Wednesday, October 22, Shawn Watson was flown out to San Diego by Liquid Force to do a demo for the students as well as fans at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center.  And let me tell you, he did not disappoint!  Shawn put on two demo rides, first in Seal Bay then we cruised over to Crown Point for another one.  The conditions in the bay were ideal Wednesday morning with glass everywhere and the temperature reached the 70s by about 10:00am with not a cloud in the sky.  Shawn’s sessions were absolutely unbelievable, you can watch videos all day long but once you see something like that in person it’s a whole another ball game.  I got to spend some time with Shawn at the bay and the guy is totally down to earth, humble, and very friendly to everyone he came in contact with.  While doing the demos he was riding all new 2009 Liquid Force gear in preparation for the upcoming season, it was awesome being able to get a sneak peak of his new board and bindings set to hit the shelves in a few months.  I was able to conduct an interview with Shawn and found out some interesting things that some people didn’t know, but first here’s a quick bio of the man who was shredding like none other.

Name: Shawn Watson

Date of Birth: 09/10/1982

Hometown: Lantana, Florida

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 180 lbs.

Age: 25

Years Pro: 10

Sport: Wake Boarding

Currently ranked 5^th in standing – 2008 Wakeboard Tour

Sponsors: Nautiques, Liquid Force, Billabong, Monster Energy, Dragon, Voz Helmets, Performance Ski & Surf

Career Highlights:

2008: Carnival – 1^st

2007: Winch Rail Masters – 1^st

2006: Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships – 3^rd

2004: Pro Wakeboard Tour: Reno – 3^rd

2003: Pro Wakeboard Tour: Orlando – 1^st

2003: Pro Wakeboard Tour: Detroit – 1^st

2003: WWA National Championships – 2^nd

2002: WWA National Championships – 1^st

2002: Pro Wakeboard Tour: Orlando – 1^st

2002: Pro Wakeboard Tour: Irvine – 3^rd

2000: WWA National Championships – 1^st

1999: Rookie of the Year

Pics!
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Interview:

Question: You have a very unique style of riding, where does it come from?

Answer: Grew up surfing and some of the same moves translated over the wakeboarding.
I put more effort into my style of riding and concentrating on perfection.

Question: Obviously there are plenty of things that people all know about you but can

you tell me something new that people may be interested to learn?

Answer: I really like riding in California.  Good weather and fun times, San Diego isn’t
known for it but this place has some great places to ride.

Question: Where in SD do you like to ride?

Answer: Asides from the bay, I like to ride at San V, but unfortunately they closed that
down just recently.  Also like to ride at the river as well.

Question: So we know you are Florida born, what is your favorite spot to ride out there?

Answer: I like to ride at my house, its right on Lake Hiawassee in Orlando.  No sea walls,
no traffic, and nice conditions year round.

Question: Wakeboarding is a physically demanding sport.  What is a key way to stay in

shape for you?

Answer: I just got a personal trainer in the off-season and we’ve been concentrating
heavily on core and back workouts.  Those body parts are crucial for
wakeboarding.  With the trainer we use no weights either, just a lot weight and
body resistance training.

Question: In what ways do you see the sport changing in the near future?

Answer: Wakeboarding is getting more versatile by having the ability to build pools
anywhere and create insane courses out of nothing.  New cable systems are
becoming more popular and running back and forth over rails and jumps is
great.  Also, try to get the sport back into the X-Games.

Question: In your opinion…Best new product of the year to look out for?

Answer: Watson Pro Model of course!  Look out for the new 2010 line of product that we
are coming out with.  New board has a lighter core and new flex patterns and materials.

Question: Any sponsors you would like to thank?

Answer: Liquid Force, Nautiques, Dragon, all of them.