For the past 14 years, junior Ryan Platt has spent the majority of his time going out on the water to practice what he loves most - wakeboarding. When Platt came to ASU in 2010, one of his first concerns was whether or not the school had a wakeboarding team. After finding out there wasn't a competitive team on campus, Platt decided to take it upon himself to form the Wake Devils.
Since then, the club's team has grown from just a few members to over 30 competitive riders. Because the team is a sport club, it receives limited funding. Despite the challenges presented by an expensive sport, the Wake Devils have quickly become a successful and prominent collegiate wakeboarding team.
Platt and the Wake Devils competed in the Empire Collegiate Wakeboarding Championship at Lake Las Vegas on Apr. 17-19. The tournament consisted of seven other teams from around the country that went head-to-head against each other. The Wake Devils beat their opponents in the first two rounds, knocking out Rollins College and Sacramento State to advance to the final.
Despite losing key rider RJ Pabon to a knee injury in the semifinals, the Wake Devils rallied and defeated the University of Southern Florida for the Collegiate Wakeboarding Championship.
Although the riders said a national championship is an amazing feat, they agree that there isn't a much better feeling than just being out on the water with friends who all share a love for wakeboarding.
