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Dieter Humpsch Shuvit 540 Video (Quicktime, 1.5 mb)
Dieter Humpsch Shuvit 540 Video (Windows Media, 176 kb)

Dieter Humpsch (pic: Barry Tuck)

WW: What is your name, age and where are you from?
DH: My name's Dieter Humpsch, I'm 22 and from South Africa

WW: Do you work or go to school?
DH: I'm working for myself at the moment. I started a wakeboard mag called "Redemption." I don't really see it as working though. I get to wakeskate almost every day and take pics. Then, at night, I just do all the layout for the mag.

WW: So what's "Redemption" all about?
DH: Yeah, it's pretty new. The second issue's coming out in a week. We started off really small to get everyone involved and hopefully it'll grow? It's an A5 mag and for free.

Redemption Magazine cover

WW: What are your goals for the magazine?
DH: It's only A5 now, but we wanna get it to A4 by the next season and then start charging for it, so we can make it a nice thick mag. I'm mainly just trying to grow the sport and get as many people involved 'cause we got loads of talent in this country! I'd love to see a S.A. rider in the U.S. doing well. Matt Lammers, Nick Burton Moore and Morgan Krause are on their way there. Watch those names!

WW: How did you get into wakeskating?
DH: I used to wakeboard loads and loved it! Then I dislocated my knee, had two ops and had to take like a year off riding. Then I got back into riding and did loads of skating. Then I just carried on skating more and more and now that's pretty much all I do. I still love hitting rails on a wakeboard though

Dieter Humpsch - Shuvit 540 video (Quicktime, 1.5 mb) (click image to play)

WW: Do you strictly ride on the cable or do you get a chance to go behind the boat as well? What kind of boats do you get to ride behind?
DH: No, I mostly ride boat. I only ride cable some afternoons when I'm not behind a boat or Jetski. One of my mates, Ross, owns Tige South Africa, so I'm pretty much always riding behind a Tige of some sort. And my girlfriend, Hailey, has an X-star so we're always on that to.

WW: What is the wakeboard scene like in South Africa?

Dieter Humpsch (pic: Hailey Koch)

DH: It's actually quite big! It went through a bit of a slump about a year or two ago 'cause the rand/dollar rate was so bad! So at one stage, to buy a wakeboard or boat would of cost you an arm, a leg and your right pinkie toe. But it's good now. Pretty much every boat on the water has a tower or pylon now.

WW: Are there a lot of riders out there?
DH: Yeah, quite a few! There are more and more riders every season!

WW: What would you like to change about your local scene?
DH: I'd like to see more people building more sliders.

Dieter Humpsch (pic: Richie Mc Kibbin)

It's only really our crew at the river that builds rails, nice big rails. I'd love to have someone call me and say, "We just built a sick rail...come hit it!" And cheaper alcohol and petrol!

WW: What brands are big in your area and what do you ride?
DH: Liquid Force, Double up, Blindside and Goodwood wakeskates are the ones that are down for the cause. They got riders riding for them and making an effort for the sport. Hyperlite doesn't really sponsor any riders though. Goodwood wakeskates are locally made skates. I'm busy working on a pro model with them at the moment. It should be out in about a month or so.

Dieter Humpsch (pic: Dorin Bambus)

WW: How long is your season?
DH: It depends where you are. In Johannesburg you ride from September through to April, then it gets chilly. But in Durban you can ride year round. The weather there is pretty much like Florida...hot and humid!

WW: What are the riding spots like?
DH: We got some great spots! The Vaal River is one of the best! It's a long river that is always glassy. Even on a windy day you can find some water. There's also Margate, which is down in Durban. One of my mates, Kevin, runs a wakeboard school down there called Boardrider. It's great 'cause you can surf in the mornings and ride for lunch then go for another afternoon surf. And super warm all year!

Dieter Humpsch (pic: Ross Astrup)

WW: Who are some of your favorite riders?
DH: I got a few...Danny Harf, Shane Bonifay, Danny Hampson, Scott Byerly and Ben Hitch from the UK.

WW: Do you compete? What's the comp scene like in your area?
DH: Yeah, I compete. The comp scene is ok. We need more riders coming to the events and hopefully it'll grow. We got about four pro comps a year. There are big plans for this season though. Should be a good season

Dieter Humpsch (pic: Ben at Butterknife)

WW: What do you like best about riding?
DH: Sliders, glassy warm water and hanging out with slalom skiers...woo hoo!

WW: What are your favorite tricks to do?
DH: Kickflips, shuvit 5's and shuvit to indys.

WW: What other hobbies do you have?
DH: Drinking lots of beer and fighting in bars! No, I'm kidding. I surf and wakeskate. That's pretty much it.

WW: Whom would you like to thank?
DH: So many! First, I'd like to thank my mom, dad and Gran, Ross and Mike, my girlfriend, Hailey, and fam, Rob and Sheldon from Zimbabwe and all my sponsors: Goodwood Wakeskates, Double Up Wakeboards, DC Shoes, Smith Optics, www.boardrider.co.za, Tige Boats and everyone that I left out...sorry.

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