Name, age, Uni, what are you studying?

Benoit Rissone, Southampton Uni, Physics with space science

Tell us about your uni team, where you ride and what you guys are all about?

The uni team here is pretty new. When i came to uni the president the previous

year had left with all the club money and kit and disappeared. In my second year

me and a couple of other guys restarted the club and it took off like mad.

Now after two years its one of the most notorious clubs at uni, everyone’s really

close, it’s like a big drunken family. We ride at Thorpe so if you’re there on a Wed

or Sun you’ll see us there.

How did you get into the sport and what keeps you motivated to keep doing it?

I actually had no idea what wakeboarding was when i arrived at uni. A friend i met

in halls took me down to the stall at the freshers fayre and signed me up and

it went from there really. Now nearly 3 years later i’m pretty much ignoring my

degree and spending all my time on the water or planning some kind of

wakeboarding event. I live for this kind of thing id love to get into a job

organising extreme sports events after uni, it’s all i do at the moment!

Whats your trick list at the moment and what are you working on or close to landing?

I like being upside down. I’m landing Mexican front rolls and Scarecrows. I’m working on my Tantrums and 360’s as well.

I’m so so so close to my raleys, landing board on water just not riding away. Nationals I’ll have that down. Had to take a month break from riding after a particularly bad one tore the stomach muscles on my right side. They went yellow and purple...

What are you looking forward to most this year?

Nationals are going to be sick. End of.

Do you have any good stories to tell about your wakeboarding?

My wakeboarding somehow never ends up with any huge eventful drama (ironic..), i’d like to think it’s because i’m too good, but that would be a lie!

Like i said i managed to tear my stomach muscles which looked pretty nasty for a few weeks.

Most recent drama i’ve seen was one of our beginner girls managing to hit herself in the face with the board after a stack at the first corner, face swelled up like a balloon. Then about a week later i persuaded her to go out again or she’ll scared forever so she went out, stacked it, the cable caught on her crash vest then dragged her round the first and second corners at Thorpe before dumping her the other side of the lake. Talk about a bad couple of sessions.

What do you think to the sport in the UK? Any room for improvement?

I’ve heard somewhere that wakeboarding is the fastest growing extreme sport in the UK. Dunno if that’s true but we’re all obviously doing something right! Massive bigging up needed for the guys at Uniwake, they’re leading the uprise, wakeboardings taking off.

Any advice to university wakeboarders or groms thinking about university?

Any groms thinking about Uni... Do it. You’ll never get wakeboarding cheaper. Nor will you get drinking cheaper. Perfect combination.

The guys already at uni, just get as involved as much as possible. You’ll make some great mates and your riding will skyrocket.

What three items can't you live without?

Laptop is a major one. I’m permanently organising stuff so i crave internet wherever i go. Although to solve this problem i have just bought an iPhone...

Other than that cups of Earl Grey tea with so much sugar in it i’m sure i’m getting diabetes. That and vodka. Not mixed together mind. Although now i think about it....

Last time you were drunk?

Now. I’m still smashed from last night i think. Student loans are wonderful things when you try and impress girls by getting your card out at the bar.

When do you finish Uni?

Got another year left so 2010. I managed to fail my first year so had to retake it. This was likely due to the amount of Wakeboarding, drinking and other sports i did during my first year. Best thing i ever did, failing. Got another year of uni out of it to spend... well... wakeboarding i guess...

Anyone you would like to thank?

Have to thank Robin for introducing me to wakeboarding. Massive gratitude to all the guys and girls at SUWake for being such an awesome bunch. Big Al for being such a big cuddly bear. Smirnoff for keeping me drunk. Red Bull and Relentless for keeping me awake. The British government for lending me 3 grand a year to spend on wakeboarding. Whoever invented Homous. That dude at Thorpe who helped me learn to raley. Whoever came up with the iPhone. Facebook. I could go on...