in any way, which gives the sport its own unique challenges. Instead, the top surface of the board is covered with griptape, (in a similar fashion to a skateboard) or a soft, high-traction, foam, usually referred to as EVA foam, covering that is kinder to riders in the inevitable crashes and also allows a rider to ride barefoot. Riders usually wear shoes while riding to afford themselves extra purchases on the board, similar to skateboarding.The speed at which riders wakeskate behind a PWC (Personal Water Craft: Jet ski), boat, cable system, or winch is generally 16 – 22 miles per hour. However, this depends on water conditions, the weight of the rider, their proficiency in the sport as well as a preference matter of the rider. Wakesurfing Wakesurfing (similar to but not the same sport as wakeboarding) is a water sport in which a surfer trails behind an inboard ski boat, surfing the boat's wake without being directly attached to the boat. The wake from the boat mimics the look and feel of an actual ocean wave. After getting up on the wave by use of a tow rope, wakesurfers drop the rope and ride the steep face below the wave's peak in a fashion reminiscent of ocean surfing. Wakesurfers generally use special boards, usually five feet or shorter. Kiteboarding Kitesurfing or Kiteboarding is an adventure surface water sport that has been described as combining wakeboarding, windsurfing, surfing, paragliding and gymnastics into one extreme sport. Kitesurfing harnesses the power of the wind to propel a rider across the water on a small surfboard or a kiteboard (similar to a wakeboard). The terms kiteboarding and kitesurfing are interchangeable. There are a number of different styles of kiteboarding, including freestyle (most common and utilises standard kite and board) or wake-style (flatter water using board with bindings) and wave-riding which is focused on big waves using a board designed for wave riding. Source: Wikipedia

Digital Sports Event Platform Launches Successfully

Colin Heckroodt Filming: Johan Heckroodt

Cape Town, 27th March, 2012 - Free World Sport (FWS) is an online sports event platform for sportsmen and women from all over the world to compete and connect. Since it's launch in January it has seen over 5,300 unique users, 160,000 hits on the site and over 3,000 votes cast in it's launch competition - Windsurfing vs. Kitesurfing. The platform launched with a kite-surfing vs. windsurfing online video contest with a prize of R10,000 which has received major kudos in the wave sailing community from both pro's, semi-pro's and your average Joes. This is according to founder, Anton van Vuuren, who says that the feedback has been over-whelming, particularly from the participants and their individual sponsors who have said that the site has showcased both sports to the maximum. We have captured the essence of both sports in the best conditions in one of the top locations for kite-surfing and windsurfing in the world - Cape Town. Van Vuuren adds, The online video viewership has really boosted the profile of the riders and pushed them to use their social networks to promote themselves and the brands they represent. Sponsors of the first event; North Kiteboarding, North Sails, ION, Fanatic and Ocean Spirit have seen a great return for their brands recognition being involved in the first leg and we look forward to seeing other brands getting involved in the next event, he says. It's more than just another online platform, it is an online event that both viewers and participants can get involved in. He explains, Niche extreme sports offer a kick that no other sport provides even if you aren't participating viewers use the internet and social media channels to watch extreme junkies do their thing and live vicariously through their sporting legends. Users upload their two-and-a-half minute video, the most votes win which, has spurred on major sharing via other social networks like Facebook and Twitter to generate the users following. Most people, myself included spend most of their days hamstrung by emails and meetings, trying to forward loop their mouse while catching glimpses of the outside world through two minute online video clips. We have seen many international uploads as well as traffic from other countries and both the amateur and semi-pro sailors are getting the recognition they deserve. Says van Vuuren, We are also seeing a lot of talent from amateur film enthusiasts who are collaborating with the stars to make the videos happen. We need the power of millions of people participating and sharing in sport, without causing the kind of logistical impossibility of nearly 10-million people on site viewing an actual event, this goes for all sports. He adds, The short-term goal of FWS is to grow the unique users through as many sports as possible and then move toward attracting the right sponsors to create sustainable online events. FWS will see the launch of a new sports event in May and a social media platform to share it on in the next coming months. For more information visit: www.freeworldsport.com or on facebook.com/freeworldsport or Twitter: @freeworldsport