Wake skating
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Wake skating is an adaptation of wakeboarding that employs a similar design of board manufactured from plywood or from fibreglass. Unlike in wakeboarding the rider is not attached to the board in any way, making the sport inherently more challenging than wakeboarding but also more limited in scope. Instead, the top surface of the board is coated in griptape in a similar fashion to a skateboard or a soft, high-traction foam covering that is kinder to riders in the inevitable crashes. Riders usually wear shoes while riding to afford themselves extra purchase on the board, again in the manner of skateboarding.
Wakeskating was a natural progression of wakeboarding and is increasingly popular in youth culture across the globe, being prevalent mainly in its country of origin, the United States. An aspect of wakeskating that draws many aficionados to it, as opposed to wakeboarding, is the scope of the sport for progression without the need for the large and enormously expensive boats that are necessary to create the wake for wakeboarders to achieve maximum air time. Wakeskating tricks are inherently more technical than wakeboarding and are based firmly in skateboarding as opposed to snowboarding.
Several tournaments and competitions exist throughout the world for the sport of wakeskating.