Interview: Arun Frances
Photos: Darin Shapiro and Tom Gray

Kyle Mack

WW: What's your name, age and where are you from??

KM: Kyle Allen Mack. I'm 7-years-old. My birthday is July 6th and I am from Michigan.

WW: How did you get into wakeboarding and how long have you been riding?
KM: I've been riding for two years. My dad and I saw a competition on the X-Games and I asked for a wakeboard for my fifth birthday. He bought me a Hyperlite and a lesson from my teacher Brian Snabes. I got up on my second try and continued around the lake. My parents put me in lessons with Brian for the rest of the summer.

WW: What do you like most about wakeboarding?
KM: Wakeboarding is a fun sport. You can do a lot of things, such as tootsie rolls, front rolls, tantrums, a lot of jumps, rails and spins, and it is fun to be on the water. I've had a great time meeting and training with other wakeboard pros, like Darin Shapiro, Jonathan Nadolski, Andrew Adkison, Chris Laske and my teachers Trevor Behler and Brian Snabes. They are fun to be with and I learn a lot from them.

I also skateboard and extreme skate when I'm not in the water. I trampoline in my garage and snowboard all winter practicing my spins and flips because it is cold outside.

WW: It must be fun training and riding with those guys. Did you meet all of them at Ride The Spot (Darin Shapiro's wakeboard school)?
KM: No, I met Jonathan at Darin's camp. I met Andrew Adkison at my house when he came to do a GM Vortec video on my lake. Then we rode together at the cable park. Jeff Weatherall and Cathy Williams stopped by for a week last year when the Pro Tour stopped in Michigan. They are awesome wakeboarders too. I met Chris Laske at a Michigan competition and he is coaching me this summer.

WW: Would you say that riding with them has helped you get a lot better?
KM: Yes. I learn a lot by watching them. When they teach me, they tell me what I do right and what I'm doing wrong.

WW: With whom do you usually go wakeboarding and how often do you go?
KM: I try to ride every day in the summer. I live on a lake and I have my coaches Brian Snabes, Chris Laske and Trevor Behler teaching me. I go to The Wakeboard Clinic too, which is a lot of fun.

WW: Where do you usually ride at in Michigan?
KM: I live on Upper Long Lake and also ride on Elizabeth Lake while taking lessons at The Wakeboard Clinic. I also ride in the competitions on weekends, and it could be on any lake around me in Michigan.

WW: Who is your favorite wakeboarder?
KM: I don't have a favorite. I like them all. They are all awesome at wakeboarding.

WW: Have you entered any wakeboarding contests? If so, how did you do?
KM: I just got done with the cable park tournament in Florida and I placed first. I was Rookie of the Year for The Wakeboard Clinic when I was five. Last year I did a couple of them; one in Florida and three in Michigan and took firsts and seconds. I have four scheduled in the upcoming weeks; Michigan State contest this weekend, Wakestock and Nationals.

WW: What to you want to do when you grow up?
KM: I want to be a pro wakeboarder and snowboarder and own my own company that designs and makes wakeboards, snowboards and skateboards.

WW: That sounds like a fun job. Wakeboard in the summer and snowboard in the winter. I am guessing that you are a good snowboarder too?
KM: Yes, I try to be as good as I can. A lot of tricks are similar between the sports. The spins, grabs and flips are fun to do in both sports. Also, staying on edge is good in both. It keeps me from having bad falls.

WW: Do any of the kids that you go to school with wakeboard?
KM: No, kids in my grade are not trying extreme sports like me. My parents have always let me try new things, where other kids cannot. I play with older kids that I meet on the lake, in Brian's Wakeboard Clinic and at the skate parks. There seems to be more young kids getting into wakeboarding, and also at the skate parks.

WW: Do you have any good tips for the young kids out there that want to try wakeboarding or just started wakeboarding?
KM: Wakeboarding is a fun sport. Just get out there and try it. Don't get mad when you fall, that is how you learn what you are doing wrong. You have to fall and go faster to have fun and learn.

WW: I am sure the wakeboarding world will be hearing more about you in the near future. Thanks for the interview Kyle. Is there anyone that you would like to thank?
KM: I would like to thank my mom and dad for letting me always try new things. God, for giving me the talent and life to have fun. Also, my coaches Brian Snabes of The Wakeboard Clinic, Trevor Behler, Todd Larson and Chris Laske for teaching me their tricks and style of riding and Darin Shapiro's Ride The Spot. Thanks for talking with me.

 Return To The Rider Link Front Page