As a two-time world champion and pioneer of wakeskating, Brian Grubb is considered to be one of the most influential people within the wakeskating sport community, while boasting tens of thousands of followers on social media. Brian is also a Malibu Boats ambassador and we were grateful to chat with him about his relationship with the water.
Growing up, Brian developed a love for aviation which he credits to his father, a career pilot. He's retained that passion for flying into adulthood and today, he channels it into the emerging sport of wakefoiling. "I've always loved flying and always thought it was so cool, and foiling is basically flying on water," Brian said.
If you're unfamiliar with it, wakefoiling is a relatively new water sport combining wakeboarding, surfing, and hydrofoiling. Participants ride on a special foil board equipped with a hydrofoil below it.
The hydrofoil element consists of a mast or stem that extends between two and three feet below the board and ends with a pair of hydrodynamic fins - or wings - that create lift, which causes the board to rise out of the water.
Riders experience a sensation that is similar to flying above the water.
It's also possible to enjoy foiling even on completely flat water, as Brian and his group of foiling friends do at least twice a year. The board is propelled forward by the rider using their legs to 'pump' the board up and down in the water which generates lift and thus the forward movement.
For most of his life, Brian has constantly sought to push the boundaries of his chosen sports. "I've always kinda just figured out what the boundary is, and then I want to go a little bit past that," he explained. "Even as a kid, growing up, I think life is just about learning different skills and everything kind of builds on itself."
He emphasized the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded people who are prepared to push you to be better at your craft. "I love spending time with my foiling group; it's the best friend group and they're just super motivated. You never want to be the first one to quit around these guys. You just send it all day non-stop and everyone just feeds off each other. We get together a couple of times a year and just foil our heads off."
"You have to have failure to have success in life," Brian explained. "Just like anything in life, there has to be the yin and the yang; the good and the bad. You have to fail to get better. When I fail at something, I want to get right back on the horse and try it again or figure out why I failed. If you can get past being scared or embarrassed or some of that stuff, you might actually end up enjoying a lot of these things that maybe scare you when you first think about it."
"My Truth is just to never say no. I never want to turn down an opportunity and look back and think, man, I should have done that. We're just chasing these small moments in time where you can just totally shut your brain off and you're just reacting to the situation that you're putting yourself in."
- Brian Grubb // Malibu Pro Athlete
