The 2003 crop of videos might be defined as the year when regionally focused videos hit the mainstream and were good enough to be recognized. Delta Sessions is a great example of the successful regional video.
Concept
Delta Sessions is a video put together by WestsideConnection.net that highlights the best riders on the Delta waterways in North Central California.
The Delta is a huge set of waterways that were built for the purpose of farming and are fed by rivers on their way to the ocean. The waterways are narrow channels that are usually protected by large banks or bushes that block he wind making the Delta a great place to find endless smooth water.
While you may have not heard of some of the riders in this video, the Delta is an area rich in style and wakeboarding talent, and this video seeks to showcase that talent. It's a high energy video that really gets you going.
Cinematography
The cinematography in Delta Sessions is basically a mix of "shot from the boat" footage and chase boat footage from various angles. The movie is shot in digital format.
Length
Delta Sessions is about 30 minutes of solid riding. There isn't much of any off the water footage messing up your enjoyment of the Delta riding experience.
Music
The music in Delta Sessions follows the same theme as the riders as the music is provided by unsigned West Coast bands such as:
Depswa
ADD
The Masses
Automatic
Tef-lon
Void
Money Tree Records
The music is fast paced with lots of energy, and really just makes you feel good about what you're watching.
Riding
What I like most about regionally focused videos is that I like to see wakeboarders I don't see in the majority of other videos. While the top pros are fun to watch and very exciting, I often get more inspired when I see lesser known riders ripping it up with their own unique styles. That's what Delta Sessions is all about.
This video had a ton of riders, but some of the featured riders are:
Josh Storrer
Rich Facciano
Greg Nelson
Josh Smith
Jason Buffalow
Arun Frances
Aaron Aubrey
Chris Dykmans
Cody Ramsey
Brady Sammons
Mike Schwenne
and more....
The riding is good, it consists of lots of spinning, big grabs and raley variations, and numberous technical mobes. Josh Storrer has always been one of my favorite riders, and he continues to show that although he's not really in the spotlight anymore, he's still as smooth as ever.
Some of the lesser-known riders I enjoyed watching were Aaron Aubrey and Brady Sammons. I've rode with Aaron numerous times over the years and he's a great guy who takes style and spinning very seriously, and pushes the amount of height and distance he can take those tricks. Brady is a powerful rider who takes everything huge, whether it's an off-axis spin or technical mobe.
There's also some bigger name pros like Greg Nelson, Josh Smith, Rich Facciano, and Cobe Mickacich who all are or have been Delta regulars at one time. Pro female wakeboarder (and now wife of Greg Nelson) Evelyn Zerr also has a nice wakesurfing section in the credits to keep an eye out for.
Bonus Features
The Delta Sessions DVD has a few bonus mini-videos in the bonus section of the DVD, and also includse a trailer for a film called "The Archives" which looks like it will be starring Cody Ramsey and Mike Schwenne.
Rating
The drawbacks of Delta Sessions is that it isn't top name pros doing the hardest tricks in the land, but it provides a great change of pace and unique look at one of the hottest spots in wakeboarding. The fresh faces and exciting, yet not very known, music selection keeps the video energetic and fun to watch. You can tell the riders on the Delta know have to fun when they ride and are pushing the sport in their own way. It's definitely a video worth having in your collection, especially if you like seeing something different from mainstream videos. We give Delta Sessions 3.75 out of 5 stars.
