PM: What's up Collin? Let's start out with the move from DoubleUP to Serum wakeboards. What was the reasoning behind that?
CW: The move to Serum was a need to grow. When DoubleUP was sold and Greg Nelson left, a lot of Greg's beliefs left with him. I really wanted to pursue more then just a wakeboarding career, and that wasn't going to work out at DoubleUP. The owner of Serum, Robin Roberts saw the abilities in me what I was trying to sell elsewhere. I think the deciding spark that made up my mind was Robin telling me that I would basically be running the company as it grew.
PM: Sounds like a great opportunity for you. Will there be a Wright pro model?
CW: There will definitly be a Wright Serum board. I will have a graphic on the 141 for this summer (to tide over the demand). I will be releasing a brand new board shape in two sizes at Surf Expo this fall. So, my design will be out in stores over the fall sometime. Keep your eyes peeled for the Collin
graphic this summer though, it's off the Chain.
PM: Cool, we'll keep an eye out for that graphic. What's your take on the current situation at DoubleUP? CW: My view on the current situation at DoubleUP is neutral, they're doing their thing and I'm busy doing my thing. My only view was that I did not want to work with the new owner of the company. I guess my view is that I think they lost their soul.
PM: What do you think the future of Serum will hold?
CW: The future for Serum is bright, we have an owner that is the sole proprietor with the budgets to run the company without the pressures of a bank or investor just looking for the profits. We've got the owner that loves to ride. My role in the company growing in the future is to help that by being the Team Manager and head up advertising and marketing aspects of the company as well as board designs. It's tight Robin handles the accounting and sales end of things and I focus on promoting our riders and designs.
PM: That sounds like a great opportunity for you. A lot of smaller wakeboard companies have failed or had to be bailed out by larger corportations. Do you think Serum can be small and successful?
CW: Serum can most definitly be a succesful company. Just because you start small doesn't mean you can't make it. The main problem in this industry is that most companies over spend and plan their budgets on what they think they can sell in the next year. With Serum we have an amount that is already in the bank to get things rolling for the next year or two, at the same time we will be able to budget our future years based on the last year's sales. Everyone else works backwards.
PM: So, you've also been busy this winter working on your career making videos. What's the latest?
CW: The newest video that is out right now is The O.G.A. It's all about everything that Oregon has to offer. It is cool because all the hijinx that happens in the video really happens, no skits or planned out stuff, it's real. The O.G.A. is wake, snow and skating mixed with parting and some hot chicks.
I also have another wake video coming out soon, it is called The Baker's Dozen. The Baker's Dozen goes off, you have my personal baker's dozen of Luke Wulf, Greg Nelson, Josh Smith, Jeff McKee, Jen Rice, Randall Harris, Tommy Marquadt, Jake Huso, Steve Wahlman, Andrew Cairns, me, Pete Ward, Billy McKee, and Evelyn Zerr. It is 1 hour long and 45 minutes of that are before the credits even start rolling.
PM: Very nice, that's a long video with some good talent. What's the story with your company, O.G. Productions.
CW: O.G. Productions is all about me, my computer and camera. I am trying to get video's out there the way riders want there parts to be seen.
The O.G.A. was to really showcase what I have going on in Oregon. People don't always know that I have more going on then wakeboarding. I got to get my skate and snow on too!
PM: Being from Oregon myself I can fully understand you. So who's in the O.G.A.?
CW: The O.G.A. stars sick pro skaters and all my homies from Oregon, Luke Egge, Redrum, Gar Wright, B.K. and the infamous The Messer, AKA Jason Messer (Fresh Water Traction) and myself.
PM: One of the benefits of Oregon is being able to wakeboard half the year, and snowboard half the year. How would you compare the two sports?
CW: Wake and snow are very similar, you're sideways and you are basically doing the same thing in the air in both sports. The key is to turn your head where you want to go once you either have left the wake or gone off the jump at the hill. Everyone always tries to rotate to much of the wake or kinda huck off
jumps at the hill. But, they are both all about patience at the lip.
PM: A few years back you kind of made a decision to be a pro wakeboarder instead of a pro snowboarder. Is it possible to be a pro in both sports?
CW: I totally think that it's possible to be both pro at wake and snow. I am working on getting back on my snow game. I spent so much time in FL over the past few years I really started neglecting my snowboarding. It's not that I planning on becoming a pro snowboarder, I just think someone could totally do it. I hope to start entering some snow events this winter, I'll take it from there. For example, John Cardiel was a pro snowboarder for
Lamar and a pro skater for AntiHero and Vans at the same time, although he now focuses on skateboarding. He has been quoted saying that he was a pro snowboarder to support his skateboarding life.
PM: Now you've been primarily a spinner with your wakeboarding, fighting the battle to show people what's up with that side of the sport. Do you think you've made progress?
CW: I am pretty sure people have finally started to come around on this whole spin versus flip thing. Spins are all really hard, and as you see in many videos most pros can't do all the spins. I think it shouldn't be about just doing what everyone else does, (doesn't that show it can't be that hard?) and just try to make a mark in your own way, be the first to do something. It's just as hard to land a 720 with two grabs as it is to do a mobe. But how many people have you seen do a double grab 720? People should look at snowboarding and how spinning was all there was, then it went way more to off-axis and inverted tricks, and now it is coming back around to spinning. Any gymnast can get on a board and adapt their flips to it, but to learn to ride and wait off of jumps and keep yourself on the level is harder. You can't just go bust a frontside 720 no matter what people think.
PM: Now for some specific questions from Wakeboarder.com visitors. We had some vistiors in the Northeast USA who wanted to know what you thought about the lack of quality wakeboarding in the Northeast and how it compares to the West Coast.
CW: I didn't realize there was a lack of wakeboarding on the Northeast. I think the West just has a blast on the water. Most riders out here aren't competitive and we ride to progress and have a good time with our friends. Maybe that's why we all like going out riding so much. Just round up the chicks and we can do this. That's the attiude I notice, and that's the attidue I am sticking with.
PM: Another visitor wanted to "what it takes to get a ripper like you to the WICed Fest event".
CW: To get a ripper like me to the WICed Fest, just contact Serum's web site and if my email isn't listed yet(it will very soon)just email to the other contact robinroberts@serumboards.com and he will get me the info. It really comes down to me having the opening in my scedule and I am usually down. Just contact us through the site, and I'll look into it.
PM: What will you be looking to put into your video parts this season?
CW: My riding in videoss this year will be getting more and more defined. I don't mean shorter, just more focused. I am looking to really put some progressive parts together for 2003 releases. I am going to be working with Sideways again and making a Serum team video. I want my parts to just have things you haven't seen out of me yet. Backside 900s, Toeside Backside stuff, and some crazy sliders. Plus you never know, maybe a couple of inverts. I am also working on some new rewind stuff like in my earlier parts, more 180 to 360's the other way! For my off video riding, I'm always looking to have a good time. Especially at demos and
competitions, I want to take it in and make the most of all the events over the year that I attend. Hopefully you'll be seeing some decent contest results as well.
PM: Another visitor wondered about how far East you've gone snowboarding?
CW: The farthest east I have gotten is Utah, and I went to Brighton and the Bird. I was stoked, my favorite mountains to travel to so far are Sugar Bowl in Tahoe and Stevens Pass in Washington. Maybe I'll start doing some more boat shows in the East and start getting some snow days in out there as well.
I would just like to thanks a few people who have been making my life the best it's ever been. My Mom and Dad because they support everything I do and let me be me. My girlfriend Jen for keeping me in check, my crew Gar, Allison, Pete Ward, B.K., Red, Tony, Lil Pen, and My sponsors who make it all happen. Serum Boards and Robin Roberts, Billabong and Chris Heffner, Legend and Chris Willingham, Correct Craft and Scott Mohr, Marine Products and Jeremy, Nice bindings and Jeff and Allen. And last but not least L N'L.
