Hutton Heads Home for the Next Pro Tour Stop

Hutton Heads Home for the Next Pro Tour Stop

MasterCraft Team rider Bryan Hutton talks with us about wakeboarding and life in Kentucky before heading to his home state for the sixth event of the King of Wake series, the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour stop in Elizabethtown, KY.

Alli: Are you excited about the Pro Tour heading to your home state of Kentucky?

Bryan: For sure. Kentucky is where [wakeboarding] began for me, so to be competing on the Pro Tour in my home state feels like everything has come full circle. I was born in Lexington, Ky., spent a couple of years out in Cali and Florida, and then moved to Versailles – just outside of Lexington – when I was 12-years-old. It wasn’t until I moved back to Kentucky that I really started shredding, so I credit my riding to Kentucky.

How did you get started wakeboarding in Kentucky?

My parents were big into water skiing, so my brother and I pretty much grew up around the water. After we moved back to Kentucky, my parents bought a houseboat on Lake Cumberland. During the summers and on the weekends, we stayed on the houseboat and tried a bunch of different water-sports. I remember I was kneeboarding before I even knew how to swim. My dad got my brother and I interested in wakeboarding, and eventually convinced us to start riding in grassroots events. I won a couple of those contests and decided to start riding in the Jr. Men division on the Pro Tour, and in 2007, I turned pro.

Is wakeboarding big in Kentucky?

When I first started riding in Kentucky, wakeboarding wasn’t that big. I remember going into Boatworks – a local Kentucky boat dealer – and they only had, like one boat and a small pro shop. But in the past few years, wakeboarding has grown so much there. Boatworks remodeled their facility, added a whole line of MasterCraft boats and really expanded their pro shop. They couldn’t do all that if there wasn’t a demand for it. The sport is going to get even stronger in Kentucky, now that there is a cable park nearby, more and more wakeboard events are being held in Kentucky, including the next stop on the Pro Tour. So wakeboarding is definitely growing in Kentucky.

Are you going to have your own cheering section at the Pro Tour stop in Elizabethtown?

[Laughs!] That would be nice. The site is only about an hour away from where I grew up, so my parents and friends are going to come and watch the contest

Any pre-riding rituals you follow before riding in a contest?

Not really. I make sure I stretch a lot and listen to some music to get pumped before I ride, but that’s about it.

What are your goals for the Tour stop in Elizabethtown?

To have fun and ride the best that I can that weekend. I’m going to try and make it into the finals. If I win in Kentucky, I would be so stoked.

Is there any added pressure, competing in your home state?

There is a little added pressure because it’s ‘my turf,’ but I’m going to treat it like any other contest and do the best I can.

What can fans expect to see at this Pro Tour stop?

The Pro Tour this year is more competitive than it has probably ever been. It’s not the same two guys winning everything; anyone can win it, which makes it that much more exciting to watch. The contest is at Freeman Lake Park, which is a killer site. The water is super deep and with a MasterCraft pulling everyone, that wake is going to be massive. [The wake] is going to boot everyone, which means tons of big-air tricks for fans to see. It’s a fun event and I hope everyone in Kentucky checks us out.

Shout-out to any sponsors?
You know it. MasterCraft, CWB wakeboards, Rusty, Arnette and KY Boatworks.