Keith Lyman
...r raily when he was only 9. I asked Keith if he does any other kinds of board sports such as surfing, and snowboarding. He said, “Not really. If I’m gonna get hurt I would rather it be from wakeboarding than anything else. I wake surf from time to time but not as often as wakeboarding. And I used to snowboard a little but I haven’t in over 4 years at least.” Keith loves to travel, as long as it doesn’t mess up his riding. He said he loves riding and if he doesn’t get to, he’ll get cranky, its become addicting to him. When I asked who he usually rides with and where he said, “I don’t really care as long as the wake is big and there’s good water around. I love riding with Ben Greenwood though that guy is so good. We rode together everyday for 2 years so when you rides with someone for so long you always end up pushing each other. I also love riding with Gerry Nunn, Murray, Cobe Micker, and there’s a lot of other people but I’m not about to name all of them. I usually go to Australia for our off season so I get to ride a lot during our winter.” When Keith is about to go into a competition he usually prepares himself by blasting music. He says he tries not to think about what the judges will think or say and just go out there like he’s showing off to friends. That way he doesn’t get too psyched out. He said he can’t imagine that he’s showing off to a bunch of hot chicks because whenever he tries to do that he always messes it up. When he’s not riding he it usually resting up to ride again, eating, sleeping, or partying. He says it’s not as much as a break as people might think. It actually is really exhausting and he thinks its going to be the death of him. He says he knows he won’t be able to wakeboard until he’s 100 but he will be on the water as long as his body lets him. I asked for a profound quote from him and he said, “Don’t be eager to know your idols too well. You may end up losing a lot of respect for the,. If you click with them, you click with them. Don’t sell out and become something you’re not, I’ve seen it happen and I try not to tell kids things they won’t like but if they ask I’m not going to lie.” I admire Keith Lyman because I relate to him so well. I have felt so frustrated in a sport that I want to give up right there but my parents or friends tell me I should just stick it out and I do end up liking it. I mainly share his love of watersports. I got into it by watching other people do amazing tricks and I just wanted to try it and see what it was all about. I certainly got a greater respect for people who can pull of those tricks like Keith because I know how much work and strength it takes. I love sports because its like disciplining yourself. You set a goal and do whatever amount of work it takes to achieve that goal. Keith told me to not concentrate on what other people are really thinking about you but what you want them to think. By this he means if you know you caught a little edge on the wake of something, if you believe the judges didn’t see it and don’t dwell on your mistakes then you’ll actually feel better when you feel good you do good. He also prepares for competitions in similar ways that I do, by blaring your favorite songs and hanging out with friends. He told me to pretend you are showing off some new tricks to your closest buddies instead of judges who are complete strangers and all you know is that they’re there to criticize you. He says that in li...