Hop on board for a wild ride — wakeboarding has arrived in Ohio.
Wake Nation, a new water-sports complex in Fairfield, provides easier access to this burgeoning sport, which is a hybrid of waterskiing, snowboarding and surfing that has the rider strapped to a board skimming along the water while being pulled by a boat.
While Wake Nation is equipped with a 10-acre manmade lake, pro-shop and observation deck for the comfortably landlocked, it’s what the complex doesn’t have that makes it unique: boats. Instead, a high-tech cable system pulls thrill-seekers along.
“This really opens [wakeboarding] up to everyone,” says Wake Nation co-owner and CEO Peter Kennedy about the allure of the park, one of only seven such complexes in the country (the next closest is in Kansas).
Since it opened in May, Wake Nation has played host to daredevils of all ages who have lined up for a turn at the sport, which Kennedy thinks is so enticing because it’s both fun and challenging.
In fact, one of the biggest draws to the park is Wake Nation’s array of jumps and rails for riders of all skill levels. And while the initial interest was mainly among longtime fans of the sport, Kennedy says beginners are also arriving and ready to take the plunge.
“That’s really why we built this place,” he says.
Wake Nation is located at 201 Joe Nuxhall Way in Fairfield, 45014.
For more information, call 513/887-WAKE or visit wakenation.com.