*Brody Spriggs, 17, is one of the world’s best wakeboarders. He calls Missouri home.*

*This piece was originally written as a content story for www.FunLake.com.

“OK,” said Michael. “It’s your turn. Are you ready?”

It took me a moment to answer. I was stoked to try but I was also anxious and already envisioning myself face planting into the water. I also didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of my hosts. It didn’t help that I had just learned that one of the members in the boating party, Michael’s son, Brody, recently finished as the fourth-best IN THE WORLD in the under-19 division at the wakeboarding world championships in Portugal. And now it was my turn.

I couldn’t back out. This was MY idea, after all, and it was why I was at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Finally, I managed what I hoped would be perceived as a confident-looking smile and said, “Yah, let’s give it a go.”

***

Maybe it’s because I’m only a few months shy of 40 and some “midlife crisis” is beginning to take hold, but I’ve had an undeniable urge to try my hand at wake surfing and wakeboarding. Both look so fun. And thrilling. Both had to be an incredible experience.

I thought to myself, “I could probably do that... I at least want to TRY to do that.” And, after learning that the Lake of the Ozarks was named the “Best Lake for Water Sports in the Nation” last summer, I knew where I had to go and immediately began making plans.

*Point Randall Resort & Marina in Lake Ozark, MO*

I reached out to Michael and Paulette Spriggs, the co-owners of Point Randall Resort in Lake Ozark, to book a stay over the Memorial Day holiday. I stayed at this family-owned and operated resort last spring during my annual fishing trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. As with past fishing trips to the Lake, I caught a lot of fish and had a great time, but something from that trip stuck out to me: I remembered Michael mentioning that their teenage son, Brody, was getting into wake surfing and wakeboarding and seemed to have a natural talent for both. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but now it was the sole reason I was calling the Spriggs – I hoped that Brody could teach me to surf.

My experience with water sports was relatively limited. I’m handy with a canoe and enjoy paddleboards and kayaks, but beyond that, there was only one afternoon of multiple failed attempts at learning to water ski when I was a teenager. As a result, I felt like I had a point to prove. A chance at redemption.

Fortunately, it turned out that Brody helps teach others to wake surf or wakeboard at Kirby’s School of Wake, which is where Brody got his start, too. I was pumped when Brody said yes, he and his dad would take me out.

I could hardly wait to try to redeem myself. But before I tried to conquer a new sport, I figured I should spend some time with water sports I knew I could handle to build up my confidence. So, I made plans to do some paddleboarding with Super Dave’s Paddle Craft Adventures and some kayaking at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, too.

Once I arrived at the Lake, my first stop was at Franky & Louie’s Beachfront Bar and Grill in Sunrise Beach. The sandy beach, colorful beach chairs, straw palapas, palm trees and brightly-painted buildings looked like a scene from the Gulf Coast, not the middle of Missouri. I looked around and spotted a worn path from the parking lot along the beach to a little stand with a banner that read “Super Dave’s Paddle Craft Adventures” with a small fleet of paddleboards, kayaks and pedal boats lining the shore. Here we go!

I followed the path and introduced myself to Lisa Bertels, Super Dave’s wife. She was very friendly and helped me with my life jacket and then pointed to her husband, Dave, who was 15 yards away helping to beach two returning paddleboards. Dave set me up with a paddleboard and gave me his obligatory safety briefing and a rundown on how to stabilize and stand up, where to place my feet and what the paddle stroke should be. “Alright, you go have fun!” Dave said with a wave as I began to paddle away, ready to heed his advice.

I navigated around Franky & Louie’s boat docks staying within the “no wake” zone as families in pleasure boats idled in to tie off at the restaurant to eat, play and swim. It was Memorial Day after all, one of the busiest weekends of the year at the Lake of the Ozarks, so the place was popping.

I paddled about a mile out into Lynch Hollow Cove and over and along the shoreline of the next fingerling cove. There were lovely homes and many boat docks lining the water. A few docks had built-in bars and flatscreen TVs, and the majority had water slides, float tubes, kayaks and paddleboards and some had waverunners as well. You could tell that the owners enjoyed making the most of the watery playground just outside their doorstep. I was enjoying it, too.

I received several friendly “Hi, how’ya doin’s” from the homeowners relaxing on their docks and the boaters idling by. As I paddled, a younger man zipped by on what appeared to be a small surfboard sticking out about a foot above the water. “Whoa! I want to do that!” I thought. I would later find out that it was a foil board, one of the latest water sports to gain traction at the Lake of the Ozarks.

All around the cove there were people enjoying the water. There was a paddleboard party with a large black poodle that was sitting on the front of the board with its owner toward the rear. The owner threw a float toy in the water and the pup splashed in to retrieve the toy and climbed back on her board to repeat the game. It was entertaining to watch but my two-hour time limit was about up so I returned my board to Super Dave’s and thanked them for a great time.

My next stop was Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton where I rented a kayak from the park staff at the Visitors Center. Although it was Memorial Day, the park and the water were not overly crowded. There was a big cookout going on under a large pavilion and there were maybe a half-dozen boats anchored in the Ha Ha Tonka Spring Cove. With it being a beautiful, sunny day, there were people floating in the water in inflatable tubes and even more paddling about on kayaks and paddleboards. I soon joined the others enjoying the water. I kayaked near enough to the lush oasis where the 48 million gallons of cold, clear water of Ha Ha Tonka Spring feeds into the Lake of the Ozarks to feel the notable difference in temperatures. The cool water was refreshing on the warm day.

Not too long after, I arrived at Point Randall Resort and checked in at the office. Brody greeted me and asked if I was ready to ride some waves. I sure was. We made plans for the next morning and set the meet-up time for 7 a.m. I found my cabin and unpacked for the night. It had a fully-equipped kitchen, spacious dining area and living room. From the back deck I could look out over the Lake of the Ozarks and watch the boats come and go from the resort’s marina. My cabin was very comfortable and suited me perfectly. After a long day of playing on the water, I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

I’m not normally a morning person, so 6:00 a.m. came too soon, but an early wake up gave me time for coffee and a quick bite to eat before walking down toward the docks.

Brody and Michael were already loading the boat with lifejackets, several wakeboards, wakesurfers and a new foil board that Brody had won at a recent wakeboarding competition. I was beginning to wonder what I had actually gotten myself into, but I offered my help and boarded the boat.

Soon we were out in the main channel of the Lake of the Ozarks, with miles of water and shoreline stretching out from all sides. The morning was fresh and bright as Brody made his way to the back of the boat and strapped onto his wakeboard. Next thing I knew, he was in the water signaling to his dad who throttled the controls and Brody rose out of the water cruising behind the wake of the boat. He began slaloming from one side of the wake to the other before peeling out wide and cutting back to center, hitting the wave and launching himself effortlessly into the air, grabbing the bottom of his board before gracefully landing on the other side of the wave. Then came 360 spins, back flips and a host of other tricks I had never seen before. I was in awe.

“Wow, he’s really good,” I shouted to Michael over the noise of the boat engine and a prime selection of ‘90s alternative jams pumping out of the sound system.

“Yah, he took fourth place in his division in the world championships last summer in Portugal,” Michael casually told me. FOURTH PLACE IN THE WORLD?!?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?

It was easy to see why. It was like having a front row seat to ESPN’s X-Games. The tricks progressively got more complex and Brody was landing them with ease. I was watching an artist at work. He was so fluid and smooth.

And then, it was my turn. Talk about a tough act to follow.

I opted for the easiest option, which they assured me was wake surfing. They explained what I should try to do, but I was so excited and nervous that my mind was racing, so, admittedly, I had trouble focusing on the instructions. I just wanted to surf!

Brody helped coach me through a couple failed attempts but on the third try I made it up on the board and was soon cruising alongside the boat, holding tight to the tow rope.

I had already surpassed my lack of achievement with water skiing!

It was a blast. The wind whipping around me, the spray from the boat soaking my face and the water of the Lake rushing by below me. I began to feel relaxed and comfortable on the board, daring to shift my weight around and cut in and out of the wake. I was doing it!

Now that I had the hang of it, it was time to try to surf without the tow rope. Sadly, that’s when things went south. I couldn’t manage to find the sweet spot just behind the boat and just in front of the wave. If I got it right, I could surf untethered for as long as I wished.

But I never got it right. There were many spills and tumbles into the Lake, but I loved it. After about an hour, my legs began to tire and I decided to take a break in the boat.

While I was wrapping up in a towel on the deck of the boat, Michael said it was his turn and put on his lifejacket. Brody told me his dad “retired” from wakeboarding a couple summers ago but that he was still pretty good at wake surfing.

What? I had no idea that Michael could wakeboard or wake surf. What else had Michael not told me?

As I would find out, Michael, Brody and Kirby (of Kirby’s School of Wake), all learned and honed their skills at the Lake of the Ozarks. And, at the same world championship that Brody earned a fourth-placed finish, another of Kirby’s students won second place in wakeboarding and third place in wake surfing in his divisions while Kirby was crowned a three-time masters world champion. Because of my years of fishing at the Lake of the Ozarks, I knew the Lake was home to several national and world champion anglers, but I had no idea that it was also home to some of the best wakeboarders in the world. No wonder it was named the best lake for water sports in the nation!

With Brody at the helm, Michael jumped into the water, got into position and was up on his board in short order, tossing the rope to me. He cut in and out of the wave, riding up along the crest and then shooting back down into the trough. Michael had a huge smile on his face and flashed the universal surfer hand sign for “hang loose” before kneeling down into several balancing yoga poses, all while riding the wave, the trees and homes flying by along the shoreline.

“Are you ready to go again?” Michael asked after getting back on the boat. I was ready and I really wanted to go again, but sadly I also knew I had to get back home for work the next morning. Unfortunately, my sense of responsibility outweighed my sense of adventure. I knew my time at the Lake was up and I had to call it a day. I wished I could stay several more days. I was hooked and I really didn’t want to leave.

What an incredible trip. It was just as much fun as I thought it would be and I hadn’t even truly “surfed” yet. I can only imagine how thrilling it would be to cruise on an endless wave.

Michael and Brody made it look so easy and so fun. I’m now determined to master wake surfing. After that, I want to try wakeboarding. And foil surfing. And, finally, I’ll probably try skiing again. I have a feeling I could do it this time.

Maybe next time I’ll try to attend one of several summer wake camps that Kirby hosts at his School of Wake. Or, if I really want to show-off for Michael and Brody, maybe I’ll schedule some private lessons, too.

I always thought I’d have to live by the ocean to learn to surf and become a surfer. Turns out that I don’t and neither do the world’s best wakeboarders abnd wake surfers.

All I know is that I’ve found a new obsession. Surf’s up!

# # #

Making Waves

A Family Tradition