wydopen
onthepipe
- Location
- Goleta the Goodland
300/440/550 Larry Rippenkroger Interview...
- Thread starter wydopen
- Start date
- Location
- Brigantine, NJ
Dude......Great piece! I remember watching racing and freestyle every weekend on espn.....those were great times for Jetskiing.
The clothing cracks me up, and I wish I could say I wasn't wearing the same crap back then, but....
Other riders were smoother, but Ripper always charged it as hard as possible and rode 110%.
The clothing cracks me up, and I wish I could say I wasn't wearing the same crap back then, but....
Other riders were smoother, but Ripper always charged it as hard as possible and rode 110%.
wydopen
onthepipe
- Location
- Goleta the Goodland
wish i was around back then to see it first hand...
i caught a few glimpses in the early 90's when i was little when they had a few races here locally...20 mod 550s doing battle....i remember thinking it was sooooo cool....and it was
i caught a few glimpses in the early 90's when i was little when they had a few races here locally...20 mod 550s doing battle....i remember thinking it was sooooo cool....and it was
chadetroit
Get Wet
- Location
- Bay Area, CA
Very cool, The Ripper was the man to look up to in the early days. Back when Splash magazine was the "it" jet ski magazine. He charged freestyle very hard and always brought the energy in his routines. Wish the sport still received espn coverage like those days, really helped expand the sport IMHO
swapmeet
Brotastic
- Location
- Arlington TX
Very cool story. I can't imagine 'charging' and '440' in the same sentence but I guess that was the most advanced concept at the time.
Major respect for the pioneers performing at that level.
And cumulative points for freestlye and racing??? I wonder how that would go over today. Make people do it on the same ski haha.
Thanks for sharing.
Major respect for the pioneers performing at that level.
And cumulative points for freestlye and racing??? I wonder how that would go over today. Make people do it on the same ski haha.
Thanks for sharing.
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- Location
- Pueblo, CO
I had the honor and privilege of taking a one-day racing lesson from Larry when I first started racing. It was the day before my first race ever... I was a ripe 15 yrs old. 1990... Denver, Cherry Creek Reservoir, bone stock 550SX. He was going around the country to local races and offering a racing school, then doing an exhibition at the race the next day.
Absolutely starstruck that weekend! And he was the coolest, down-to earth guy you could ever meet. Some of the racing advice I got that day stuck with me throughout my racing career... Just thought I would share. Amazing how far he has gone, great guy, dare I say "The King"... no, no, "The Emperor of the Jet Ski world"!!! :biggrin:
Absolutely starstruck that weekend! And he was the coolest, down-to earth guy you could ever meet. Some of the racing advice I got that day stuck with me throughout my racing career... Just thought I would share. Amazing how far he has gone, great guy, dare I say "The King"... no, no, "The Emperor of the Jet Ski world"!!! :biggrin:
Flash-FX
No Square..No Round..FX-1
- Location
- South Jersey Shore
Andrew, Killer job on the interview! Larry was always up ahead of the pack then....(the good old days). A AMAZING rider!!
Sorry for the delay, but here are a couple of pix from the World Finals. Larry had retired from the racing then, but still had mad skills for the freestyle event.
Sorry for the delay, but here are a couple of pix from the World Finals. Larry had retired from the racing then, but still had mad skills for the freestyle event.
wydopen
onthepipe
- Location
- Goleta the Goodland
awesome pics!! miss those paintjobs!!
Andrew, Killer job on the interview! Larry was always up ahead of the pack then....(the good old days). A AMAZING rider!!
Sorry for the delay, but here are a couple of pix from the World Finals. Larry had retired from the racing then, but still had mad skills for the freestyle event.
wydopen
onthepipe
- Location
- Goleta the Goodland
If you guys haven't already, please "subscribe" to Watercraft Performance. This is the magazines first month and we need your guys support...there will be allot more of this in the coming months..i have some really cool stuff that I'm working on right now, I think everybody will enjoy it...It's free and is updated every day..with your subscription you get an email weekly with links to the stories, no spam..you can also just go to the site but by subscribing it will help get some more advertisers on board so we can keep bringing you guys stuff like this..
Also please feel free to leave comments on the articles or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WatercraftPerformance?fref=ts) so the editor can get some feedback on what type of articles you guys want to see..he is already committed to bringing lots of standup content but it's nice to show him that people like what they see..
Also please feel free to leave comments on the articles or on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WatercraftPerformance?fref=ts) so the editor can get some feedback on what type of articles you guys want to see..he is already committed to bringing lots of standup content but it's nice to show him that people like what they see..
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Aquaholic
World's Oldest Teenager
- Location
- San Diego, CA.
Inspiration
WOW! Thanks for posting this.
Larry was the main reason I got into freestyle. His ability to do otherwordly things on a jet ski is what inspired me to become a freestylist.
Each year, I would be "fizzy at the bung" with anticipation, as the national tour would roll into San Diego. That was really the only opportunity I had to see a freestyle routine performed live. It would be a few more years before I attended a World Final event. This was before digital cameras and video, and internet. So, I had to pay close attention and try to burn into memory, the tricks that were unfolding before my eyes. There was no internet back then, so I had to rely on my memory to pick up on any new tricks that i saw Larry pull off.
Some of his log roll stuff and BIG inverted nose stabs were absolutely stunning! Poetry and power in motion. Just fluid and flawless in execution. And, no dead time. No wasted passes. When he would finish his routine riding two skis at once...the crowd would go nuts!
The only other times I could catch a glimpse of Larry would be when they televised the Budweiser national tour, or World Finals on ESPN. The coverage was mostly racing, but they would show a few minutes worth of a montage, of 3 or 4 rider's. That was really my only opportunity to pickup any new tricks.
Bobby Biggs and me, were sponsored for a brief time by Larry, when he started marketing aftermarket ski parts. "Ripper Racing". Anybody remember Gator Grip?
Speaking of Bobby,If you have the opportunity to watch Bobby Biggs, aka Rodney SJ, ride... he is probably the closest guy, who still performs many of Larry's best tricks!
WOW! Thanks for posting this.
Larry was the main reason I got into freestyle. His ability to do otherwordly things on a jet ski is what inspired me to become a freestylist.
Each year, I would be "fizzy at the bung" with anticipation, as the national tour would roll into San Diego. That was really the only opportunity I had to see a freestyle routine performed live. It would be a few more years before I attended a World Final event. This was before digital cameras and video, and internet. So, I had to pay close attention and try to burn into memory, the tricks that were unfolding before my eyes. There was no internet back then, so I had to rely on my memory to pick up on any new tricks that i saw Larry pull off.
Some of his log roll stuff and BIG inverted nose stabs were absolutely stunning! Poetry and power in motion. Just fluid and flawless in execution. And, no dead time. No wasted passes. When he would finish his routine riding two skis at once...the crowd would go nuts!
The only other times I could catch a glimpse of Larry would be when they televised the Budweiser national tour, or World Finals on ESPN. The coverage was mostly racing, but they would show a few minutes worth of a montage, of 3 or 4 rider's. That was really my only opportunity to pickup any new tricks.
Bobby Biggs and me, were sponsored for a brief time by Larry, when he started marketing aftermarket ski parts. "Ripper Racing". Anybody remember Gator Grip?
Speaking of Bobby,If you have the opportunity to watch Bobby Biggs, aka Rodney SJ, ride... he is probably the closest guy, who still performs many of Larry's best tricks!
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swapmeet
Brotastic
- Location
- Arlington TX
wydopen... do we just sign up for the news letter?
I looked around and didn't see a place to 'subscribe' specifically.
I looked around and didn't see a place to 'subscribe' specifically.
wydopen
onthepipe
- Location
- Goleta the Goodland
yea sorry i should have been more clear...
there is a place on the right side of the homepage under the social media links where you can enter your email for the newsletter/subscription..
we have a couple things coming out involving guys from this site and some stories with more of the biggest names in jetskiing..seriously a couple of them are going to be awesome..im surprised these guys even gave me the time of day let alone take the time to help me put something like this together.
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- Location
- the jetski grave yard
larrys old shop is just down the street and around the corner from me. he sold the business to mario lesina , then to nick bunanno. it was 3 day parts/ gator grip/ carbon tech. i bought the stores remaining inventory some years back. i still have a few pairs of those blue ripper racing water shoes in size 13, if anybody wants to honor larry and roll the old style.
cattledog
EH TEAM RACING
- Location
- toronto canada
nice writeup i like this one also http://watercraftperformance.com/2013/02/07/ross-champion-a-salute-to-those-who-came-before/
227
Its all about the surf!
- Location
- Oceanside, CA
I am probably one of the few fortunate enough to live through the evolution of the sport. I attended my first World Finals in either 84 or 85 and haven't missed a WF since. I have great memories of the early days, they were good times. I've never been into team sports so the all the watercraft pros were my hero's back then. I don't know Larry personally but I ran into him once back in 1995 at the back lagoon at Canyon Lake out in Riverside. We were all racers back then and used to practice racing there. Larry was working with the guy who designed the power ski, I can't remember his name. (The Powerski is a motorized surfboard) They were filming a promotion vid that was suppose to portray the Powerski as the future of jet skiing, a kinda out with the old (the Jet ski) and in with new (the Power ski) theme. The Jet ski they had had some problems so they asked if they could use my ski for the shoot. Larry was professional for the shoot, acting out of control and falling off the Jet ski when the Power skis rode by but in between takes he ripped on my ski (A 94 Kawi 750sx) like no other! During the shoot, it was pretty clear that he enjoyed my jet ski more than the Powerski. I got a real kick out of that! Good times, good memories! Great write up Andrew, Thanks!
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