Soon Anyone Age 5 Or Older Will Be Able To Wakeboard
(Cincinnati, OH) – It may be winter now, but they’re already thinking summer at Wake Nation…Following a highly successful inaugural year, Wake Nation Cincinnati will be expanding for the 2010 season.
Wake Nation, Ohio’s only cable wake park, announced today that it is adding a second body of water, called The Practice Pond, featuring an “easy start” cable system designed by Rixen of Germany especially for kids ages 5 and up, and wakeboarding beginners.
The half-acre Practice Pond will be located adjacent to Wake Nation’s 10-acre main lake where riders can wakeboard, water ski, kneeboard, and wakeskate WITHOUT A BOAT. On the park’s main lake, riders are pulled around at speeds of 18-20 miles per hour by a circulating cable system that runs 35 feet above the water.
The new Practice Pond is designed to give children and beginners a place to learn to ride a wakeboard at a slower speed than on the main lake. The Practice Pond will have a starting dock on each end of the pond, creating an easy “up and back” system to facilitate more “launch” repetitions and generate a faster learning curve.
“The Practice Pond will be a great addition to the entire Wake Nation experience,” states Wake Nation CEO Peter Kennedy. “Its main purpose is to teach kids and beginners how to properly get up on a wakeboard or water skis.”
On the Practice Pond, when a rider is preparing for a launch, the cable is not moving (as opposed to on the main lake where the cable is constantly moving at approximately 20 miles per hour.) When the rider is ready to start, a Wake Nation instructor will start the overhead cable system and the rider will be gently pulled onto The Practice Pond water at a relatively slow speed.
Holding onto a ski rope, riders will be pulled across the Practice Pond for approximately 250 feet. Wake Nation instructors will provide coaching and be able to instantly increase or decrease the speed of the ride (depending on a rider’s proficiency) to create the ideal learning environment.
At the end of each ride, the cable will stop and the rider will walk out of the lake and get into line at the other start dock for a return trip. Instructors will be on both start docks to provide free tips, pointers, and advice, and riders may also purchase more in-depth one-on-one lessons from Wake Nation instructors.
“We know many of our customers have never wakeboarded before,” says Kennedy, “so we’re always searching for ways to make the learning process faster and easier – and this new system is a great addition to our park.”
The Practice Pond will also allow the next generation of riders to experience wakeboarding for the first time. “Last year, we had some customers who wanted to bring their children out, but the kids were too young to ride the big cable,” said Kennedy. While the minimum recommended age to ride on the main lake is 10, anyone age 5 or older is welcome to ride on The Practice Pond.
Construction of The Practice Pond will take 2-3 months to complete, Kennedy added. It will be ready in time for Wake Nation’s 2010 season, beginning May 1.
Wake Nation, located in Fairfield’s Joyce Park, opened to rave reviews in May, 2009, as only the 7th cable wake park in the USA (others are located mostly in Florida and Texas.) The closest cable wake park to Wake Nation is more than 600 miles away.
In addition to The Practice Pond, Wake Nation will open its second season with new and improved jumps and obstacles on the main lake to challenge experienced riders. Wake Nation will be hosting a professional wakeboarding event next summer as well as several local tournaments.
At Wake Nation, both parking and admission are FREE. The park is a “pay as you play” facility with ride time starting at $25 for two hours. Private lessons, group discounts and parties are available. Season Passes are available now at a discounted price of $525 until April 1 when the price will increase to $550.
Wake Nation will re-open for daily operations on May 1, 2010 and run through October. Hours are 10 a.m. til dark.
For more information go to www.wakenation.com.
