MasterCraft

“Beat you to the water!” My cousin screamed as she raced across the deck of the cottage. 

“Bet!” I replied.

We ran down the uneven wood path that cut through the beach. Every step we took you could hear the creak of the old wood, so much nostalgia in that noise. The air was thick with humidity, but it was a nice balmy summer day up north. The sun was gleaming off the waves that rocked the blue barrels on the swim raft back and forth. While the dock extended peacefully over the water with the boats in their shore stations. 

We reached the shore and went to the dock, casually dipping our toes in the water to test the warmth. 

“The water is warm!” I said.

“Yeah, it is perfect for tubing!” she said.

“Or wakeboarding,” I said.

“Yeah,” she replied.

Since the water was so nice, I decided to put my swimsuit on. And as I was walking back down to the beach with my towel slung over my arm, my dad walked towards me and asked,        

“Do you want to go tubing, it is a nice day?

“I had something else in mind,” I replied. 

“And what would that be?” my dad asked. 

“Wakeboarding,” I said.

“I can’t even remember the last time you tried that!” He exclaimed trying to hide the excitement in his voice. 

“I don’t think I ever have.”

“Then you definitely have to try it, I can pull you behind the boat in a little bit after I eat lunch. Why don’t you get everything ready if you aren’t doing anything else?” 

“Ok, I will.” I said with my back already to him. 

I speed walked back up the beach, the hot sand burning my feet making me run. I dug through the chest to find my red life jacket and found the wakeboard. It was in the back corner of the shed covered with cobwebs because nobody had used it yet this summer. Next, I worked on taking off the boat cover. It was a hassle to take it off because I had to go around the boat in the water to reach the bungee cords. After I threw the cover on the dock, I found the ski rope under the bench seat and hooked it to the boat. My work was done and I went to go get my dad.

 “I’m ready,” I said.

“Ok, so am I, who wants to spot?” My dad asked my whole family crowded around the picnic table. 

“I will!” My younger cousin, Maylyn, shrieked with excitement. 

“And me!” My youngest cousin, Veyda, screamed because she was Maylyn's sidekick and they were never apart for long. 

My breath caught in my throat, now I was concerned. Veyda was only 4 years old and she only went because Maylyn was going. And Maylyn was not the best spotter either, she was known for getting distracted and forgetting to notify the driver that the person fell. I must’ve had a worried look on my face, and I think my mom noticed. 

“I will go too, can’t rely on these two knuckleheads,” My mom said. 

“Alright.” I muttered with a slight sigh of relief under my breath. 

“Anybody else, final calls,” my dad announced.

Everybody was still surrounding the lunch table and too into the food to respond. 

“Ok, then. Here we go,” my dad said.

I sat on the dock, tightly strapping my feet into the wakeboard. I zipped up my life jacket and snapped the clips, when my uncle approached me from behind and said. 

“You know I was quite the wakeboarder back in my day too.”

“Yeah, I know the stories.” I replied trying not to let my laughter escape. 

“I will give you some pointers.” 

“I don’t know how useful they will be, but I am listening.” 

“Ok, make sure that you keep the board straight with the rope right in front of you. You don’t want to have the rope favoring one side or else you will be pulled that direction and you know how that ends.”

“I still remember the look on your face when you almost collided with the swim raft!”

“Enough of that. Oh, and what foot are you going to lead with because that will help you get up?”

“My dominant foot is my right, so probably my right foot.”

“Ok, so plan on being pulled slightly to the right and then gain your balance.” 

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It really is if you follow those tips.”

“Ok, I will try my best.”

The whine of the shore station being lowered and the rumble of the boat awakened my senses. I shimmied out of the shallow water to the deeper end, until I could sit down. My dad backed the boat out of the shore station and threw me the ski rope. I tried my best to keep the wakeboard straight. 

“Ready?” my dad yelled to me.

“Ready as I'll ever be!” I replied.

“Ok, here we go,” he said.

The boat began to pull me out of the water. Water was splashing me directly in my face, it stung my eyes. I was wavering back and forth trying to gain my balance. I wasn’t going to make it. I let go of the rope. I fell forward and had to spin around in the water to get the board in front of me again. The boat circled back around for me to grab the rope. 

“You can do it Jordyn!” my cousins screamed in unison as they desperately tried to splash me with water from the side of the boat. 

“Try again,” My dad said.

“Try keeping your knees together and let the boat pull you up.” My uncle yelled from the dock with his hands clasped together. 

I was going to try again, there was no way I was going to give up now. I grabbed the rope and got in position. I thought of all of my uncles tips. I put my knees together and kept the board straight. 

“Ready!” I yelled towards the boat.

“Ok,” Most of my spotters replied.

The boat pulled me up again and it didn’t feel right. I let go of the rope instantly and sunk back down to a sitting position. 

“Ok, that was my fault, I wasn’t ready. I will try again,” I said.

“Ok,” my dad replied.

He swung the boat back around and I grabbed the rope for the third time. I am going to get this I chanted to myself inside my head. I have to get it this time. The boat took off and I closed my eyes to prevent the spraying water from getting in my eyes. Next thing I knew was I opened my eyes and I was doing it, I was wakeboarding. Finally!

I unbent my knees a little and stood up taller. The air was whipping around me and it felt like I was going 100 miles per hour. When in reality I was probably going around 20 mph. My sopping wet hair was hanging over my shoulder, flinging in the wind. I did one loop around the big cove and decided to go around the little cove one last time. All was going good until a MasterCraft boat cut right in front of us and I had to go over their immense waves. I barely made it through the first round of waves and when the second came, I bent my knees more to absorb them using a up and down motion to stay standing. I had made it. Now my arms were really sore, and I chose to call it an end. We finished the last 200 feet and then the boat jutted towards the swim raft and then turned sharply back out towards the lake to slingshot me to shore. I dropped the rope and glided across the water to the shallow end. 

When I started undoing the velcro straps on the wakeboard, the boat was just pulling in the shore station. I was greeted with a lot of good jobs as my spotters walked up the dock. 

“I didn’t know that you led with your left foot?” My uncle said to me. 

“Was I? I didn’t even realise, I was too into the moment,” I replied. “It just felt natural.”

“Well, I guess we know that for next time.” 

“Yeah.” 

Once the wakeboard was propped up to dry, I jogged up the wood path and snatched my towel off the rack and replaced it with my dripping life jacket. I walked up on the deck and sat in the swinging chair in the sun. I started daydreaming about how invincible I felt after accomplishing the new task and how I plan to get better in the future. Then a deafening voice rang out in my ear. 

“Do you still want to go tubing with me?”