Today is Corey Kraut’s birthday, and in honor of his personality and impact on wakeboarding we want to tell part of his story again. Loved for his easy-going, good-natured attitude, and revered for his effortless style on the water, Corey was the kind of person everybody loved to be around. The fact that he could shred with a style all his own made him even cooler. To this day Corey is credited with pushing/advancing corked/off-axis spins (which a few riders back then were calling monkey spins because Corey’s nickname was Monkey Boy).
Unfortunately, back in 2000 while taking part in the Double Up Experience tour in Texas, Corey made the decision to ride without a life jacket, and it ended up costing him his life. He was just 22 years old at the time. Wakeboarding legend (and founder of Double Up) Greg Nelson remembers the day Corey lost his life vividly. This is his story, and his message to all of us to be responsible and wear life jackets when we’re out on the water.
