Wakesurfing vs. Wakeboarding

By: Hank Ahrenholz

Two summer activities that many people enjoy to do are wakeboarding and wakesurfing. These two uprising water-sports are becoming one of the main activities for people to do on the lake. Wakeboarding has been a water-sport for quite a while already. Wakesurfing is the fastest growing water-sport right now.

Wakesurfing is a fun activity for people of all ages. I doesn’t matter if you are tall, short, young, or old. The way boat companies have revolved around wakesurfing is amazing. They are making hulls on their boats specifically for wakesurfing. With a deep hull and new surf systems they are able to throw out huge wakes. Wakesurfing also takes some practice and patience but as soon as you get the hang of it and toss the rope is it is the best feeling ever. Being pushed by the water and being able to get air without a rope in your hands is awesome.

Wakeboarding is also a pretty fast growing sport, but it has a lot more risks than surfing. Wakeboarding also has a pretty specific age group. Like wakesurfing, wakeboarding has boats specifically made for wakeboarding. They have a pretty deep hull but are also long so the wake is steep with the curl a long ways back. There is a lot more tricks you are able to do on the wakeboard but it is not the same when you have a rope in your hand. One downside to wakeboarding is the pain. When you get big air, but land with the nose in the water you will feel pain for a few days. Wakeboarding has to be about 70 feet behind the boat and you have to be back that far to get the best part of the wake. When you are surfing you are around 10-15 feet behind the boat so you have no risks of getting hurt because you only go 11 mph.

Wakesurfing and wakeboarding also have a lot of similarities. One of these similarities is that they both involve boards just different sizes. Wakeboards are measured in centimeters and are anywhere from 140-170. Wakesurf boards are measured in inches and range from 46-60 depending on board type and the rider. The length and type of board is also similar because both boards vary depending on rider and the way you will use the board. Also, both boards have different types. Wakeboards have boards for riding park or behind a boat. Park boards are tough and don’t scratch. Boat boards are made specifically for water and wake riding. Surfboards also have types of boards. They have a surf style and skim style. Skim style boards are very thin, short, and have a tiny fin. They are like this so they can slide easy and do three sixties easier. Surf Style boards are long and thick. Surf style boards are mainly for airs and air three sixties.

One final difference between the two activities is where you can ride. This may seem like a point that everyone should know. When you are surfing you need to be in 15 plus feet of water so the wake has enough space to push up and get it to the max size. While with wakeboarding you have a much longer and not so tall wake that you are able to go in much shallow water. Also surfing you will need pretty calm water so your wave is not rough. When you wakeboard you can have a little bit choppy water but calm is always recommended.

Both the water sports are great activities to do in the summer and both are easy to get the hang of. With practice you will be able to do either one of these sports or others on the water.

Mastercraft

Persuasive Essay By: Hank Ahrenholz

Mastercraft is the best boat on the market. It’s top in style, luxury, and performance. Mastercrafts have all kinds of the newest technology in their boats. They put in every little detail in the interior and exterior. Mastercrafts are the highest selling boats on the market. They are the top manufacturer of wakeboard boats. Their boats are able to hold more than sixteen people and can still throw out an insane wake for wakesurfing and wakeboarding.

Mastercraft’s surf system is top of the line. It can throw out a steep, high wake for getting air and pop shuvits or a long, crisp wake for surf-style tricks. Malibu also has a surf  system but you do not have as many options as the Mastercraft surf tabs do. Mastercraft is the first company to come out with any kind of surf systems, and from then on they have had the best one. Other boat companies like Tige, Moomba, and Supra have also tried to come close to putting out a wake like a Mastercraft. Centurion is easily the second best surf system because they are able to fill the ballast in under a minute. Mastercraft will always have the best system because they have had a head start in the wakesurfing industry. Many professionals from around the world would prefer Mastercraft’s surf wake over any other boat in the industry.

There are many reasons I like Mastercraft over any other boat company. The style that they put in their boats is beyond any other boat company. They do keep their boats somewhat plain compared to other companies but the detail in the boats is amazing. They have clean paint jobs and luxurious interior. The interior that they put in their boats is also perfect. They have all the main things like perfectly colored stitching and also small things like the stereo, lights, and a unbelievable touchpad ballast screen. On this screen you can change the wake within a matter of seconds even when a rider is riding the wake.

The wakeboarding wake that Mastercrafts put out is unlike any other in it’s class. It throws out a steep wake with an insane amount of pop to give you plenty of time to throw any trick you can think of.

Mastercraft also has a top of the line ski boat that can put out the perfect wake. The Prostar has the wake that any skier could ever dream of. It will be perfect for barefooting, trick skiing, or slalom skiing. It can give you a perfect wake even with one person in the boat. The new technology makes it so you can add ballast to the other side to perfectly even out the boat.

Their boats have gone from ski boats, to wakeboarding boats, and even day yachts. Mastercraft even has a boat specifically made for cruising on huge lake or along the coasts of oceans. These boats are specifically made for a luxurious ride so that you can spend an entire day out on the water. They will put bathrooms and even a small living room on these boats.

I have gone over every kind of boat that Mastercraft has put on the market. They have many reasons that they are on top including surf system, wakeboard wake, skiing boat, and even day yachts for cruising around the Great Lakes. They have everything from the small details on the interior to a clean, sharp exterior. Mastercraft is sure to catch your eye when you see one driving on the lake. You will be able to enjoy your summer by owning one of the best selling boats on the entire market.

All Quiet on the Western Front

By: Hank Ahrenholz

In the book All Quiet on the Western Front,  the author has many main characters. This book is a war novel that is based on a real war but still uses made up characters and other made up details. She gives them all different characteristics and describes each one of them differently. The ways that the characters are throughout the book will change as the book goes on.

Paul is the main character and the narrator of the entire book. When you read through the book you will be looking at the war through the eyes of Paul Baumer. When Paul is first drafted into the war he thinks that the war will be fun and none of his friends or him will die. Paul thinks that the war will just be a fun time with his friends. Paul’s view of the war changes as the war goes on. He starts seeing more people dying and he starts to wonder why he even went there.

Paul becomes one of the most experienced in his group after many of them die or get sent home. He sees how young the fresh recruits are and starts to think that the Germans are losing the war. Paul goes through hard things like seeing his friends be blown up and having to kill people at point blank. Paul knows how the war works and knows what to do on the front but the young recruits are just being killed because they do not have any common sense. He goes through huge changes as he goes through the war, and comes home and goes back to the war. He goes through many changes physically and emotionally. He will notice that he has to become a totally different person.

Another main character is Kemmorik. He is the leader of the squad that Paul is in. He is a strong member of the squad because he has been in the war for a very long time. He has to tell the men that everything that they have learned will be forgotten. If they follow what they have learned they will probably be shot. If they listen to what their leader is saying they will have a good chance of surviving. Paul and Kemmorik both believe in chance. They say there is a chance that they be hit by a mortar but they will have to trust their luck. If they don’t believe in their luck they will not survive at the front.

Kemmorik also tells Paul and his squad that they will need to stay in the war and help each other out. He knows how the war works and how the enemies work. Kemmorik has to help Paul and his class make it through the war. Paul and Kemmorik will see how each man works and they strengths and weaknesses that each man has. He will have to encourage each man and tell them that the war will be over soon if all of them stay and fight.

This book is a good book because of what you can learn from the characters. They start as young recruits and have to learn how to do things that they have never seen before and also will show you how to overcome obstacles in your way through life. The plot of this story will always keep you into the story. Wherever you leave off you will always be wondering what happens next in the story. The plot also will keep you thinking what happened to him or what will happen next. The characters all have different characteristics and different ways of acting. Throughout the whole story you will see how these characters act. You can’t always predict what they characters will do in different situations. This book will keep your attention from the first cover to the back page.

Taking the Zephyr

“Toss me another clip! I’m out!”

“ I only have two shots left!”

“ Looks like we are going to have to fall back.”

“ No, we have our mission Bryce, eliminate the threat and return with the Zephyr!”

I’m Bryce Larkin, undercover CIA agent. I live in Los Angeles, California and have been in the CIA since I knew how to hold a gun. My team and I are stationed here because we have intel showing the Zephyr is in the city. The Zephyr is a small device that holds the United States nuclear launch codes. If that device gets in the hands of the wrong people they will have the power to wipe out the world with one button. Our mission is to take back the Zephyr before the terrorist get the idea to end the world. The General of the CIA is the one who always gives us our orders.

We were just given orders that the cell of terrorist was meeting at the LA City Docks. Our mission is to plant chips around them and even on them so we can hear and track them at all times. My partner and I are going to be undercover as the dock maintenance crew. We are going to be cleaning the yacht that they are meeting on. The only risk is that they take off while we are on the boat and we become compromised.

“Okay, I’m going to plant chips around them while you search for any intel that could be useful.” I am going to be cleaning the ship windows trying to get all the chips planted. I get the chips and start cleaning the windows in the same room they are in. They give me some strange looks but  just keep talking. As I walked past the table I bump into one of the men. As I did that I stuck a chip on one of the men. That should be the only one that I have to plant on the men. I continue cleaning and stick a few more around the room.

“ Hey, what are you doing back there!!” yelled one of the men.

The men get up and come to look for me. As soon as I hear them coming, I ditch out of the window onto the docks and run to the truck.

“ Casey, I’m back at the truck. We may have been compromised. Get out of there!”

“ Okay, I’m on my way but I’m not sure where they are.”

Casey comes storming into the truck and yells at me to get going. I slam on the gas and get out of there. I am hoping that the chips will lead us closer to the Zephyr. Casey and I get back to the house and immediately get a call from the general.

“ Good work men, we were able to get some more information about the Zephyr. We think that it is in a warehouse, but it is heavily guarded by men. Your mission is to infiltrate the warehouse and take back the Zephyr.”

As soon as we get that message we prepare our guns. We grab everything we have. We pile our gear in the truck and make our way to the coordinates for the warehouse.  We arrive at the warehouse and we hop out of the truck.

“What’s the plan Bryce?”

“We break in there, take out anyone in our way, and take back the Zephyr.”

As soon as we turn the corner, we have the warehouse in sight. Right away I see two big men with heavy machine guns. We want to take these guys out quietly. Casey and I split up and go around the warehouse so we can hit these guys quick from the side. We both take the guys out quickly and quietly. We see three more guys in the warehouse loading nuclear warfare into a crate. Next to it I also spot the Zephyr. They spot us and before we know it we are dropping down, hiding from their bullets coming at our heads. We start shooting back at them but are quickly running out of ammo. We break into the warehouse and take down 2 of the 5 guys. They start shooting at us and we take cover. After a while we start to run out of ammo.

“ Toss me another clip! I’m out!”

“ I only have two shots left!”

“ Looks like we are going to have to fall back.”

“ No we have our mission Bryce, eliminate the threat and return with the Zephyr!”

At this point I knew what I had to do. I needed to go in and take out the men with stealth. We tossed smoke, put on thermal goggles, and took out the remaining people. We were able to retrieve the Zephyr and place it in safe hands. The general was very pleased with us, but immediately gave us new orders.

Mission completed.

Summer Lake Days

Summer Lake Days

Whenever I see the lake

It was a warm summer day

Where boats are driving

Back and forth Back and forth

and waves are crashing in

But that is not my story

We get up to the shining sun and ski

the lake is empty and we are lowering the boat

and we make the perfectly wavy lake beautiful

Cold Supper

Cold Supper

Supper is not poisoned peanuts or fat cats

It is not a lazy potato. This supper would 

CRASH

But it is frozen carbon tater tots 

         and chilled twilight dogs

with a hint of peppered

         half - shaven superheroes