VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Valdosta Wake Compound hosted more than 30 professional and non-professional wake boarders last weekend for the Second Annual Yard Sale competition.

In wakeboarding, a yard sale is when a rider crashes so hard all of the gear is thrown across the water.

From Friday to Sunday, April 27-29, boarders were pulled behind a cable on a 15-acre lake off of Old Clyattville Road, near the interstate. Riders hit rails, obstacles and jumps in front of crowds of people sitting along the lake shore in the hot April sun.

Liam Brearley, 15, was invited to compete in the competition after he qualified in 2017. Every year, about 30 boarders are invited from across the world but everyone was given a chance to compete during a qualifying round Friday.

The top four qualify to compete with the pros.

Brearley, a ninth grader from Ontario, Canada, said he got started in wakeboarding after he broke his leg snowboarding. He said he wanted to find a sport for the off season of snowboarding. 

He has now been competing in wakeboarding for three years and comes down to Valdosta about twice a year.

“It’s been fun. I get to hang out with a lot of friends but it’s also stressful,” Brearley said. “You mostly try to have fun. You feel really free when you ride and that’s great.”

Luke Tilt, co-owner, said the 2018 competition was the biggest event yet. He said the competition grows every year and really legitimizes the compound and the sport.

“It’s so much better than last year,” Tilt said. “Last year, we had a good time but we’ve improved upon it and made it better.”

He said the park changed the format for the competition so the entire compound was utilized. Also, after the competition and the winners declared, there will be an online video contest. 

The video contest will be available on the Valdosta Wake Compound’s Facebook page and website. Anyone can watch and vote on videos made by boarders during the event to pick the best video.

“Even when the event ends, the ripple effects of everything will continue on the Internet,” Tilt said.

People traveled from across the world and the nation to attend the event. They came in RVs, trailers, trucks and even a modified school bus. Most of the attendees set up camps and spent the weekend at the compound.

The Stuckey family came up from Orlando, Fla. Trent, 13, and Gavin, 11, competed in qualifying but didn’t make it. They said they both plan on competing again next year.

Shannon Stuckey, Trent and Gavin’s mother, said the Valdosta compound is advanced but retains a casual and homey feel.

“It’s got a backyard, hanging out with your buddies feeling,” Shannon said. “That’s why the pros like it, too. It doesn’t feel as corporate as some of the others.”

Tilt said he wants to grow the park but still keep the comfortable feeling.

“Everyone comes out and camps and brings good vibes,” he said. “It’s a competition, but it’s not cut-throat. It’s more about the overall experience of being out here with friends and the camaraderie.”

Thomas Lynn is a government and education reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be reached at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256