Rafael Andrade

WW: What is your name, or alias, and where are you from?
RA: My name is Rafael Andrade, a.k.a. TROTA, from Mexico City.

WW: How did you first learn about wakeboarding, and how did you get interested in the sport?
RA: I had a friend who had an old ski boat, and another friend, who came to visit me at Cabo, brought his brother's wakeboard along. So I borrowed my friend's boat, and we went for a pull. That was my first and last [time], until I had the chance to buy my own boat three years later.

WW: How long have you been riding?
RA: Four months now!

WW: Did you grow up around other water sports, such as surfing, water skiing, kitesurfing, etc.?
RA: Yes and no. See, I grew up in the city, so it happened every vacation. Then [I began] scuba diving, kayaking, riding jet skis, boogie boarding and surfing.

WW: What aspects of wakeboarding actually made you become "addicted" to it?
RA: It's an every day thing. Anytime you come up with a new trick or an improvement in your performance, right there is where the addiction becomes bigger and bigger.

WW: Do very many people wakeboard in Cabo San Lucas?
RA: Not really. It's such a new sport in Cabo [and] there are only two "wakeboarding" boats. I mean, almost anyone will [get] up [on their] first pull if you invite [them] to your boat, right? But passionate ones [who] try to come up with new tricks? [I'd] say, we are no more than 10 people.

WW: What areas in Mexico do you usually wakeboard at and what are your favorites?
RA: I've only done it in Cabo, so pretty much it's my favorite. [During] late summer, we are thinking [about] visiting a couple of friends up north in Loreto, [by the] Sea of Cortez. The ocean is very, very calm almost everyday, so we are bringing the boat as well.

WW: What time of day do you prefer to ride?
RA: Late afternoon, 6 pm to 8 pm, by the sunset.

Yessica and Tomas

WW: Who do you usually ride with?
RA: My girlfriend, Yessica, and my dog, Tomas, always come along in the boat.

WW: What tricks are your working on right now?
RA: I'm just starting to get air and jumping wake to wake. I'm trying to come up with the Raley (superman), [and] trying to move from a 180 to 360.

WW: What's your setup (board, bindings, rope, boat)?
RA: I have an '03 Premiere with Torq bindings, Straightline rope and a 2001 Bayliner Capri 1750.

WW: Since wakeboard companies are primarily located in the United States, how do you buy your wakeboarding equipment?
RA: Online [from] BuyWake.com and when a friend [of mine] goes to the US, I [have] things sent to his hotel.

WW: What boarding magazines do you subscribe to? What are your favorites?
RA: I'm not a subscriber, but I buy Wake Boarding Magazine every month. That's the only one we get in Mexico.

WW: Who are your favorite riders?
RA: Arun Frances, Randy Harris, Shaun Murray, Erik Ruck and Scott Byerly. I don't really know that many.

WW: What rider's style do you aspire to have?
RA: Harris! Dude can get some air!

WW: Have you thought about attending a wakeboarding camp in the US?
RA: Yeah, though I'm not sure when, [but I] hope we can do it soon! Need some tutoring!

WW: What other activities are you passionate about?
RA: None like this!

WW: I understand that you also own a club in Cabo San Lucas called Aqua Lounge. Have you met many others who are as interested in the sport as you are?
RA: Yeah, it's a pretty cool bar (www.aqualoungecabo.com). Some see us riding in front of the Cabo San Lucas Bay almost every day, so we get asked to go skiing, [but] not wakeboarding [because] its not [as well] known.

WW: By working in a club, does that allow you to have more riding time during the day?
RA: Yeah, [we would ride] all day long if conditions would allow, but this doesn't happen because tourists [ride] waverunners and [take] water taxis, so the bay is pretty shaky during the day.

WW: When are you taking a trip to California to visit your new westside buddies?
RA: We are really thinking [about] it, [so hopefully] next summer.

WW: Would you like to send a special thanks to anyone out there?
RA: My mom.

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