BLHEADLINERS Scouts (and others) With Big Stories
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NAME: Ben Watts
BORN: Dec. 28, 1998
HOMETOWN: Wetumpka, Ala. TANTRUM T
MADE HEADLINES: When he won the
junior boys division of the 2008 Wakeboard World PAYS T
OFF
Championship.
THE SCOOP: Ben began wakeboarding in 2006.
In 2008, he placed third at the U.S. national competition
and a month later became world champ. He won by
landing a “tantrum” — a back flip that spans the width
of both wakes — and a “backside 360” — a leap from WAKEBOARDER
one wake to the other while spinning completely
LANDS WORLD TI
around and passing the tow rope behind his back.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Ben
TLE
practices three to four hours a week on the water. He practices
flips and spins on his backyard trampoline while holding a rope
tied to a tree.
NO WORRIES: In 2007, Ben and his coach, along with their
dads, organized the No Worries Tour, a wakeboarding competition
that focuses on families and raises money for charity.
OTHER SPORTS: Soccer and gymnastics N
THE FUTURE: Ben dreams of becoming a professional B
wakeboarder.
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LEFT: KENNETH S. BOONE (6); COURTESY OF THE GRISWOLD FAMILY (3); COURTESY OF THE STANDRIDGE FAMILY (3)
ADVICE: “Keep trying, never give up and have fun with it.
If you’re not having fun, there’s not really any point in doing it.” S
ON THE WEB: www.boyslife.org/links/wakeboarder; M
www.boyslife.org/links/noworries —Angie Kay Dilmore p
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