Let me clarify one thing about this photo. Yes, if you must ask, my tongue sticking out of my mouth was absolutely necessary to remain balanced. It’s a little trick the pros at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour taught me while I was out learning to wakeboard at the Sparks Marina.

And here’s why: The precarious balance of your board on the water is so sensitive that even the smallest, almost trivial amount of weight will throw your body back into equilibrium, thus allowing you to hit multiple aerial jumps without breaking a sweat.

It’s pure physics.

You want the truth now? OK, so no one really taught me that. That was really just my injured ego trying to justify me looking like a dog with my head out the window. And although I snowboard (or make my best attempts to, funds willing), I have never been able to grasp the technique of wakeboarding.

My only previous wakeboarding experience had been with a group of boys who were not patient coaches at all, early-June cold Lake Tahoe water and a bathing suit top that refused to stay on every time I fell. Which reminds me ladies, my most important tip would be to wear a bathing suit that at least has straps. Unless you want to show off those tan lines, in which case, be my guest.

But naturally, when I headed out to meet up with some of the nation’s leading professional wakeboarders, I was a little hesitant. The last thing I wanted was to fall face first in the water as a photographer, that my editor insisted on having to take my photo, captured it all, to haunt me for the rest of my days. Thanks by the way, Nathan and just remember what I said about ending up on the bottom of the Marina.

And just as I was expecting the worse and plotting to maim my editor, I was surprisingly proven wrong.

Not only were all of the professionals patient with me but they were also very generous and encouraging. Nicola Butler, who is currently undefeated in the tour and could possible make history by winning this weekend’s tournament, let me borrow her board like it was a pen.

Everyone who went out with me on the boat and all the athletes that were watching on the shoreline cheered me on, as I was given individual step-by-step instructions by pro wakeboarder, Jimmy Trask. And while I may have fallen more times than I would like to admit, I did manage to get up and ride for a couple of seconds— significant progress from the last time I wakeboarded.

So you see, I may have looked like an idiot with my tongue hanging out but at least I learned a few things out on the water that day.

And hey, my top was still on too. Kudos to me.