Hypocritical Pro Pointers

This is something that has been bothering me most of the evening so I figured I would take a few minutes to write about it. This is soley my opinion and is not intended to offend anyone in any way shape or form. People are free to form their own opinions and wear what they want while riding.

A few months back Chad Sharpe chronicled his brush with drowning on his blog at http://chadsharpe.blogspot.com/2009/12/not-so-fun.html and that he had realized the importance of wearing a Life Vest. After all, they are called life vests for a reason.

When taking falls like this:

Chad Sharpe, BS 5 Crash from Chad Sharpe on Vimeo.

you realize the importance of wearing a vest and no matter what your skill level, and if you are still reading this, you all know you have crashed like this at one time or another. Let me preface my next statement, by saying, that I have met and partied with Chad Sharpe and he is an awesome dude and a barrel of fun, but as a tenured rider in the industry with a lot of influence over everyone in the marketplace and what they purchase, why do you continue to wear a t-shirt for a life vest? I too, have been guilty of wearing this exact same Billabong vest and been knocked completely out while wearing it and have been fortunate enough that my friends were able to get back to me in time. Claiming that a non-CGA vest floats you right back to the surface on your blog, while temporarily paralyzed is completely false. In addition to that, again as an industry veteran, practice what you preach while riding, even while winching. In the following video... hmmm Mr. Sharpe is not wearing a vest while winching:

To each their own and this is by no means an attack on Chad Sharpe, I love the guy, watching him ride and what he brings to wakeboarding; however, I am merely trying to stress the importance of wearing a vest, especially a CGA vest. Even me, Mr. Joe Wanna-Be Cool Guy, has switched to a CGA approved vest and I believe that it will allow me to continue to shred for years to come. Flame away on me if you like, this is just my .02.

Take it from a non-hypocritical, non-pro rider named John.. wear a CGA life vest. If you don't believe me, take a page from one Mr. Shaun Murray's book, he practices what he preaches and I have been reading Shaun's book for years. Please refer to our 2010 GOOD SH!T Award of Shaun's vest here.