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Dana Wright, Wakesurf/Snowboarder (UT)

by Joanna Brashear on May 26, 2017

Dana Wright - Wakesurf/Snowboarder - Utah, USA

 

 

 

 

 

Your Age: 30

Your Location (where do you ride mostly): Southern Utah

Weapon(s) of choice: WAKESURFING!!! (surf and skim style)

What’s an average day for you like? I wake up when the little mister says it’s time… sometimes earlier than I would like. Get him breakfast and myself a shake or smoothie.  And from there the days vary widely. Some days I go in to work at the hospital (I’m a Speech Pathologist with an expertise and extensive training in Pediatric Feeding).  Some I spend the morning (during nap time) reviewing surfing footage and identifying ways that both my husband and I can improve. Other days are spent working on art projects or building pretend jumps from legos with the little mister. But during the summer, one thing is pretty consistent: hitting the lake several evenings during the week, an occasional weekday morning or two, and EVERY Saturday at sunrise. 

What is the most difficult part of your activity/sports for a beginner? The easiest? Probably the most difficult thing is finding your balance, being consistent, and finding the “sweet spot”.  Easiest thing - having a good time! You are close enough to the boat you can actually hear the music and interact with the people on the boat. Surfing Rocks!!!

What is the best and worst thing about being female in your sport? Best thing: Wakesurfing is a relatively new sport, so it is easier to “shine,” and the girls kind of “stick together.” The worst thing is that because it is such a new sport there isn’t a ton of female specific equipment. 

What would you like to see change in your sport to make it better for you and other female athletes? I would love to see more women specific equipment, and availability of female specific camps and coaching.

Besides your ability and style factor as an athlete, how would you describe your personal style? I love to dress up and “get pretty” for fancy functions, but on the day to day I tend to rock a trendy, but more casual style at the same time, i.e. colored skinny jeans and a casual hat. 

What are your favorite brands/designers for your sports apparel and for stepping out? Active Wear: Ronix, Roxy, LuLu Lemon and of course, She Shreds. Stepping out: Good Question. It varies a lot.

Let’s hear your thoughts on how important looking good is to feeling good. “Being” your personal best? “Looking good” is all relative. I definitely feel like there is a correlation between feeling good, looking good, and being your best. But it is always important to remember that I don’t have to look like someone else to be MY personal best. 

How dangerous do you really think it is compared to what people do in their regular activities? Well, if we are talking about road biking and rock climbing, they can be pretty dangerous! But my main sport of choice (and the one I’m probably best at) is Wakesurfing and it really isn’t that dangerous, which might be part of the reason why I love it so much. I mean, when I ride I can really rip it out there, but when you are only riding at 10.5-11mph it doesn’t hurt when you fall and I LOVE that. It makes me less afraid to try new things.  Wakesurfing has the potential to be so chill that I was confident enough (and had the full support of by ObGyn) to wakesurf during my entire pregnancy. I was literally surfing at 39 weeks and 5 days (2 days before babyboy was due), and then I was back on the lake 4 weeks after he was delivered. He’s now almost 18 months and when we’re at the lake, he’s in the zone. The lake is his jam. He totally rocks his hat, sunglasses, life jacket, and loves to watch his momma (and dad) out there shredding! Babyboy has even been out with us on a surfboard with us a few times already.

I bet in your experience you have seen some crazy crashes. Describe one. Well, there was the time wakeboarding (before I switched over to wakesurfing) that I gave myself a concussion when I caught an edge riding out of a tantrum. I remember feeling like I was “waking up” in the middle of a lake on a boat and thinking to myself, “Where am I, and how did I get here?”  A few minutes later I remember thinking, “Oh man, I think I have a boyfriend… and I think our relationship is pretty serious too… but I can’t remember who he is, or what he looks like???”  Scary huh?! But the good news is the memory deficits were fleeting and that boyfriend is now my husband of 6 ½ years. Haha!

What usually gets people hooked on your activity/sport? That it is so low impact and doesn’t really hurt when you fall.

What is your favorite trick? “The elusive 360” (That’s what the announcers always call it during comps, haha)

Do you own any other toys? Yes, Lots!!! An Indo Board, wakeboard, tube, road bike, rock climbing gear, golf clubs, snowboard, yoga mat, spin shoes, Zumba pants, GoPro, Canon DSLR, and a microphone/piano. 

What gets you pumped up for the day? A forecast that shows no wind and warm temperatures.


What are three things you could not live without? Sleep, dessert, and cuddles from my husband and baby boy.

What are your expectations for this activity/sport? I want to continue to improve, grow the sport, and compete.

Who have been your biggest supporters in getting you to where you are now? My husband.  He is always pushing me to be better and to try new tricks and new things in general. 

Who’s your favorite rider/shooter (photo/video)? Caro Villeneuve. I ride her Inland Surfer Pro Model Board!

What do you do in your spare time when you’re not riding/shooting/competing? I love yoga, singing, dancing, playing the piano, photography, video editing, and making my own Halloween costumes from scratch.  

How about in the off season to stay in shape? The good news is where I live, we have a very short “off season” as I am able to wakesurf 8 months of the year.  I spend a little time every day on my IndoBoard to keep my balance during the 4 months off.  I also love to make my way to Salt Lake/Park City for a few snowboarding sessions. 

What is your biggest goal to accomplish this/next season? Land a shuv without the rope, and a 720.

What’s your favorite “way” to ride? I ride on the regular side of the wake. Sometimes it is fun to change things up and ride on the goofy side. 

Favorite conditions? Glassy, warm, and the sun shining

Where would be your biggest dream place to ride and why? Anywhere the water is glassy.  I would love to live on a private lake. 

What song(s) do you listen to while riding that puts you in the zone? The “Boat Tunes” and the “College Tunes”. They are both playlists with a wide variety of songs.

What turned you on to your sport? After coming up a little short while wakeboarding and casing the wake I twisted by ankle pretty badly in summer of 2013. My husband told me I was not allowed to wakeboard for at least 4 weeks so my ankle could heal, and suggested I give wakesurfing a try. Initially I was super perturbed, but ended up totally surprising myself as I quickly fell in love with wakesurfing and it became an obsession. 

Any new tricks you’re working on? Consistency with my 360 and backside 180; 180 Shuv.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done in your sport? Stomping tricks is always awesome, but one of my favorite things this summer was that I was able to get up on a surfboard with my husband, climb my way up onto his shoulders (I’m only 5’5” and he’s 6’2”… so that was interesting!!! Hahaha) while surfing and then he even threw the rope and we managed to ride for a little bit without the rope. #TotallyAwesome 

What other extreme/action sports are you into? Rock Climbing; Snowboarding; Road Biking - I just did a century (100 mile ride) in June!

If extreme/action sports didn’t exist, what would you be doing with all the free time you’d have? I don’t even know. But I’d probably be a significantly better homemaker because I wouldn’t be spending so much time thinking about the Lake and reviewing footage. Haha!

What’s your favorite board/bike/sled to ride and why? Skim Style Wakesurfing - I switch back and forth between the Cove Prelude, and Inland Surfer’s Caro 4Skim. I love them because they are both light, fast, and responsive. Surf Style Wakesurfing - Undecided. Road Bike - The Ruby Expert, by Specialized. Full Carbon, Ultegra Gears, and vibration dampening. Makes for a super nice ride!

How would you describe your riding style? I always try to have fun and ride with lots of style/attitude.

What would you say is your signature trick? Getting my groove on while on the surf board. Living proof that moves don’t die at 30.

Favorite drink of choice to refresh yourself after a long day of riding/shooting? WATER!!!!  Maybe a little Gatorade if I’m feeling “crazy”.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Continue ‘Livin' the Dream’.

Any of your own web pages or social media buttons you want links to? Instagram: theeladyd

 

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