Local wakeboarder wins Butter Stomp

SANDPOINT — Breaking off a host of tricks — some with names like the Hoochie Glide, Crow Mobe and Whirlybird — Sandpoint’s Chad Hecker won first place in the open division of the third annual Butter Stomp Competition last weekend in Ione, Wash.

Hecker, who turned 21 on Friday, has been wakeboarding for more than 10 years, becoming a bit of an expert in the popular water sport. He has helped put on a rider clinic in Lewiston for the last eight years, and now is in charge of running it. He also judges at numerous competitions when he’s not competing himself.

He says the open division basically means instead of just a few standard tricks, each rider has unlimited variety. He said the three aforementioned tricks helped win him the competition over five other open riders. He gave a thumbnail description of all three tricks.

“The Hoochie Glide is like superman flying through the air. The Crow Mobe is a front roll with a 360, basically a flip and 360 combined. The Whirlybird is pretty much go up, spin, and land,” described Hecker, adding what he loves most about the sport. “Just going out with a boat of buddies, nice weather and water, and just kicking it.”