Who Will You #PassTheHandle To When Wakeboarding?

What’s your best towed watersports move?

Is it carving out a 360?

Catching air with an ollie?

What about something simpler—like passing the handle along to a friend, child, parent, neighbor or loved one who’s never before known the thrill of the water?

For many wakeboarders, and those who enjoy towed water sports of all sorts, that’s what it’s all about. Sharing the fun, or “passing the handle,” as they say. From this simple pleasure, #PassTheHandle was born—a dedicated effort by water sport lovers the world over to share their passion. (Is there any better bandwagon to jump on?)

July 22^nd was the official Pass The Handle day, but it's not too late to get involved—all you’ll need is a Vortex, sport gear and a few close friends to enjoy the ride.

Read on as we share our favorite parts of #PassTheHandle… and a few fun ways to participate, too.

Eat your veggies, swerve your skis…

If you’re passing the handle onto your child this summer, you probably can’t wait to show them just how fun riding the water can be! But you can feel especially great about another benefit of showing them the ropes: water sports are great for one’s health, too, providing a form of exercise that works out the arms, core, legs and, well, laugh box—riding, flipping, falling down and getting back up again produces quite the workout, after all!

Water sports are also accessible to budding athletes of all different skill levels and abilities, so whether you’re standing on a pair of skis or holding on from a two-person tube, you’re able to enjoy the water and the benefits that go along with it. Above all, the best exercise is the one you want to do, so for parents looking to rouse up their kids from the long, lazy days of summer, some time on the water is sure to please.

Make the water more fun

Quite simply, our favorite water sports are more fun when we do them together! Taking photos and videos of each other’s tricks on the water, indulging in a bit of friendly competition to see who can take their skis the farthest… there’s nothing better than having a friend by your side through it all. There’s certainly something to be said about passing down a pastime you really love, to a person you care about—and watching them have fun on the water is like reliving your own foray into water sports.

Engage the community

For the founders of #PassTheHandle, one of the best benefits of spreading the water sport fun is engaging the community. The more, the merrier, as they say—and for every new person who takes up a water sport, there is a bit bigger of a community to get involved with. Increased participation can also help to make techniques and safety guidelines more mainstream, so that the entire community can enjoy a safer, simpler ride.

Engaging the community through water sports offers a meaningful way to connect—to make new friends, strengthen old bonds or show someone you care. One stellar example of this is wakeboarder Shawn Watson, who spent last year’s #PassTheHandle with friends from Wake for Warriors, who all enjoyed some time on the water learning about the sport, and putting their skills to practice!

Of course, any way you share the sport—big or small—is a meaningful way to contribute to the community and show someone you care. A few easy ways to take part include…

- Get a bunch of old friends together for a round of wakeboarding! Maybe your go-to meetup spot is lunch, cards, game night, whatever it may be—add some water fun to the schedule and see just how well it mixes up your “same old” routine!

- Reach out to a family member, neighbor or someone else you know who would love to spend some time outside, enjoying the water. Maybe they think they can’t pick up a new sport—show them they can! You can even start with tubing, which is a great first step for all skill levels, to get some of those on-the-water basics down.

- Teach your favorite trick to someone new! Impromptu lessons at the lake are an easy way to spread some water sport fun.

- Make a day of it. Take your child out to the water and show them the ins and outs of your favorite sport, then enjoy a waterfront bite. It’s an easygoing outing they won’t forget!

- Switch it around. Treat your steadfast “spotter” who’s used to watching from the boat, and have them try their hand at the sport—chances are, they’ve picked up a thing or two from watching your own runs and tumbles!

Whatever you decide to do, use the hashtag #PassTheHandle to share fun photos and videos and get the message out there: water sports offer up some serious fun.