| Words: Andrew Adkison Photos: Bill DosterA Pete Rose is a pretty technical move, but you can really slow it down and make it fun and stylish. These days, it’s one of my favorite mobes, but it was actually the last of the basic mobes I learned to do. The reason is simple. When Scott Byerly first landed the move back in the day, my friends and I saw it as the Holy Grail of mobes. We were just learning toeside back rolls at the time, and we couldn’t believe someone could do a toeside back roll with a frontside 3 and somehow find time to grab the board too. So from day one, I had it built up in my mind as this unattainable trick. I just assumed I would never be able to ride away from one.Six years later, I could land every move except a Pete, and I knew I had to tear down the mental boundary. When I finally went for it, I made it on the first session. It remains one of my favorite tech tricks. The lesson you should take from this is don’t put any trick on a pedestal. It will only psyche you out and keep you from learning it. No matter how technical or basic a trick is, just stick to the fundamentals and go for it.The fundamentals of a Pete Rose Start with a well-controlled toeside back roll. Coming into the wake for a Pete, my main focus is to make sure I ride up and through the top of the wake before I begin my rotation. This will give you more height, which will make all the difference in riding away from the trick. As you come off the top of the wake, you need to do two things: Start rotating the frontside 3, and start reaching with your front hand for the grab. Most style-conscious riders go for the nose grab these days instead of the slob grab. As you come around to finish the rotation, hold the grab as long as you can and really focus on landing with your chest over your toes. In fact, on the day I learned the Pete Rose, it helped to think about throwing my chest forward as soon as I spotted my landing. This will ensure you land over your toes, and you’ll be able to ride away much easier.Check out Austin Hair’s Pete Rose video instruction at wakeboardingmag.com. |
