Wakeboarding looked so simple from a distance. I watched as the 9 year old in front of me gracefully stood up, held on tight and the cable towed him to the other side of the lake.
Easy, I thought.
The others in my group were a little nervous, but still just as willing to try the new activity as I was.
We received our instructions from the guide, who brought us all into the water where we surrounded him watching his movements. He gave us simple instructions:
- Keep your arms straight
- But also keep your arms close to you
- Bend your knees
- Don’t pull on the cable
- Keep your core tight
- Don’t lean on your back leg
- Don’t lean too far forward
- When you rise, go sideways
- If you fall, raise your hand to inform us of your safety
- If anything goes wrong, do a jig and send us a pigeon for help
With high hopes and a cocky attitude, I was ready to slide across the water like a swan in heat (assuming swans went into heat, which they don’t, but I think you get the point). Placed into position, I was lifted from the water and I slowly stood up. The water rushed beneath me as the cable pulled me along and I flopped into the water, face first.
How did that 9-year-old do this? I was immediately humbled.
(Pictured below is Lukas from Letimsvetem)

The only person in our group that could maintain a stance. Not me.
The cable park contains three different lifts, ranging from beginning to advanced. The rest of my group and I started off on the beginner’s lift and never quite made it to the intermediate levels which contained obstacle courses and jumps.
We were exploring Eastern Bohemia of the Czech Republic when we took a quick stop to test out our balancing abilities. Although we realized our balance is less than desirable, it was a fun stop that showed us our weakness is listening to instructions.
I fell face first into that water more times than I stood up, but the final round I got the hang of it which just made me want to do it again. Alas, there were a lot more experienced people there and they didn’t have time to watch me fall on my face again.
Oh yeah, and the best part is when you’re done, you can cool off with a good ol’ Czech beer.

Teaching a friend my mistakes as a wakeboarder
You Can Do It, Too!
Location: Cable Wake Park Hradec Králové – Plačice 500 04
How to get there: Train only takes 1.5 hours from Prague to Hradec Kralove and is as low as $5! Check rates here.
Price: A full day of wakeboarding 600- 700 CZK (27-31 USD)