 "Photo: Courtesy of Ross Pearce")
One Texas Tech organization rides the waves at Buffalo Springs Lake after classes to prepare for a national-qualifying competition.
Robb Muff, Tech Wakeboard and Water Ski Team president and a junior business management major from Lubbock, said he helps the organization gear up for the Collegiate Wake Series Nov. 7 in Beaumont.
“If we qualify, we will hopefully go to nationals,” Muff said. “This year it will be held in Austin, so we won’t have to travel far.”
The event will begin at 8 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. The series is only open to registered teams. The teams can enjoy camping, music and, of course, wakeboarding and water skiing. Teams are welcome to bring as many riders as they want. Muff said the Tech team will have about eight individuals competing.
For some of the members, it will be their first time to compete with the Tech team.
“This will be my first tournament,” said Ross Pearce, vice president of the organization and a junior mechanical engineer major from Keller. “I’m pretty stoked. I hope we make it. I think we have a pretty good shot.”
John Phillips, a sophomore mass communications major from Houston, said this is his first year on the team and he has already won a competition.
“I won the RipTank Open the other weekend,” Phillips said. “I competed against about eight riders in my division.”
The RipTank Open was the fourth-annual wakeboard and wake skate competition Sept. 26 at Buffalo Springs Lake.
Phillips will be competing in this year’s Collegiate Wake Series. He is the wake skater for the team and is trying to qualify the team in that division.
The team is not just competitive, but has a laid-back side, which others who are interested in learning the sport of wakeboarding or water skiing can join the club to learn.
Pearce said the club has competitive members and members who are learning and enjoying the sport.
“After class, any day of the week we can go to the lake and ride,” Pearce said. “It is a lot of fun.”
Muff said members usually go out to the lake about three to four times a week. He said they have boat drivers who will get the boats ready so members can go straight to the lake after class.
“We all hangout outside of wakeboarding and it’s fun,” Muff said. “We go to the lake, have barbecues and stuff like that. Everybody should come out and ride.”
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