16-year-old Becca Stuck isn’t like most other North Carolina teens her age. While most look forward to spending their summer vacation sleeping in and hanging out with their friends, Becca has a much more ambitious dream. That dream is to wakeboard on one waterway in all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska, in just 21 days!
Becca is newer to the sport of wakeboarding having only been on a board for around three years. She says at first it was an excuse for her to get out of the house and get out on the lake but shortly after she fell in love with everything about it. “When you get up, it’s like you are floating on top of water. It’s hard to explain how it feels,” she shares.
This is where “Wakeboard America 2016” was born. Becca has already mapped her entire trip out, which will begin on July 9th at Lake Norman, North Carolina and close to a wrap on July 30th. To make sure she meets her time deadline, she says she has to make it to approximately three states per day. Her parents Robert and Barbara Stuck are on board 100% and can’t wait to join her on her adventure.
“I’m going to try to do 30 to 45 minutes in each lake. I just want to stand up and maybe try to do a few tricks. I’m still a beginner but that’s okay. I’m so ready to be able to do this. For the adventure, it’s going to be a lot of work and driving but I think it will be worth it,” she said.
To make this trip even better, Becca applied to the Guinness Book of World Records with the hopes of setting a new record and shortly after, her application was accepted and she’s just working through the details on documenting this for Guinness. “A lot of people have done things like this in six months or a year, but they do it with wakeboard companies or a group,” Becca said. “We haven’t found any record of anyone doing it like this.”
Her wakeboarding trip across the U.S will also raise awareness for Wake The World, a fantastic nonprofit organization of boat owners who provide water sport opportunities to abandoned, abused and neglected children as well as the handicapped and wounded warriors. “I have been going to the lake ever since I can remember. I can’t imagine never being able to go to the lake,” Becca said. “This allows Wakeboard America 2016 to bring awareness to Wake The World to help bring these opportunities to those who are not as fortunate as I have been.”
She has also secured a sponsor, Hyperlite Wakeboard Company, which donated wakeboard equipment for her trip. While that is very appreciated by the family, they are also hoping to get more sponsors along the way to support meals, hotels, fuel, food, airfare to Alaska and Hawaii and other expenses associated with the trip. “We are looking for a title sponsor or an associate sponsor. We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback,” her father Robert said. “We still have time left. This is a great opportunity for somebody to get involved. There would be a lot of benefits for someone who could come in as a title sponsor.”
To donate to Becca’s cause, please visit HERE. If you’d like to keep up to date with her progress as she sets out on July 9th, check out her Facebook page for Wakeboard America 2016. You can also visit HERE for blog posts and follow wakeamerica16 on Instagram.
