“SHRED IT BROOOOO!”
Nathan Williams (theshrediitbro) posted a video of him screaming those exact words, reading the logo of a passing Shred-it truck on YouTube.
The video has gone viral, with over 1.3 million views on YouTube, and several of those views, undoubtedly, have come from the Mississippi State University Wake Club.
“It’s kind of become our thing. It doesn’t matter if someone falls or hits a sick flip, we just tell them to ‘Shred it bro!'” said MSU Wake Club President Doc Branscome, a senior building and construction science major.
Branscome has been a member of the MSU Wake club here on campus since he was a freshman, but for the past two years, COVID-19 has riddled the team in terms of membership, participation and even events to compete in.
All of that changed, however, when earlier this year, the MSU Wake Club was able to compete in their first complete tournament in years.
On Oct. 9, the team competed in the Red Bull Wake Rivals wakeboard tournament in Orlando, Florida, at the Orlando Watersports Complex.
In this particular tournament, skiers and boarders are pulled from obstacle to obstacle via a system of cables, making it easier not only on the boarders and skiers themselves, but also the water around them.
“Everything you do is slowed down because the cable sits so far above your head, even your landing is a little bit softer,” said MSU Wake Club Treasurer Graydon McCool, a junior business management major.
This opens up the door for the boarders to really max out their arsenal of skills in competitions such as a long jump, tricks and many more.
The team performed well in their first event together. For the club’s executive board, however, this tournament was much more. It was the culmination of hours upon hours of hard work, long nights and perseverance.
“We had the team together, but we weren’t able to actually do anything for about two years … we would meet up and go out occasionally but it wasn’t as organized or official,” said MSU Wake Secretary Alyssa Bangit, a junior education leadership and communication major.
“It was more like a friend group, and now, two years later, it’s starting to look more like a team,” Branscome said.
Now that the team is together and competing again, there are several tournaments this year that fans will likely be able to see the Bulldogs compete in, from Valdosta, Georgia, all the way to Waco, Texas, in November.
These are all due to the amount of work put into the program by the executive board itself, along with the perseverance of the members towards making sure that this team stays together, no matter the challenge. Branscome spoke to the Reflector about what his goals are as president before he leaves the team.
“The exit goal is when we’re done, I want someone to step in and do better, like have a better chance to do an even better job than we did … because I’ve had a great time, and we started with not a lot, and I think if we give them a leg up maybe the next board will be better than we were … but as of now, I just want to do as much as we can, go out and ride all the time and bring a crowd,” Branscome said.
If anyone is interested in joining the MSU Wake Club, it is about as simple of a process as one can hope for. No riding experience is required, and they are easily found on Cowbell Connect. Dues are $60, and for the amount of travel that encompasses, some would say that’s a bargain.
The wake team can be found on Instagram at @msuwakedawgs. Feel free to message them if you are interested in “shredding it” with the MSU Wake Club.
