Very seldom will you see a women's wakeboarder from outside the USA grace the ranks of the Pro Tour. Marie Botved-Studd is an exception to that rule. Since placing second at the World Championships in 1998, this Copenhagen, Denmark native has consistently maintained a spot in the top ten at each event.
Although Marie has yet to take first at a stop, 2001 has already proven to be her best year yet with top three finishes at both tour stops, the X Games qualifier, the first stop of the Vans Triple Crown and The Masters. With a new board sponsor, a new husband and a new home in West Palm Beach, Florida, this 30 year-old has built up a head of steam and appears poised to make her mark as one of the top women's wakeboarders for 2001.
As the 2001 season got under way, WakeWorld had an opportunity to speak with Marie about wakeboarding and life in general.
WW: What brought you to the U.S.?
MB: Initially to go to an American university and get a B.A degree, and also to ski a little.
WW: Aren't you a big celebrity in Denmark?
MB: Yeah, I have gotten a bit of publicity at home. I even made the cover of a men's magazine similar to Maxim mag. That was fun. In the Danish sporting world, I am considered among the Danish sports elite which is pretty cool.
WW: How long have you been wakeboarding?
MB: I've been wakeboarding for 5 years, and this season is my fourth on the U.S. Pro Tour.
WW: How did you get into it originally?
MB: Mostly through friends. Back then, Jeff Heer used to come out to Okeehelee park and ride with tons of people. They used the back lake for wakeboarding and so did I for ski jumping. So one day, my curiosity winning over, I ventured on a wakeboard and had such a blast!
WW: You used to be a pretty good three-event skier. Why did you stop doing that?
MB: I actually quit traditional skiing at my very best. That year I had just finished fourth in jump at the European Championships. I really didn't have any plans of stopping, but when the season came around again I hurt my knee wakeboarding and I had to take the rest of the year off. It was then that I decided I had to choose between traditional skiing and wakeboarding. Being a full-time student, I didn't have the time to do both, and by then I was really hooked on wakeboarding.
WW: When did you start riding professionally?
MB: I started riding professionally the first year I picked up wakeboarding, Back then, the field was still wide open for the girls and that year the tour had just opened a new division, pro women wakeboarding. So, like a few others, I just jumped right in.
WW: How long did you ride for Neptune?
MB: I rode for Neptune for two years. Kyle Cinami was the one who got me on board. He was very helpful throughout my stay at Neptune.
WW: What happened to prompt the house cleaning at Neptune this winter?
MB: I don't know the whole story behind Neptune's misfortune and I would hate to spread rumors that could be untrue. Financial difficulties and problems in board production were behind some of the trouble. Unfortunately, it ended up costing me quite a bit of money that I still haven't seen to this day. I know other riders were in the same predicament.
WW: After leaving Neptune, you signed on with CWB. How has that been so far?
MB: I got quite lucky hooking up with CWB and Proline. After receiving the bad news from Neptune, I thought about putting my wakeboarding career to a rest. I was a bit frustrated about the whole situation, especially the money side of it. But then Ryan Wynne gave me a call and told me that CWB was out looking for a good girl rider. So I gave Gordy Holmes a call. I was really excited when Gordy came back later on with a proposal to join the CWB team. I had had chats with Zane Schwenk and Rob Struharik beforehand and they were both so positive about CWB.
Since joining the team, it has been nothing but great. They are really taking good care of me and have been promoting me already a bunch.
WW: What is your setup; board, bindings, boat, rope length, boat speed, etc.?
MB: I currently ride the Robby Stru 132, with the new Apex bindings. My rope is a Proline wakeboard rope at a length of 70 feet including the handle. I use Rainbow A-Tac fins of 2.0. When I train behind my Malibu Wakesetter I go about 21 miles per hour.
WW: What can we expect to see from you on the tour this year?
MB: Last year I had more sixth and fifth finishes than I care to remember. It seemed I was stuck there. This year, I want to come back strong and win an event. I have been training hard and have worked more on my consistency.
WW: What are some of the tricks included in your tournament run?
MB: I have an elephant, toeside 540, blind 360, method 3, indy toeside roll, roll to revert, indy tantrum and other inverts.
WW: Are you working on anything new that isn't ready for competition yet?
MB: Yeah, I have two or three tricks that I want to throw in my run but they are not ready yet. I figured I would give it the time it needs. After all, the season is long and there are a few off weeks here and there where I can get those tricks ready.
WW: What's your favorite trick to do?
MB: It kind of depends what I am in the mood for. Sometimes one trick is going really well and then for some odd reason I lose it again. I definitely like spins and tricks I can grab.
WW: What's your least favorite?
MB: Switch tricks for sure
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