Benoni’s king of the wake
Northmead resident Matti Buys has always stood out as a wakeskater with immense talent.
The former Rynfield Primary School and Benoni High School pupil has just returned from riding on the Wakeskate Tour, in the USA, for three months.
Buys did not waste any time on his return and won at the third and final stop of the Cable Association of South Africa’s (CASA) 2013 Cable Wake season, at Stoke City Wakepark, in Midrand, on September 14, before the nationals, in October.
Speaking of his achievement, Buys said: “It felt really good to be back at home and it was nice to ride with the local wakeskaters again.
“It is awesome to see that the level of wakeskating in South Africa is as good as it is.
“As a country we are definitely up there with the guys from Europe and Australia and we also have a couple of talented youngsters coming up, which is great for the sport.”
Buys started wakeboarding and wakeskating after meeting the Peach family at Rynfield Dam.
“I used to skateboard on the little half pipe at Rynfield Dam with my brother, and that is where I met the Peach family, who got me into the sport.”
He added that the wakeskating scene in Benoni is not as big as it once was.
“At one stage about 70 per cent of the country’s wakeskaters came from Benoni, but, unfortunately, a lot of them have moved on from the sport.
The five times national cable champion said he enjoyed his time in the USA and that taking part in the “Champions League of Wakeskating” was a big eye-opener for him, as he learned a lot from the professionals there.
“I made the main event on the last stop of the tour, which I was pretty happy about,” he added.
Buys, who recently completed his marketing degree at the Graduate Academy, plans to qualify for the Wakeskate Tour in the USA next year, and to take part in the Cable World Championships, in Norway, in 2014.
“For the remainder of this year I would like to finish strongly on the local cable tour and start off well on the boat tour, while learning some new tricks at the same time,” he said.
The country’s number one ranked wakeskater said that persistence is the key ingredient in becoming a wakeskater.
“If you work for something you will get it and having the right support from friends and family will help you get places,” he explained.
“I have been lucky to have met good people who have helped me with my career.”
