GRAVITY GAMES Choppy water beaches wakeboarders

Poland's Rob Struharik will be among today's competitors on Lake Erie.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- The weather was nice. The wind wasn't.
High winds and choppy water on Lake Erie forced Gravity Games officials to postpone Thursday's wakeboarding preliminaries until today at 8 a.m.
"The conditions were so bad, it's tough just to wakeboard at all," said Poland's Rob Struharik, who finished fourth in last year's competition. "We're trying to ride on jump ramps and sliders and that can be very dangerous.
"You have to be smart. I hate not performing, but it's not worth getting injured," Struharik said.
Problem is, today might not be much better.
Most wakeboarding competitions are held on small, private lakes, which have few waves. Lake Erie obviously doesn't qualify.
Wednesday was warm, but windy.
When it's September in Ohio, there's no guarantee that will change.
"It's hard mentally," Struharik said. "The competition is so emotionally draining, you have to gear yourself up to ride. Then you get here and have a letdown because it's postponed. It messes with your mind."
First class
Of course, Struharik wasn't exactly roughing it.
NBC sponsors the Gravity Games (televised coverage begins Sunday), and everything is run first class. The X-Games, which is sponsored by ESPN, is the only event that compares.
In addition to better medical care and better service, Struharik also gets better food.
"They just served us steak," he said with a laugh. "At most of our events, we're lucky to get hot dogs and hamburgers."
Struharik, 22, will need to be at his best to compete against the world's best wakeboarders, including Shaun Murray (who has his own video game), Parks Bonifay and Shawn Watson.
Last year's champion, Mark Kenney, died from an accidental overdose of pain medication following a bad crash during competition.
Tough competition
"Every guy in the competition has a chance to win -- it just depends on how you're feeling that day," Struharik, who grew up in Boardman, said. "Probably 13 of the 16 guys have won a major tournament in the past two years."
They know each other well. Struharik, who started wakeboarding at 13 and turned pro at 16, is one of about 50 professionals who make their living through competitions.
This weekend's competition has a $25,000 first prize. Struharik earned $5,000 last year for his fourth-place finish.
"If I'm riding my very best, I definitely have a chance to win," Struharik said. "The key is to get into the finals, so you're in the top four. Once you get into the finals, anything can happen."
scalzo@vindy.com