No Products in the Cart
Connect with Zoe: Instagram: zluquette Twitter: zluquette Facebook: Zoe Luquette Wakeboarder
Your Name (and Nickname): Zoe Luquette (Zo)
Your Age: 15
Your Location (where do you ride mostly): Lake Mead, Las Vegas
Weapon(s) of choice: 2017 O'Brien Spark
What’s an average day for you like? School, sports, homework, and trying to get to the lake as much as possible.
What is the most difficult part of your activity/sports for a beginner? The easiest? The hardest thing for me is breaking new barriers I’ve managed to build in my own head. The easiest thing is jumping wake to wake both toe-side and heel-side.
What is the best and worst thing about being female in your sport? It seems that males have it easier with advancing. They grow and learn so fast. As a female, I don’t want to destroy my body… have to keep it healthy for a long life, so I think I am more cautious about throwing myself into things and try to do it in a smart way.
What would you like to see change in your sport to make it better for you and other female athletes? There is very little support financially for female amateur riders. Once you are pro, everyone wants a piece of you, but until then, it is tough to find your way. When I am pro, I am going to reach out and support the younger riders as much as I can.
Besides your ability and style factor as an athlete, how would you describe your personal style? My personal style is my own. I think this is very important in the sport, because everyone wants to see something new and when they see repeat styles, it can get quite dull.
What are your favorite brands/designers for your sports apparel and for stepping out? SheShreds, Elevated Clothing, and Eagle Comp Vests
Let’s hear your thoughts on how important looking good is to feeling good. “Being” your personal best? First impressions are huge… people’s first thoughts of you are based on the way you look. Being confident is everything. If you look like you know what you are doing, people will take you more seriously, and that generates into fulfilling that role.
How dangerous do u really think it is compared to what people do in their regular activities? Wakeboarding can be dangerous if you do not learn the proper way to do things. If you understand how to do a trick and feel confident doing it, there is a very slim chance of getting hurt. You cannot hesitate.
I bet in your experience you have seen some crazy crashes. Describe one. I have had the air knocked out of me and seen stars a couple of times, but that is just part of learning. This one time, I watched an athlete catch a front edge and fall, but instead of letting go of the handle, they held on and were drug through the water past the end line so it would count as a standup pass.
What usually gets people hooked on your activity/sport? The search for adrenaline. You get a rush when you play any sport, but in wakeboarding, it is you, your board, and what you are willing to try and accomplish. That is a major adrenaline rush for me and I can’t ever let that go. It is really about seeing what you are made of.
What is your favorite trick? I love jumping wake to wake, and it is the best feeling when you get a consistent flow going between your heel side and toe side jumps
Do you own any other toys? My trampoline is my daily toy… I love to bounce and flip and just hang out when I can’t be on the water.
What gets you pumped up for the day? Cranking up my music and being with someone else who loves to crank up the music, too!
What are three things you could not live without? My board, my bed, and everyone who supports me.
What are your expectations for this activity/sport? I want to go to college on a wakeboard scholarship, turn pro, and help grow the sport to more women and to the general public.
Who have been your biggest supporters in getting you to where you are now? My mom, family, friends, INT, and other riders I have met. Water sports is like a big family and everyone has been so welcoming to me being new in the industry. I feel so welcomed and encouraged to keep going.
Who’s your favorite rider/shooter (photo/video)? Tarah Mikacich
What do you do in your spare time when you’re not riding/shooting/competing? When I’m not out on the water, I’m just doing other activities that will help with muscle memory on the water.
How about in the off season to stay in shape? I have a rope and handle tied to a tree in the backyard and put on my wakeboard to jump on the trampoline. It helps utilize those muscles year-round and keep me in shape doing tricks like I would on the water.
What is your biggest goal to accomplish this/next season? I want to land a wake to wake 360 consistently and get another invert under my belt.
What do you do to prep for a competition? I like to be social and talk to my competitors… not just because they are friends, but it helps to see them as people, just like me who are nervous and hoping for a good ride
What competitions and other awards have you won? Include your non sports accomplishments also. I have a few trophies for soccer and volleyball that I have accrued throughout the years. I have a few trophies for soccer and volleyball that I have accrued throughout the years. My biggest accomplishments in wakeboarding have been that after my first season of riding, I was ranked 4th in the Nation for my age group in INT League in 2014 and took 2nd at INT 2014 Western Regionals. Then, in February, I had the honor of being on Team USA at the PanAmerican Wakeboard Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I took 6th place there and that was just amazing! And most recently I have placed 2nd in the 2016 INT Western Regionals in the Women’s Intermediate division.
What’s your favorite “way” to ride( wake sport- specific, cable, boat, winch)(Snowsport specific- park, freeride/backcountry, urban)? I prefer to wakeboard behind a boat.
Favorite conditions? Glass water on an warm day is ideal, but on Lake Mead, I have learned to ride in some choppy conditions which can get frustrating.
Where would be your biggest dream place to ride and why? I have already had the opportunity to ride in some pretty dreamy locations, but one day, I hope to ride for USA in the Olympics. It seems like an impossible dream, but I can get there with the right support!
What song(s) do you listen to while riding that puts you in the zone? I like upbeat songs that get me in the mood to try new things.
What turned you on to your sport? I was feeling like a drone… like I was exactly like everyone else in my class and I knew I had it in me to be different and spectacular. I found wakeboarding, and that was the perfect fit for me!
Any new tricks you’re working on? Recently, I’ve been wanting to try another invert, but I still have to work on making a consistent back roll.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done in your sport? After only 7 months of experience, I was part of Team USA (and the only female) at PanAmerican Wakeboard Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That was a major accomplishment and couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and contributions from around the world.
What other extreme/action sports are you into? Volleyball and pole vaulting.
If extreme/action sports didn’t exist, what would you be doing with all the free time you’d have? I would be lying in bed, eating a bowl of popcorn with chocolate melted on top and binge watching a ton of Netflix… probably not the best plan, so it’s a good thing I found wakeboarding!
What’s your favorite board/bike/sled to ride and why? I LOVE my O’Brian spark by Tarah Mikacich. It is built for a woman and feels like home to me.
What’s the trick to riding features and not killing yourself ? Definitely confidence. It helps to think you can do it instead of having the mid set of getting hurt..
How would you describe your riding style? My own, but still a work in progress… I am always working to perfect it and grow in my abilities.
What would you say is your signature trick? I would say a back roll, because whenever I compete everyone BEGS me to throw it.
Favorite drink of choice to refresh yourself after a long day of riding/shooting? Arizona Raspberry Iced Tea
What do you want to be when you grow up? A pro-wakeboarder who coaches, rides and photographs the world, making positive influences wherever I can.
Someone purchased a
