Darin Shapiro | The Grab Matters Podcast - Episode 63

Explicit content warning

08/27/24 • 130 min

Who has won the most wakeboard contests? Who has invented the most tricks? Who has signed one of the largest contracts in wakeboardings history? The answer to all of those questions is Darin Shapiro. Darin got started in watersports before wakeboarding as we know it was even a thing. Starting at the cable, Darin took countless laps on a trick ski, and barefooting, but it wasn’t until “ski boarding” came around that he really started to find some success. Darin was flown out by Herb O’Brien to a contest in Hawaii in 1991, and from there Darins journey in the sport began and had no signs of slowing down. Winning over 70 pro contests, inventing countless tricks, starring in 2 video games, signing one of wakeboardings largest contracts, the speedball, and retiring twice. Hear all that and much more in Episode 63 of the Grab Matters Podcast!
Follow Darin: https://www.instagram.com/darin_shapiro/
Armada JiuJitsu: https://armadabjj.com/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Liquid Force: https://www.liquidforce.com/
15% OFF Driftline use "grab15" at checkout: https://tinyurl.com/yvksusym
WSIA: https://wakeresponsibly.com/
Grab Matters Merch | https://www.grabmatters.com/shop
Website | https://www.grabmatters.com/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/grabmatters/
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@grabmatterspodcast
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/grabmatters
Hunter Thane | https://www.instagram.com/hunterthane/
Chapters:
00:00 - 1:40 Intro
3:00 Darin's biggest contract
5:40 Getting started at the cable
14:20 First contest in Hawaii
16:30 Inventing the raley
19:40 Skiboard prototype
23:00 Modifying boards
27:40 Sponsors
31:30 Biggest year
33:15 LF’n Wheel of Questions
39:30 Darin's video game
41:30 Is winning everything?
42:50 Wakeboarding unleashed
45:15 Video parts
49:30 Tricks
54:00 Triples
58:10 Inventing tricks
1:08:20 Driftline “Deserves Some Love”
1:10:55 Scud
1:11:50 Contests
1:17:00 Mindset
1:27:20 Being the “contest guy”
1:32:05 WSIA (Ad)
1:44:20 Retiring
1:48:00 Directional boards
1:50:20 Darin's favorite board
1:53:00 Back problems
2:01:30 Jiu Jitsu
Links:
Hawaii Contest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz8xt9-aVbk
Resurgence: https://vimeo.com/104328103

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Website: https://www.grabmatters.com/
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Previous Episode

Shop Talk #6 | Erik Ruck, Guenther Oka, and Jake Pelot

We start off the 6th installment of Shop Talk with the Mount Rushmore of Best Wakeboard Contests. After that the boys are talking all things wake, including going over events like Munich Mash, Copenwaken, and the most recent PWT stop. We also go over the new edit "Foama" from Felix Georgii and Dom Hernler, which is an absolute must watch. In addition to edits and events, were chatting about how harshly reverts should be punished in a contest run, the differences between boat and cable cultures, if pro's should pay for a pass to the cable, Herbs Cup, contest pay, Olympic wakeboarding, and streetjam. Hear all this and much more in the 6th Episode of Shop Talk!
Follow Erik: https://www.instagram.com/erikruck/
Follow Guenther: https://www.instagram.com/guentheroka/
Follow Jake: https://www.instagram.com/jake_pelot/
Follow Hunter: https://www.instagram.com/hunterthane/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Liquid Force: https://www.liquidforce.com/
15% OFF Driftline use "grab15" at checkout: https://tinyurl.com/yvksusym
15% OFF FatSac use "grab15" at checkout: https://www.fatsac.com/
$50 OFF Skiboatcovers use "grab50" at checkout: https://www.skiboatcovers.com/ WSIA: https://wakeresponsibly.com/
Grab Matters Merch | https://www.grabmatters.com/shop
Website | https://www.grabmatters.com/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/grabmatters/
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@grabmatterspodcast
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/grabmatters
Hunter Thane | https://www.instagram.com/hunterthane/
Chapters:
00:00 - 00:20 Intro
00:30 Mt. Rushmore of Contests
20:17 LF’n Wheel of Questions
24:40 Laces in or out?
25:50 Reverts?
31:15 PWT
33:18 Herbs Cup
36:34 Driftline “Deserves Some Love”
43:50 Life Jackets
46:30 Boat vs. Cable worlds
50:00 Foama
55:40 Fatsac Fast Five
1:02:30 Munich Mash
1:04:20 Copenwaken
1:09:00 Contest pay
1:12:00 Wakefest
1:19:00 New products
1:24:00 Free passes to a cable?
1:27:30 Olympics?
1:31:00 Streetjam
1:33:40 Events
Links:
Depth Charge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FQONJbAGng
Foama: https://www.redbull.com/hu-hu/videos/foama-felix-georgii-dominik-hernler-unchained-
Victor Copenwaken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evum3CYgUQU
Graham Slam: https://www.instagram.com/p/C9I43bABOFo/
PWT Team Challenge Recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imh6hCz_ixc

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Next Episode

Keith Lidberg | The Grab Matters Podcast - Episode 64

Keith grew up in Minnesota, getting on the water during the short Midwest American summers when he could. But after a move down to Florida in his late teens for college, Keith found the cable and quickly became even more hooked on wakeboarding than he already was. Spending time at the projects, Keith honed both his rail riding and his boat riding, and almost beating Parks Bonifay in one of the biggest rail events of the time, The Carnival. A $3,000 phone bill, skinny stances, partying, the projects, riding for 4 board brands, CTRL, video parts, and the future of boat and cable riding. Hear all that and much more in Episode 64 of the Grab Matters Podcast.
Follow Keith: https://www.instagram.com/keith_lidberg/
Thank you to our sponsors:
Liquid Force: https://www.liquidforce.com/
15% OFF Driftline use "grab15" at checkout: https://tinyurl.com/yvksusym
Grab Matters Merch | https://www.grabmatters.com/shop
Website | https://www.grabmatters.com/
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/grabmatters/
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@grabmatterspodcast
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/grabmatters
Hunter Thane | https://www.instagram.com/hunterthane/
Chapters:
00:00 - 3:00 Intro
3:40 Fise phone bill
7:40 Transitioning out of riding
13:50 Growing up in Minnesota
24:30 LF’n Wheel of Questions
36:50 Moving to Florida
41:50 Old school cable riding
43:15 The Projects
48:35 First sponsors
1:03:00 Partying
1:09:35 Driftline “ Deserves Some Love”
1:12:10 Video Parts
1:27:20 Short temper
1:30:10 Carnival
1:39:00 Wake The Line
1:43:15 CTRL Wakeboards
2:00:00 Future of boat and cable
Links:
Transgression: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqNVU99IeGE
Hipnose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VUVBF3RI_c