Scott Byerly
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
Year Born: 1973
Sponsors: O'Neill, Nautique, Reef, Arnette, Byerly Boards, The Projects, Performance Ski and Surf
Scott Byerly has led the progression of wakeboarding and wakeskating since the beginning when he claimed his first Wakeskate Championship back in 1994. Byerly continues to challenge the limits of the sport by developing new tricks and design concepts. As a leading force in the wakeskate movement, he considered "The Godfather" of the sport.
Byerly has forged the path that wakeskating has taken, while adding the creation of the Byerly Toe Jam series. The Toe Jam consists of a four-stop wakeskating tour, which includes Florida, Texas, and Canada. The series is the ultimate proving ground for up-and-coming talent to showcase their abilities.
Scott Byerly returns to his Wakeboarding roots
To read the entire story visit
http://wakeboardingmag.com/features/2010/02/16/full-circle-scott-byerly-returns-to-wakeboarding/
There's no holding back the goose bumps when stepping into Scott Byerly's
freshly decorated billiards room in his new Windermere, Florida, home. Neatly
displayed are all his pro-model wakeboards, from WakeTech all the way through
Hyperlite. A decade's worth of greatness for all to see — if you're lucky enough
to get an invite to his crib.
Recently, Byerly has been reminiscing about his wakeboarding days and yes,
the rumors are true; he's been strapping on the boots lately. Why is this
significant? Because Byerly as a wakeboarder is our sport's original Legend and
is universally known as the godfather of style. And 99.9 percent of you haven't
seen him on anything besides a wakeskate in the last 10 years. Witnessing the
1994 World Wakeboard Champion arise from the glassy water, carve the wake with
his signature "hook" arm, then bust a toeside end-over-end front flip sent
shivers down our spines. The consensus of our crew in the boat was "This is how
wakeboarding should look."
The ever-so-calm Byerly was surprisingly vivacious during the following
interview, and the energy radiating in his billiards room created the perfect
setting for a chat. You could see the glimmer in his eye as Byerly reflected on
the type of riding he was once so passionate about. Yes, you might have guessed
that Byerly would wakeboard again someday, but no one could have guessed what
actually inspired him to get back on the horse.
This season, Byerly Boards had a huge year, with Aaron Rathy and
Mitch Langfield both taking world titles. Then Mitch started hanging out and
riding with you a bunch. How did all of that come together? Last
summer, I saw Mitch in contests and heard that he might be available. So I
started talking to him and I gave him a board. Then we hit the road for a couple
of months. When I came back, Mitch said he loved the board and was ready to ride
for Byerly Boards. He switched right before the Worlds and won Junior Pro Men.
After that, we did a photo shoot and hung out with Mitch and started to get to
know him. His personality is awesome and the way he rides reminds me of taking
it to the old school, where simple things are so much fun and look good.
At one of your shoots, we heard Mitch talked you into something you
hadn't focused on in over a decade. For years, everybody has been
trying to get me to wakeboard and I've just been into the wakeskate thing. I've
done enough on the wakeboard to where it just hasn't interested me. Mitch just
sort of took it back to the roots and I thought, "Wow, this looks really fun."
Then he came over to ride before he was headed back to Australia and he was just
like, "Hey, Scott, why don't you ride this wakeboard?" The other guys in the
boat had been trying to get me to wakeboard for a long time and were saying,
"You're not gonna get him to ride, you're wasting your breath." But I said, "You
know what, Mitch, throw me that board, I'm gonna check it out." And it was fun.
I took it back to where it was fun. Mitch got me to do it and it was pretty
cool.
Do you think all the wakeskating helps you to be a better
wakeboarder? For sure. Wakeskating teaches you how to ride a board
properly, so you're not just depending on your boots. It felt different being
locked in. I've never really worn closed-toe boots before. Your feet don't even
f—in' hurt. The boards are way different too. It was cool, man, it's like riding
a bike. I think if I rode some more that I would get right back to where I was.
A lot of people will be psyched to see you back on a wakeboard
because they've appreciated your style from day one. What inspires the way you
ride and your style? I don't know man, just grab everything. It's been
so long since I rode. My style is pretty much the same as when I stopped
wakeboarding. Maybe it's from surfing and skateboarding when I was younger,
that's when I learned to wakeboard. And I just tried to incorporate what I
already knew, so I wasn't
trying to copy anybody's style, it just came with
me.
The Icon and the Phenom: Scott Byerly & Nick Taylor
Nick Taylor, an emerging force in the wakeskate scene recently
joined the legendary Scott Byerly to discuss the eclectic styles and
progression of the sport.
Spearheading the wakeskate movement, Byerly is determined to
develop quality equipment to further push wakeskating to the limits. While
Taylor is set on creating a unique riding style all his own in order to deliver
all that he can to the movement.
Much like Ying and Yang, Nick embodies the image of a clean
cut, mellowed out Islander, who is comfortable enough with himself to care
about the attitudes of others. Scott, mirrors the same repose, however inked
designs continually peek out from under his clothing. Nick's streamlined style,
next to Scott's tattoo-laden body and shaggy unkempt hair, frames the two to
appear radically different.
Nick and Scott may look like polar opposites sitting side by
side, but at the end of the day, there dedication, perseverance, and desire to
see wakeskate thrive, unites them in the their quest to enhance the sport that
they have both developed a genuine passion for.
Getting their feet wet with the warm clam waters of Florida
from a young age, Nick and Scott's roots on the Florida scene parallel at many
points.
Scott Byerly's reputation as a pivotal wakeboarding icon and
entrepreneur has defined his career, from creating the Toe Jam to building a
successful company--while Nick Taylor's career is flourishing and hitting new
highs, he frequently looks up to the iconic Byerly for guidance and insight.
Despite the fact that both are on different planes in their careers, their
significant contributions to the sport are immeasurable.
Though Nick and Scott have differing objectives to pursue
throughout their
ventures, one thing is definitely certain between them;
success for them is not measured by money or fame. For Nick and Scott, it's all about remaining loyal and
giving back to the sport that has given so much to them.
What's your inspiration?
Byerly: Learning new tricks and pushing myself to keep learning and improving my game. Watching the new kids who are on it is amazing too. They are so good and that inspires me to keep pushing the boundaries. It's cool to see Wakeskating take off and being part of the growth of it is very rewarding.
Where do you see the sport in five years?
Byerly: What's so cool about it is that it's really accessible. You don't need a sixty thousand dollar boat to have fun and get creative. You can use a Wave Runner and your good to go. it's fun and challenging and I see it as big as Wakeboarding.
Describe a day with Scott Byerly.
Byerly: Get up with my baby girl and take care of her. Then I get my older girls off to school. Then I will come home and go out my backyard and ride for a couple hours. Then eat, hangout with my wife, and do it again. When my daughters come back from school I will pull them around the lake and watch them Wakeboard. Pretty standard really.