If you think this year's major
freestyle competitions seem to
be missing something, you're
right-legendary freestyler and
AWA Member Eric Malone
decided last year to sit this sea-
son out in order to concentrate
on other aspects of our sport.
His decision was reinforced
by a snowboard accident in
March that left him with a bro-
ken wrist. "I have undergone
two surgeries and a bone graft to
ensure healing," he says, adding
ruefully, "Guess I should keep
the barrel rolls on the ski"
That's where we've seen him
since he was 12 years old. "I first
tried a Kawasaki 400 when I
was about to years old. When I
was around 12, my family bought
one. I grew up in Pennsylvania,
and during the summers we
spent weekends on a lake."
ESPN carried the national
tour then, and it mesmerized
him. "The national tour back
then really showed the lifestyle
of the sport. It was so pure and
and colorful. It was the lifestyle
and dream I wanted to live. "This
was a big part of my motivation
and drive from the beginning."
It's hard to believe coming
from the owner of eight IJSBA
World championships and seven
O.S. National Championships
that there was a time when he
didn't simply shrug off the laws
of gravity. "I remember the frus-
tration of weighing 8o pounds
wet, trying to do a tail stall which
was a very big trick in the '8o s
for the pros.
|
MEMBER PROFILE
ERIC MALONE
DUNCANSVILLE, PA.
" My solution was for my
Dad
to push on my shoulders from
the swim platform of the boat in
order to get the front of the ski
up in the air ... That was a good
effort, but now that I look back
at it, it still didn't work."
Since that humble beginning,
Malone has spent years develop-
ing moves that consistently raise
the bar for freestyle competi-
tors. Just as he was inspired by
the pros on ESPN, today's gen-
eration of young riders strive to
clone Malone.
" I tell them to ride because
you enjoy it, not from a have to
or competitive standpoint," he
says. "I have never stepped into
the political side of this sport to
fight for what I have today.This
I feel is what has kept me so
fresh during my career."
Part of his break from com-
peting will be spent working
with the IJSBA in holding a
freestyle clinic at the World
Finals for the up and coming jun-
ior class. "I am very excited
about this because in order for
our sport to continue its growth,
we need to encourage the next
generation of athletes to step
into the limelight, and to con-
tinue the dreams that fuel our
competitive energy toward the
sport," he says. |
He is also producing a new
video, building his EME signa-
ture watercraft and coordinating
World Freestyle Watercraft
Association stunt shows.
After all these years, riding is
still a supreme experience. "I
always had a hard time playing
team sports. In team sports, you
are either holding your team-
mates back, or they are holding
you back from playing your best.
When riding my ski, to this day,
you can be free and your deci-
sions don't effect anyone else."
Malonc says he joined AWA
to support our sport and its
rights. At this moment, our
sport and the world is changing
so quickly that we must have a
strong alliance: in order to keep
up with change and to also main-
tain our image and where we can
ride."
BY BILL HUDGINS
PHOTO BY RONNY MAC
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007
Join the
AWA -
http://www.awahq.org/ |
