Nationally ranked wakeboarder dives into success

Junior Jacob Porter mounted on his wakeboard and prepared to leap into the air. Four hours and countless of failed attempts later, Porter, gliding at a speed of 31 feet per second, propelled 20 feet into the air.

"It just took confidence," he said of the trick.

After a mere two years of wakeboarding, Porter has completed feats such as the “kicker to rail” that takes him high in the air.

He started his journey to become a nationally and internationally ranked wakeboarder at the beginning of last year.

“I passed by [a few wakeboarding parks] with my parents and I thought [to myself], ‘That looks pretty cool,’ so I went,” Porter said.

During the first few months, Porter taught himself all the basic skills by watching the more advanced wakeboarders at the sites where he practices, Wake Island Watersports and Velocity Island Park, both of which are located in Sacramento. Nowadays, he makes the 3-hour-long drives to the parks almost every weekend to use their equipment and facilities.

“Wakeboarding comes pretty naturally, if you just put your brain to it,” Porter said. “Watching other people really helps because you can see what they do and almost copy them and make it your own.”

Porter’s training in the first few weeks resulted in numerous mistakes.

“I could barely get off the dock during the first three weeks,” Porter said. “But I got better and better as I practiced more.”

Designing his practices, Porter begins with warm-up laps around the “giant circle-shaped lake” a couple of times before transitioning to more specialized workouts. Porter uses the elevated, rectangular structures known as rails situated in the water to practice his jumps and perfect his tricks.

On the weekdays, Porter often practices for hours in his backyard pond. With the recent installation of an extending cable attached to two support beams, Porter has been able to work on his jumps and other skills.

The long, often brutal workouts have taken a toll on Porter’s body. Last year, Porter dislocated his kneecap by slamming it into a rail, forcing him to be out for a month. He attended physical therapy sessions four times a week to alleviate the pain.

He endured a second minor injury this year, when he strained his shoulder from the continuous stress he had placed on it.

“A couple of my injuries have taken me out of the sport for a moment in time, but I’ve been pretty lucky so far,” Porter said. “Some injuries can take an incredibly long time to heal so I’m not going to complain too much.”

Currently, Porter is training for upcoming competitions. This past July, Porter hired a coach to help navigate him through the competition.

At a competition hosted in Graham, N.C., on Aug. 29, he arrived four days early to scout the competition and prepare a list of tricks. Porter said that since every competition has its own unique way of setting up the course, he changes his tricks accordingly.

“People have many different [takes] on the sport and I think doing your own thing is the most important aspect,” Porter said.

Judges take into account style, form and trick difficulty. Porter placed fifth overall at the meet.

At competitions and in practice, he has gotten to know  other wakeboarders, many of whom he considers to be close friends.

“We all push each other, so it is pretty productive,” Porter said. “There are some party poopers, but it doesn’t really affect the great vibe overall.”

In 2016, Porter plans to attend two international competitions, FISE World Montpellier held in France and the Bricks Open located in Germany. His continuous drive and passion have led him to success in the sport. For now, he plans to pursue wakeboarding, but also hopes to dabble in other sports such as snowboarding.

“I want to pursue other things, but [wakeboarding] is definitely a goal I think I can accomplish,” Porter said.