I am now in my fourth year of working in the wakeboard industry as an event organizer/promoter and so far…it has been a pretty fun ride. After 20+ years of wearing a suit and tie working in the corporate world, it has been quite a change of pace. I can honestly say that the most rewarding part of working in this industry is the people. Business owners, dealers, industry reps, other event promoters, water sports enthusiasts and of course…the riders! Like in any industry, there are always going to be a few deadbeats, but for the most part…I have made some great friends and have had the privilege of working with some awesome individuals. One of those is a rider named JD Webb.
My daughter Nicky came to me a few weeks ago and she was extremely upset. Her boyfriends niece, Trinity Bright, had been diagnosed with an in-operable form of brain cancer…Trinity is 6 years old. Nicky absolutely loves kids and the news of Trinity’s illness has really hit her hard. She asked me if there was anything we could do with the Texas Wakeboard Tour to help raise some money for Trinity’s medical bills. Of course I told her that I would do anything she wanted to. She started by ordering up 500 pink silicone bracelets with Trinity’s name on them to sell at events. Nicky paid for the bracelets with her own money. Then we decided we could also get something cool to raffle off at the upcoming TWT events.
Last Friday night, the Texas Wakeboard Tour went to Lubbock, Texas for the Riptank Rail Jam – Jam at the Garden…our 3rd event of the 2007 series. We already had most of the top riders in the region signed up to compete and at the last minute I got word that Hyperlite, an event sponsor, was going to send JD Webb out to represent. I was psyched that JD was coming because he always kills it on the rails and has always seemed like a stand-up guy when I had met him before. My daughter Nicky handles the rider registration portion of the events so she used that has her first opportunity to sell some bracelets and/or raffle tickets and get her fundraiser for Trinity rolling. Most all of the riders threw down five bucks for a raffle ticket and a Trinity bracelet…JD Webb bought two. West Texas Skydiving donated a $250 video taped skydiving session for the raffle. We promoted it throughout the event, at times offering different sponsor swag as incentive for bigger donations.
The rail jam was awesome…great crowd…great live music…great riding. There was just a great overall vibe and it was arguably one of the most fun events we have organized to date. JD made it to the finals and had all but won the contest before Gabe Lucas snatched away the win on his final run. We did the awards ceremony on the main stage between bands and JD got a check for $500 for finishing in second place. He hit the stage in front of a cheering crowd to accept his oversized-check and pose for the cameras, and then he did something none of us expected…he turned around and donated his winnings to Trinity Bright. By the time I was done on stage and went to find my daughter, she had already gotten word about JD’s generosity and was searching for him…with tears in her eyes…to thank him personally. She was not the only one. As I followed JD through the crowd on our way to see Nicky, there were a lot of people who just wanted to shake his hand and thank him for what he had done. It must have felt good to give back, because JD had a smile on his face from ear-to-ear. He was already a crowd favorite…JD Webb…the Pro Wakeboarder who traveled to Lubbock to put on a show for the fans. Now he was even more…now he was also JD Webb – One Class Act!
To find out more about Trinity Bright go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/trinitybright
If you are interested in helping the Texas Wakeboard Tour help Trinity and her family, you can send a tax deductible donation to:
Trinity Bright
c/o Texas Wakeboard Tour
6212 Ken Avenue
Arlington, TX 76001
