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My name is Drew Mcguckin. I live in Orlando Florida. I was born and raised here, in Altamonte Springs. I started wakeboarding in 1990, right around then. I met Scott Byerly in a high school gym class. We would go to his lake, Lake Katheryn, after school and ride all the time. After improving I got sponsored by wake tech. I had a good career in wakeboarding in my eyes. I got to travel the world with all my friends. That was the thing I cared about. It wasn't what people thought of me or my riding, or how much money I was making. It was just about the travel, the fun with friends, and having fun doing something I loved. After wake tech I moved on to liquid force, there relizing how full of it tony finn was, I moved on to nbn. After riding that wave until it broke on shore, I moved on again to label. and there I learned how to get ripped off. Finally I got sponsored by the legendery Herbie Fletcher, and bad ass wakeboards. Stuck with them until Herbie figured out the wakeboard industry wasn't as profitable compared to surfing, and he walked away. After doing some really good stuff "in my eyes", like getting fourth in the worlds in the pro division, and eighth the next year and winning an extreme productions stop. I got caught up in all the stories, like getting ripped off thousands of dollars. Hearing enough of "the check is in the mail", I just said whatever! and quit.
All I wanted to do from that day on is wakeskate. I took an old liquid force squirt and covered it with trac top. Everybody wakeboarded, I wakeskated! People would say it wouldn't go anywhere. I thought otherwise. Then Sean Dishman gave it a chance. Putting a wakeskate division in his extreme productions contest. From there it has taking over like the plague!!!!!!!!!! After people started taking notice, then came wakeskate companies. Supporting cassette from the very first board
chris mack painted up. It was a friendship thing in the beginning, and exactly what I pictured in my mind wakeskating would be. Then the same things I dealt with in wakeboarding reared its nasty head. People promising things and money which ended up being a bunch of bull. When nothing needed to be promised in the first place. Again being ripped off thousands I moved on. I started riding for a company which I have had close ties to from the very beginning, Erik Lutgert's company. Better known as GATOR BOARDS. I'm no big name like Thomas or Byerly, I'm the guy who happily has flown under the radar but known in my mind, that I was one of a few in the beginning, who had a vision on where wakeskating could go. And thanks to people like Erik "Gator" Lutgert, and Scott Byerly starting their own board companies, and doing it right! I know they will keep the sport legit!!!!!!