follow your stoke with Team wake & ride

“We are a family that loves boating and water sports”.
Sherry and Rob currently reside in West Chester, Ohio with there two daughters, Julia and Mikayla. This spring they will have been married for 16 years and have spent the past 20 summers enjoying the water in many different ways. Whether it was spending time water skiing down at Lake Cumberland in the early 2000’s, Wake Boarding and Surfing since 2012 at Caesar’s Creek or trips down to Norris Lake you can always find the Q Family having fun.
The vision for this company was conceived last summer as the Q Family was spending a week with their extended family in Findley lake New York. “It is week that we look forward to every year and spend many hours teaching family and friends a variety of water sports. At one point Sherry looked over at Rob as he was giving instruction and just simply said “you really love this don’t you” to that Rob replied “I do”.
With the purchase for our Axis A225 this vision became a reality. We wanted to be able to share our love for the water with others. This company is founded on three main principles safety, fun and passion. We believe that there is an opportunity and need to share our knowledge and passion with others. We are so grateful for our new found Wake & Ride Family. Whether it's water sports instruction, a charter experience
or a simple boating clinic I hope you will give use the opportunity to help create an amazing experience for you.  

Sincerely,
The Quatkemeyer's

Anything worth doing in life is worth over doing. “Mind over matter. If I don’t mind, then it does not matter”. This is a statement to the way I have chosen to experience my life. Investing myself in this wonderful and spectacular lifestyle has rewarded me with life-long memories. The community support is spectrum-wide and positive throughout.  Nothing better than setting a solid edge and lifting off the wake; feeling the tension and finding the water below. Truly, a unique experience. Mystifying and exhilarating all at the same time! “If you not smiling, then you're not living”!

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-Dom

"I was first introduced to watersports at a very young age. My family had gone to Lee’s Ford Marina at Lake Cumberland in Kentucky for my entire life. Grandpa had a ‘89 Regal Ambassador 255XL that I learned to ski behind when I was 7. That next summer my cousin came with a 2003 O’Brien Custom and from that point I fell in love with sliding sideways. For the next 6 summers I looked forward to that week down at the lake for me to wakeboard. Then in 2009 my grandparents sold the boat as it was ALOT of a boat and as they were getting older and us grand children were spending more time doing sports during the summers it made since to get rid of it. Luckily for me that summer Wake Nation Cincinnati opened up and I got to ride cable for the first time and kept me riding for 3 more years until college baseball took over my life. Fast forward 6 years later I strapped the board back on at Wake Nation and never looked back. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to work with some really talented athletes, travel the country, and collect a couple sponsors in the process. This sport has not only given me a lifetime of happiness but has connected me with some of my closest friends. These travels, boat sets, experiences with those people have been the exact reason I want to give that to others. Give a common ground in which these people might not have ever met and truly enjoy the times spent together working towards the same goal, having fun!"

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- Ryan

I was raised boating at Lake Cumberland and Lake Lorelei. My first time out on a boat my parents had me in a carrier. My family always instilled in me that boating was a passion we should share with everyone we could. I have carried that teaching into all sports I love and enjoy. I started as a ski instructor when I was just 14. I have gotten to teach kids and adults of all ages and skill levels that passion. When Rob and Sherry came to me with this idea I was all about it. I have been a licensed boat operator since I was 12 driving my family's various boats on lakes from Lorelei, Norris, Cumberland, Gaston, Norman and more.

I love working with people who are new to a sport and sharing my love of it with them to make them better. Another passion of mine is sharing safe boating operation's with anyone willing and wanting to learn. I am more than happy to talk you through towing and drooping a boat to how to trailer and dock a boat. I think its a beneficial skill all should learn.

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- Michelle

"As a kid the highlight of my summer was always the week I got to spend for family vacation down at the lake. From swimming, to tubing, to skiing and then wakeboarding, I fell in love with the water, the lake vibes and the stoke from the sports. Once I strapped in to a wakeboard for the first time at 14, I fell in love and never looked back. I spent 3 summers at Wake Nation Cincinnati teaching lessons and adored being able to share the stoke of water sports with so many people. I cannot wait to share my experience, love of wake and stoke for life with y’all. Much love and keep following your stoke."

 

- Dana

My watersports journey began when I was 4 years old. From a young age I was wakeboarding behind a boat and honing my skills. My style has always been to push the limits ad go big. When I turned 16, I entered the cable scene and my passion for wakeboarding only continued to grow. I am a dedicated and committed wakeboarder and I love showcasing my skills on the water.

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- Chase

Wakeboarding has always been synonymous with family. When I was growing up, I had the privilege of being in a family that owned a lake house, and so my summers were spent on the Ohio River with my siblings and cousins on the family boat. When we weren't racing our dirtbikes, we were out on the water slalom skiing, tubing, or wakeboarding. Most days I would end up being the driver since I was the oldest, but this ultimately led to me becoming confident in my coaching and towing abilities. 

As I've gotten older, my younger cousins are not-so-young anymore, and our river trips have turned into progression sessions where we feed off of each other's riding and push each other to improve. 

 

As I've gotten older I also have branched into cable riding, where I have met some incredible people who push me to be better both on an off the water. The overwhelming positivity and support in the wake community inspires me to give back and help introduce people to the sport. As your instructor, I will help you accomplish whatever goals you have in mind and become a more confident, stylish rider!

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- Mikey

Hello my name is James Happe, Just call me Happy!

Im an electromechanical engineer with a passion for action sports. I am in the process of using my engineering skills to build a large wake surf boat. I learned to surf on the breaks of Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet in Flordia over 20 years ago. Learning on a regular surfboard and then switching to a stand up paddle board. I enjoyed spending all day surfing the Atlantic swells whenever possible. I am a white water kayaker, kayaking all of the big East Coast Rivers such as New River gorge, and the Gully River. Ive been a snowboarder and snowboard Instructor at Perfect North for 15 seasons. I also enjoy riding out west. Ive been racing and riding mountain bikes in the greater Cincinnati area and other places all around the US. Other sports include; Kiteboarding, electric skateboarding, skateboarding, hang gliding, and many more. 

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I look forward to sharing the Stoke with you,

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James Happe

​Julia is 12 years old and is a 6th grader at freedom elementary.

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My love of boating and water sports comes from spending time with my family and friends at the lake. Weather it is tubing, wake boarding or surfing I'm in. Over the past two seasons I have got the opportunity to work with the Wake and Ride team and help out with lessons. I am very excited to be a real member of the team. So if you have kids that are just starting out I am ready to help them out and get the going. 

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When I an not on the boat you can normally find me on a softball field in the summer the ski slopes in the winter or hanging with  my two favorite puppies. Piccalo and Rosie. 

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Can't wait to see you this summer

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Julia

I'm an extreme sports athlete and a musician from Virginia Beach. I travel the country surfing and snowboarding out of my 1991 Chevy van, I run a band and a record label in my spare time. 

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My family introduced me to Norris Lake around 2015 when we moved from Virginia Beach to Knoxville. They purchased a floating house and taught me to surf behind a 2003 Ski Air Nautique with my Dad. I am currently a student at University of Tennessee studying business with a concentration in marketing.

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I joined the Wake and Ride team because i am excited and passionate about passing the handle to the next generation of riders. I will be a part of the Norris Lake crew this summer excited to share my passion for the lake and sports with all those who come out on the water with us.

-Alex

"With family roots tied to a north flowing river in northwest Ohio, I have known a life on water since birth. Growing into the unique townly title of a "River Rat." My family & I have descended three generations of watersports athletes men and women. Being a living and breathing product of this lifestlye I can guarantee the best assistance to anyone able & willing. If you think you can, I know you will; I have your back with clear and relatable tips to have you up & going. Excited to see you out there! It's unique and something everyone should experience."

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- Garret