WSM: Let’s start with our typical interview questions. What’s your name, where are you from, and how long have you been wakesurfing?
Jake: My name is Jake Harrison Breedlove, I’m 18 years old, born and raised in Austin, TX, and I’ve been wakesurfing for seven years.
WSM: Prior to wakesurfing, were you doing any other towed watersports?
Jake: Growing up on the water on Lake Austin, I would go tubing a lot haha. I didn’t start boarding until I was nine when my brother taught me how to wakeskate before anything else. After that came wakeboarding and wakesurfing a few years later.
WSM: Take us through your warm up. When you get up for the first time on any given day, what tricks do you do?
Jake: Almost every time I go out I stretch a bit as I get the boat ready. As the ballast is filling I wax my board until the tanks are full. From there I jump in, tell my amazing Dad to hit it, and jump right into it. With my tricks, I always start with a huge air 180. It’s one of my favorite tricks and most definitely my biggest trick. Then I like to practice my harder tricks with other little tricks in between. At the end, I like to try a couple new tricks to see which ones I might want to learn next.
WSM: This is your first year to be competing in the Pro Division, right? What’s the biggest difference you’ve noticed between Outlaw and Pro and were you ready for it?
Jake: I was really excited to be competing in the Pro division, but also very nervous. I knew that it would be a huge jump in difficulty from Outlaw to Pro, and it was not easy. At first, I thought I wouldn’t be able to compete with some of the other guys, but after I started practicing a lot more, I noticed I was learning new tricks pretty fast and smooth. After that and some encouragement from my Dad and my board shaper Jonathan Matthews with Blusurf, I built up confidence in myself knowing that I was able to take on the other Pro riders.
WSM: You recently competed in the World Wakesurf Championship from Kelowna, BC. Is an event of that magnitude more nerve-racking than a typical competition? Or is the level of riding so high now all of the competitions are equally difficult?
Jake: Personally it was a little more nerve-racking knowing it was my first Pro season and I had to compete against the best of the best. Overall though all of the Pro riders are very close, neck and neck. It’s not just about throwing down the biggest and baddest tricks to stay in the game, but you also have to be consistent with those tricks. Don’t get me wrong though! Those wild tricks are definitely what makes these competitions so exciting!
WSM: Compared to Lake Austin it had to seem frigid in Kelowna we imagine. Did you layer up for your rides or grin it and skin it?
Jake: Haha well I am from a nice warm climate, but it wasn’t all that bad. As far as skin or wetsuit, I kind of battled with myself in deciding whether or not I wanted to be able to move freely without a wetsuit or stay warm in a wetsuit. Ironically I ended up using a heater top one time, wetsuit one time, and skin another time.
WSM: Take us back to when you were just starting out. What was the first trick you learned and how long did it take you to get it?
Jake: I guess the first trick I learned was a bottom turn, but besides that, I remember learning how to do an air 180 for the first time and going crazy over it. It probably took about an entire summer for me to learn it consistently but that trick is one of my better ones to this day!
WSM: Do you remember the first time you experienced wakesurfing? Were you immediately hooked?
Jake: Without a doubt, I was definitely hooked. I learned summer of 2011 and I immediately knew how to carve and stay up over rollers and stuff. In 2012 I took lessons from Vince Costa and he is the reason I have such a good style to this day.
WSM: Tell us about your sponsors. What’s your gear setup?
Jake: Most important, my board sponsor is Blusurf. It’s not just about the perfect, good looking board that’s under my feet, but also my relationship with my shaper Jonathan Mathews. He fully understands everything about each board and how they work, and he’s always been very encouraging and helpful to me and my parents.
Boat Beautiful is also a favorite because they do the best boat detailing in Austin. With a great hardworking man running the company and always spreading good words, Boat Beautiful thrives.
Volcom Clothing rep Jeff Hammet has been very supportive of me and my wakesurfing, and he has never failed to impress me. Growing up I always admired Volcom and their kind of style and I never thought I’d be a part of that family.
Last but not least, Lymbo Clothing provides the coolest, most comfortable, local Austin clothing. The man himself Charley Copp, worked his butt off all by himself to make Lymbo Clothing what it is today and he continues to represent Austin in the best way possible.
WSM: If you could take one celebrity wakesurfing with you who would it be and why?
Jake: I would definitely take Andy Samberg. He’s my favorite comedian actor and I also think he would just be cool to hang out with.
WSM: If you had your choice of music when riding, what would it be?
Jake: I never really listen to the same music all the time, but right now I would choose Louis the Child.
WSM: Where would you like to see wakesurfing go in the future?
Jake: I think it would be really exciting if it became a lot bigger, but still had the cool family/community vibe. I think the entire world should see what we do just as much as other big sports, and I would like more people to get involved.
WSM: What advice would you give a newcomer to the sport that’s looking to progress and learn new tricks?
Jake: Always keep a positive attitude, and try to never feel bummed out if you lose. I’ve had times when I’ve gotten upset after losing, but I’ve also had times where I kept a good attitude after losing. Yeah, it’s a bummer that I lost, but keeping a good attitude helps me and others around me enjoy the rest of the fun and excitement that competing gives us.
WSM: What tricks are you working on? Anything you feel like lettings us know about?
Jake: I am currently working on my frontside big spin. It’s one of my favorites for sure, but I also think it’s time for a couple new tricks. After watching Jake Caster throw his 360 body varial it inspired me to try and come up with something different and new. Hopefully I’ll be able to bring something never before seen next season!
WSM: Do you have anyone you’d like to thank?
Jake: There are tons of people I could thank for helping and encouraging me, but I definitely want to thank my parents and Jonathan Mathews. They have helped me the most in every way possible, more than I could ever ask.
WSM: Would you like to plug any social media?
Jake: @jakebreedlove_Instagram
We want to thank Jake for giving WSM his time and we look forward to seeing more of him as he continues to progress in his career and push wakesurfing into the future!
