Dockside Chats: Noah Flegel
Nautique Boats: Congrats on your European Wakesurf Championship wins! You have proven to be a man of many talents as a professional wakeboarder, wakesurfer, and foiler. Tell us about how you got here and what has shaped you into who you are today.
Noah Flegel: Thank you! Life began for me in South Florida in a home located on the intracoastal waterway, and seeing teenagers skurf and wakeboard through my backyard was a daily occurrence. My life and career have truly been a product of my environment and the conditions around me. I started wakeboarding at 3 years old and picked up wakesurfing at age 7. Foiling came into play when I turned 20, so I’ve been foiling for 6 years now. These have been the constant sports in my life that, thankfully, have always been there for me. Growing up, whenever the waves at the beach were somewhat rideable, my older brother and I would go surfing or skimming. As we broke into the double digits, we started getting into freediving and spearfishing on those calm and clear days in the ocean. More recently, I have gotten into wind sports such as kitesurfing, winging, and downwind foiling. As I have gotten older, I have understood more and more how to take full advantage of the conditions that mother nature provides us with no matter what! While I have a great appreciation and love for the intricacies and techniques involved in all the sports I do, having a Nautique for the great majority of my life has allowed me to dive deeper into my three favorite wake sports more than any of the other sports I also enjoy. There are so many days at home in South Florida where taking out the Nautique on the lake is by far the best decision out of all the activities a watersports lover could choose from! A true product of my environment, I believe all that time on the lake riding behind a Nautique is what has led to my success throughout my career. I also am a strong believer that all the sports I enjoy complement each other in different ways, but always lead to a deeper understanding of each individual sport.
NB: What have been some of the highlights of your career?
NF: The most memorable events for me were always when I could podium in every category I was competing in. For a long time, I was the only athlete competing in both wakeboarding and wakesurfing, and I wanted to prove that it was possible to compete at the highest level in the world in multiple sports, like one of my heroes, Shawn White. There are about a dozen events including pro tour stops, Nautique Nationals, and World Championship events where I was able to pull that off. One event that never leaves my head was the first Wakeboard Worlds Nautique put on in Portugal, I think it was in 2014 or 15. I came second to my good friend Harley Clifford by a very slim margin, and I’ve been wanting to get that title ever since! I won multiple wakesurf World Championships, as well as Nationals and Masters, and Nautique Wakesurf Series events as well as Overall Championships. I have won every professional wake foiling event there has ever been. Winning the sports illustrated kid of the year in 2012 was an incredible experience as well!
NB: What are your favorite tricks?
NF: Hmmm, on a wakeboard, a 1080 is a very technical and good feeling trick to land clean, but there’s something about flowing and doing simple tricks like poked out 180’s or rewinds that feels so nice as well!
NB: You’ve been the first person to land numerous tricks. Tell us about your journey of landing so many tricks that have never been done.
NF: Inventing tricks or being the first to do a trick was something my brother and I became excited about when we started getting into wakesurfing and the sport was still so young! There is something so addicting about the process of teaching yourself something that no human has ever done before. It usually starts as a mere thought or crazy idea, then eventually you try it after thinking about it for a while. The first few attempts are usually way off until suddenly you get remotely close to the new trick - that’s when the switch flips and it becomes not only possible but achievable in my brain. At that point, the mental barrier is overcome, and I like to think the trick is already completed at that point. What follows is usually lots more attempts fine tuning the tricks intricacies and learning solely from the previous attempts' mistakes until finally, you land on the board and don't sink in the water. Once I got into foiling, I saw soooo much potential for tricks that could be done that had never been attempted before. I also draw a ton of inspiration for these “new” tricks from all the other sports I love doing! Pushing the envelope of what is possible in all different types of watersports is my main focus in life.
NB: What is your biggest career accomplishment?
NF: Above all the awards and wins in my career, my biggest accomplishment is that I have been able to make a career out of all the things I truly love doing largely thanks to the companies in our industry that make the best products on the market like Nautique boats and Armstrong foils.
NB: You’ve been all over the world for wakesurfing, foiling, and wakeboarding. What are your favorite destinations?
NF: Some of my favorite locations to ride a Nautique are on the Yarrawonga river in Australia, some rivers in Tennessee and Alabama, some deep valleys in Portugal and my favorite spot ever to ride, my home lake in sunny South Florida :)
NB: What do you like to do when you’re not wakesurfing, foiling, or wakeboarding?
NF: Any time on the water shared with my friends and family is what I aim for every day of my life.
NB: Tell us a little about what the Nautique Wakesurf Series means to you.
NF: The Nautique Wakesurf Series, in my eyes, is the only relevant competitive series in wakesurfing and foiling behind the boat. I get so stoked to compete at these events especially now that I’m competing in 4 divisions against the best in the world in surf style, skim style, strapped and strapless foiling. Every year there are some incredible battles and a close race for the top spot as the series leader at the end of the year and they are the only wakesurf and foil events I get fired up about all year!
NB: What’s going through your head on a contest day? Do you have any contest rituals?
NF: I really just keep my days as normal as possible. Breath, hydrate, stretch and eat light till the job is done! I try and remind myself that I’m just going out to do what I love to do on the best wake in the world.
NB: What has the Nautique brand meant to you during this journey?
NF: The Nautique brand has been deeply rooted into my life since a young age and means everything to me! I would not be where I am today if I didn’t always have access to the best boat in the industry. The family and team at Nautique are truly a huge part of my life as well, and I'm thankful every day that I get to ride amongst the most sought after team in wake. Nautique has had a massive impact on my personal and professional progression ever since I was a grom.
NB: What are your favorite features on your G23 Paragon?
NF: My top three features are:
- The Telescoping Flight Control Tower. It’s so easy to get the perfect pull height for your rider as well as the perfect amount of shade and protection from the elements with the click of a button.
- The Nautique Surf System that provides the best waves on earth and is incredibly fine-tuned and easily controllable.
- The Board Management System in the transom of the boat that makes storing all of my boards easier, safer and more organized then ever!
NB: We’re excited to have you out at the Nautique Regattas! What are you most excited for at these events?
NF: I’m always excited to get to share all the wake sports I love with fellow watersports enthusiasts and Nautique owners!
NB: What has been one of the best pieces of advice you’ve received?
NF: When I was very young, my mom would always advise me to bend my knees while riding. That has proven to be the most crucial piece of advice I have ever received hahah! <3
NB: What’s next for you?
NF: I will continue further down this path of self-discovery in what is possible on and in the water until I physically can’t go on! I love this life I have created for myself and am very thankful for my family and my sponsors who support me every single day!
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