Photos provided by Travis Morita and Garret Little

pdxWAKE.com - Bringing Portland’s Wake Community Together by Travis Morita

As the sun slowly starts to come out and the down-pouring rain gradually turns into a drizzle, the wakeboarders of the Portland metro area start piling into the Willamette. Although the weather has been a bit inconsistent so far this season, epic sessions are slowly on the rise. One local internet site, www.pdxWAKE.com, is doing a huge part in bringing the wakeboard community together and making these very sessions happen.

Without my own boat, it can be quite hard to get out on the water and go ride so early in the season. About a month ago I happened to stumble upon a wakeboarding site that made this very important fact irrelevant. pdxWAKE is an internet site dedicated to bringing people together who have one thing in common, wakeboarding. Oh yeah, did I mention snowboarding too? Upon finding this site, I’ve already been able to get out on the water eight times. Last year, I don’t remember getting into my friend’s boat until late May.

One small family, in particular, that I met on the site and have built a close friendship with has been especially kind. Paul and Brandy Mize, along with their 3 year old son Sean, just moved to the area from Atlanta, GA. They have invited me and my friends onto their boat multiple times, always looking for a good time to just hang out and go ride. The couple loves wakeboarding. Proof of that comes from a funny little story that they told me. A while back, while they were riding with a group of friends, one of Brandy’s feet slipped out of her binding and hit her in the back of the head. She came out of the water bleeding and the group immediately decided that she needed to go to the hospital. Paul’s response was, “Before we go to the hospital, can I get one more set?” You can tell this guy loves to ride.

Last weekend Paul brought out his wakeskate too. Having been a skateboarder for 8 years, I’ve always wanted to try it out, and see how it compares. Overall, it was a really fun experience. I even tried a few shuvits and kickflips. I’m sure Paul is going to make me go ride that thing some more.

I’ve gained quite a few friendships from pdxWAKE. In fact, five of us guys, all brought together by the site, are currently in the application process for taking part in the Red Bull Flugtag that is going to be held here in Portland, OR on August 2nd. We plan on building a pirate-themed wakeboarding boat and hucking it, along with ourselves, off of a 30 foot platform right on the waterfront.

So if you’re ever in the Portland area and are looking for an extra pull, or some people to fill up your boat and go ride, stop by pdxWAKE and meet some fellow diehards. These guys are always willing to ride, rain or shine…hooky days pending.

The pdxWAKE.com Riders in this story / gallery include : Travis Morita, The Mize Family : Paul, Brandy, and Sean, Garret Little, Tyson Grey, and Kyle Maese.

Take the time to check out pdxWAKE.com if you live in the Portland Metro area. Connect with fellow riders and build the local Wake community. Stay tuned for future stories provided by Travis Morita and other pdxWAKE riders.

We’ve posted a gallery from one of their days on the Willamette. Check it out by clicking HERE.

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