Wakeboarder Isaac Herrera and The Quarry Cable Park and Grille

Have you ever been to a wakeboard park? I never had … in fact, I wasn’t really even aware of this gem in my own backyard.

The Quarry Cable Park and Grille, 5517 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake, is one of the few cable wake parks in our state and has stirred up quite a bit of interest in the sport.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I interviewed 18-year-old Isaac Herrera for our local paper. He had earned a spot to compete for The Quarry in the World Wake Association Wake Park National Championship in Waco, Texas.

The Quarry opened only a year ago, so the German-engineered, full-size cable system has seen novices grow into competitive riders in a relatively short amount of time.

Herrera is one of them. He said that the skills he already possessed as an experienced snowboarder were easily transferable to wakeboarding, which made riding the waves an excellent offseason alternative.

Little did he know that after trying cable wakeboarding last year at a friend’s suggestion he eventually would go on to work for The Quarry, practice fiercely and compete even more intensely.

His dedication paid off and this weekend, after placing in the top three positions over three local competitions, Herrera will have an opportunity to showcase his tricks at the national level.

While he said he is excited just to be able to go to Texas, he also said that he was thrilled to see his friends and teammates compete as well as watch The Quarry professional Timmy Burnier complete his runs as well.

Quarry co-owner Pat McGinnis said he has seen a marked improvement in Herrera’s riding skills over the last year, and insisted Herrera and the rest of the team going to the National Championships were dedicated workers and riders of whom he was extremely proud.

I was able to capture Herrera showing off some serious skills on the water last week. He made the tricks look effortless, but the clean execution belied the grit and athleticism required to land the maneuvers.

Besides his wakeboarding acumen, Herrera was a genuinely humble young man who deflected attention from himself and praised everyone who supported him and encouraged him.

Here is a link to The Woodstock Independent article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2g9VzzTGAY8amhXTVVfcnk4cmc/view?usp=sharing

Good luck, Isaac!