In the Philippines, wakeboarding wasn’t so popular then when riders were still being pulled by boats. It is when the cable parks appeared that a group of individuals with different professional backgrounds explored the scene and stayed there for good and the reasons were so honest and simple that the list just piles up.
The sport has just become a positive way of living for these individuals. There is no other activity that would refresh both body and spirit for them. Playing with nature provides this group with a positively contagious sense of peace, excitement, and physical fitness as you see them carve the lake with their boards.
There is a form of discipline that you willingly apply to maximize the fun and the benefits of the activity that you don’t get from other sports. For instance, wakeboarders would avoid those long drunken nights of partying with copious amounts of alcohol because it makes them weak and gets in the way with their progression in the sport . The fulfilment is evident in the crowd as you see different people both locals and foreigners, interacting, sharing tips and encouraging beginners.
You experience a friendly and generous environment. The Cablepark is one of the places where you will meet strangers that are sincere about wanting to see you ride. Unlike other activities where in people get shy about performing as beginners, wakeboarding makes you understand why other people you haven’t met before give you positive tips as a beginner and cheer when they see you ride. The feeling of being out there is what we really want to share not only to the people close to us but to everyone else as well.
Paying it forward, this group of individuals collectively known as “Cablerats” committed themselves in promoting the growth of the sport. Riding, learning and making positive relationships with people provided fuel for the determination needed to share the sport and the positive effects of being “stoked” constantly documenting the progression of the sport through their videos. It is so universal that it had to grow. People must realize that there is a group of people who can exist together without having, culture, nationality, social status and gender as barrier.
The vision of Governor L-Ray Villafuerte kick started everything when he created CWC. He was able to bring a warm destination for other wakeboarding enthusiasts based in countries with freezing weather conditions. Not only that, he has provided Filipinos affordable means to learn and enjoy the sport while giving jobs for the locality and generating revenue for the tourism industry.
The result is a wonderful fusion of cultures in a healthy environment where interesting people share an activity that naturally makes the spirit high. It is the goal of the “Cablerats” to preserve all these things and help extend cable wakeboarding as the people’s way to wakeboard. The good governor has found a way to provide affordable and accessible playgrounds for serious wakeboarders when he created Camsur Watersports Complex and Republic Wakepark. The Cablerats will find ways for the wakeboard experience to reach everyone, document and support its progress, thereby contributing to the growth of the sport and keeping the spirits of the wakeboard community high.
Get to know them The Cablerats at their launch night at Zero Imperial on August 19, Monday at Imperial Ice Bar, The Fort Strip.
Cover: Joey Mead-King
