It’s not every day you meet a world champion. Garth Johnstone found out more about the sport of flowriding from Prestondale’s Wesley Fischer
Wesley, who has been bodyboarding since he was 12 and has competed locally and internationally, was drawn to the sport of flowriding at age 17 when he was employed at the Wave House at Gateway. His job at the Wave House was to manage surf sessions, teach new visitors how to ride the Flowrider and D Rex, while keeping a close eye on safety. During this time he also honed his own skills at bodyboarding and flowriding (standing up and strapped to a board roughly the size and shape of a large skateboard, while riding the wave and performing tricks), quickly becoming one of the top riders.
A highlight was a trip to Dubai to perform at a flowriding event there.
Wesley, who is currently studying at the Destiny Bible College in Umhlanga, was recently selected to travel to Sentosa Island, Singapore, with the South African team for the International Flow Championships title, which the South African team won, with Wesley scooping the individual honours. The team, all from north of Durban, were Billy Tennent, Marta Jekot, Wesley and Matt Lammers.
I asked the top rated flowrider in the world how one made an impression in this relatively new sport: “The judges are generally looking for big aerial tricks, a lot of fluidity and linking of moves and a high level of technical skills,” said Wes.
On the Wave House Sentosa website he is described as follows: “Wes is the epitome of fast, fluid riding, putting his board on the rail every chance he gets. His smooth transition from trick to trick makes his contest riding very difficult to beat.”
Factors that are drawing a lot of kids (and their parents) to the Wave House are that the sport appeals to youngsters, ties in well with youth culture and youth culture brands and is pretty easy to get into. “Kids really have a lot of fun on these machines. You don’t need to arrive with a lot of equipment. A pair of baggies or a wetsuit is all you need, and you’re on your way.”
Bodyboarding
I asked Wes what the future held for him. “I’ve just spent a year in Australia competing in bodyboarding competitions, and I’m keen to pursue both bodyboarding and flowriding in future. In terms of bodyboarding, I learned my trade at North Beach, but my home now is Umhlanga and Bronze Beach. I have also spent time in Hawaii and the US, which helped jack up my skills.”
He said there were a number of flowriding venues around the world, including Durban, Singapore, San Diego in the US, Brisbane in Australia, and Santiago in Chile, and the intention was to build up a world circuit of flowriding events, similar to the surfing or bodyboarding world tours.
“I reckon it will take about five years to set up an extensive world tour; hopefully I’ll still be fit enough to take on the young guns then,” he said with a smile.
The amiable wave wizard’s other interests include skateboarding and reading, particularly the Bible.
“I want to take my sport to the highest level, and right now I’m just enjoying developing a better understanding of the Bible.” – Pictures by Cotch Diaz