The season for local wake surfer Keegan Hodgson is almost continuous.
He had about a month to catch his breath after the worlds in early September, but is already getting ready for the start of the new season which begins Oct. 30 in Arizona.
This year will be an even bigger challenge for the 14-year-old, because he'll be competing in the outlaw class, which is just one step below the pros.
Hodgson has only been competing in wake surfing for a couple of years, yet was ranked number 1 in the world in the Competitive Wake Surf Association’s amateur men’s surf division last June.
His last big competition occurred in early September, when he competed in the worlds in Ogden Valley, Utah.
It didn't go quite as he had hoped.
"Had a good run the first day; made the finals. The top four make it to finals. Didn't have my best run the second day, but still did good and got fourth," Hodgson says.
The competition was huge.
His dad, Karmen, says about 130 of the best riders in the world competed.
Keegan and his dad say in the outlaw division he'll still be competing with riders age 13-44, but there'll be more adult competitors this time.
"Better riders," Keegan says.
But Karmen remains confident of his son's chances.
"He can definitely compete with them," he says.
They say because outlaw is still one step below the pros, riders don't receive money but they can get prizes and attract sponsors.
Keegan is working on some tricks to improve his performance as he goes into this tougher division.
For example, he's working on the big spin.
"It's where the board spins 360 (degrees) and your body spins 180 in the same direction," Keegan says.
Another trick is the shove.
"So the board spins 180 but your body doesn't move and you land back on it," he says.
