MWM - Fox Lake

Name: Mark Michelini

Age: One Year older than last year

Nickname: Prickalini

Male/Female:  Little of both

Location:  Ottawa, IL and various other parts of Il

Body of Water: Any one that is wet

Occupation:  Sales Manager - Riverview Marine/Chicago Mastercraft

Years Riding: 8

Stance: Goofy

Board/Bindings: Whatever "Demo" board I grab from the shop

Pimpin Vehicle:  1999 Ford Expedition

Boat: Whatever one I am demo-ing until I sell it

Best Trick: Getting Reckless on huge Triple Ups

Riding my 50 through the house.

Hobbies:  Boating, Wakeboarding, Snowboarding, Vodka

Music: RAP 

Favorite Band:  Spicy Thai, Fitty Cent 

Bio: My primary interest used to be just to ride and better myself at wakeboarding, but after a couple seasons of gaining winter weight, my primary goal is to sell boats, promote the Militia and the sport in general and still ride as much as possible.   

MWM - Ottawa Crew

Name: Tim Damron

Age: 31

Nickname: Too many to list?

Male/Female: Male

Location:  Ottawa, IL

Body of water: Illinois River in Ottawa, IL

Occupation:  MIS Manager

Years Riding: 7 or so. Haven't improved for about 4

Stance: Regular

Board/Bindings: 04 Hyperlite Temet 138 w/ 03 Highback Bindings

Pimpin Vehicle:  1999 Olds Bravada

Boat: 2005 Mastercraft X-2

Best Trick: Roll 2 Revert 2 torn ACL and Meniscus

Hobbies: Boating, Wakeboarding, Playing with my daughter, some beer, Snowboarding

Music: Punk, Metal

Favorite Band(s): Offspring, Pennywise

Bio: I raced Motocross for 9 years, finally after too many injuries I quit in 1997 and needed a new hobby, so I took up wakeboarding. I learned behind my 1994 Bayliner Outboard. We would fill up blue storage tubs for more weight and me and my friends would board all day with my old O'brien Buzz I bought from MC Sports for 199$. Things progressed from there and me and my wife Michelle bought the Moomba in 2000. I thought that would make me better but I'm still pretty much a spode.  I have become addicted to wakeboarding though and now  I'm trying to help the Midwest Militia promote the sport in anyway I can throughout Illinois and the Midwest. I would also like the mullet to come back in style. I rent out my mullet wig for 20$ per hour.  My goal is to ride a whole season without something stupid happening like busting my ear drum, breaking my rib, or tweaking the hell outta my knee.

MWM - 219er

Name: Neil Wahlberg    
Age:  26                       
Nickname:  NEO, NAW
Male/Female: male       
Location: Cedar Lake/Crown Point, Indiana
Body of Water you Ride:  Anywhere in the Midwest!
Occupation:  Marketing/Sales
Years Riding:  5
Board/Bindings:  GB Ricky G, LF Ultra Suc’s
Pimpin Vehicle:  ’01 Yukon        
Boat:  ’04 Supra
Best Trick:  Gotta spin to win
Hobbies:  Disc Golf and amateur porn     
Music:  You play it, I’ll listen
Favorite Band:  The Funky Bunch
Bio:  Join the Militia and support wakeboarding in the Midwest!

MWM - Ottawa Crew

Name:  David Baxter
Age: 30

Nickname:  Cookie, Cook

Male/Female:  Male
Location:  at work
Body of Water you Ride:  Illinois River, Silver Lake

Occupation:   MIS, Daddy to Zander.
Years Riding:    long time
Stance: Regular or goofy?   regular but it probably looks goofy

Board/Bindings:  LF trip 143 with Hyperlite Splits

Pimpin Vehicle:  Big Bad Cherokee, borrow wives minivan for trips for 12 to the Slipper
Boat:   99 response lx

Best Trick:   jumping on a trampoline and smashing a beer can under it
Hobbies: Boards, Boats,  Babes, Beer and Boobs
Music: not Tims
Favorite Band: FM
Bio:  I started skiing around the age of  10.  Skied on the "Illinois River Skiers" show team for quite a while.    Skiied on the "University of Illinois Ski Team".   I hold the U of I jump record.  Official Boat driver of the Midwest Militia.  My brothers may wakeboard better than me but I can beat them at barefooting any day.  

MWM - Lake Holiday Local
Name:  Greg Wasson
Age:  Just turned the big 3-0.
Nickname:  G-DUB
Male/Female:  99% Male, I have been known to cry when watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition
Location:  Somonauk, IL
Body of Water:  When its warm, Lake Holiday and the
Illinois.  When its cold, Lake Minihaha and Minneola.
Occupation:  Sandwich Artist
Years riding:  About 5, even though it looks like my
2nd time up.
Stance:  Regular, one hole in.
Board:  Hyperlite Premier with the new Murray
bindings.  I know, I'm a Hyperlite Whore.
Vehicle:  2000 Ford Excursion
Boat:  2003 Wakesetter VLX.  It's an 03, but I keep it
clean!
Best Trick:  Tantrum – I went and learned it this year pretty much just to make that gimpy mo fo Tim really feel like a loser.
Hobbies:  Wakeboarding, snowboarding, mountain biking,and playing with the kids.  I've coached soccer andt-ball.  The more kids you have, the less hobbies you have.
Music:  I like anything but country.  My IPOD goes
from Dre and Snoop to Jack Johnson and Rage to GNR.
Bio:  I grew up on Lake Holiday skiing and my first
board was an Obrien Shredder with Sandal Bindings.  I
took some time off when our boat decided to blow up.
A couple years ago we bought an older Supra, when werealized that boat would never keep up with our rapid progression, we bought the Malibu.  Now its a race home after work to ride until sunset.  Now I just work as little as possible, so I can play as much as possible.  Unfortunately work seems to be winning.

MWM -  Kankakee River

Name:  Curt Trizzino
Age:  23
Nickname:  ba duh ba, buh, bubonics, q-bonix, q-bonix nononix momonica, anything that you can say without opening your mouth
Male/Female:  male but do get questioned when I try on womens jeans
Location:  Parts Unknown

Body of Water you Ride:  Team Kankakee where the river runs brown and the pole gets dirty from girls dancing on it (the stripper pole)
Occupation:  Marketing
Years Riding:  Hit my head too many times to remember
Board/Bindings:  whatever has not broken on me yet or whatever Lickaweinie decides to put on my feet
Pimpin Vehicle:  dont ask experience it. champaigne explorer w/ the system that makes the pavement crack, it also doubles as a massager
Boat:  spirit of 76, Doug Danger.  76 Mastercraft stars and stripes  The exhaust leak was an extra option

Best Trick:  Driving a golf ball 300yds over the Kankakee River while my Dad yells at me for something
Hobbies:  Aside from wakeboarding I enjoy selling shoes and stuff to ladies…. Golfing, Building 45 degree kickers and getting chicks to dance on a portable stripper pole
Music: You name it
Favorite Band: Headlock and Liza Manelli
Bio: I started chillin’ with the Militia when I showed Michalini how to build a real kicker, instead of pussin’ out I made sure we built something that would make the hairs on the back of yer neck stand up  (go watch my video) ba dah buh.  I like talkin’ with my mouth closed and like I’m from New York or sumthin’ so I get more young chicks, I like wearing womens’ jeans and tight shirts because it makes me look and feel really sexy.  When I am not traveling with my portable stripper pole, golfing, studying, or selling ladies stuff at Marshall Fields, I like to do a little wakeboarding now and again.  Did I mention I look really sexy in womens jeans?

Militia Chica

Name:   Jackie Bessert    
Age: 27

Nickname: Jacko Jacks Jackleg

Male/Female: Female last time I checked
Location: Aurora, IL
Body of Water you Ride: Ottawa, Morris

Occupation: I run the Gravitron for Windy City Amusements and headbang all night to Ozzy and Metallica.  When I'm not on tour I work the Demon Nacho at Great America.
Years Riding: 4
Stance: Regular or goofy? Regular, I take my Metamucil thank you!

Board/Bindings: 2003 Hyperlite Essence with the "mini" Hyperlite Split bindings

Pimpin Vehicle: 1997 Caddy Catera, soon to be a White Jeep Wrangler so Taylor and I can cruise around and fufill our Cher & Dionne Clueless fantasy
Boat: Tough pick but everyone loves me so I don't have a problem getting rides

Best Trick:  Well my goal this year was to land a back roll or tantrum which I didn't even attempt so just chillin with the ollie 180's will have to do for now.
Hobbies:  Meeting new people, inventing new martini flavors, perfecting my killer dance moves by idolizing strippers, wakeboarding, working out, and drinking lots and lots of BEER. 
Music:  80's slow jams, forget the new stuff!!
Favorite Band: Lil' Bow Wow, BB Mak, B2K, ILL Mitch, Aaron Carter
Bio:  I started skiing up in Madison Wi with my family and friends when I was like 8.  I liked skiing and all except for when my Dad used to make me & my sister go by pushing us into the freezing ass water when we didn't want to go and make us cry.  I think I may have developed some sort of fear of being behind a boat cuz it took me a good season to stop wussing out and get into wakeboarding.  I probably never would have gotten into the sport if it weren't for my friends and their love for it.  Wakeboarding is awesome but for me it's more of a love of being out on the water.  When I'm not on the river I'm usually at home or shopping with my 6 yr old daughter Taylor and my mischevious 10 month old Chihuahua.  Guys that sport the 80's sheik hairdo make me melt.  

Militia Chica

Name:  Michelle Damron
Age: 31

Nickname:  Beans, "Mit"chelle
Male/Female: I prefer Male
Location: Ottawa, IL 
Body of Water you Ride:  IL River, Ottawa
Occupation: Respiratory Therapist
Years Riding: About 7, give or take a couple
Stance:  Regular
Board/Bindings: 2003 Hyperlite Divine 134, Hyperlite

Split Bindings
Pimpin Vehicle: 2001 Honda CR-V   fully loaded including my favorite part------THE DUBS that keep spinning when I stop!!!! 

Boat: 2005 Mastercraft X2
Best Trick: My best trick is actually finding time to ride

Hobbies: Boating, Wakeboarding, Partying, Snowboarding, and being a Mom.... MILF MILF MILF
Music: Alternative, RAP, A Little Punk

Favorite Band: Don't have one, I get stuck listening to Tim's music all the time
Bio: I started skiing on a Lake in upper Wisconsin at the age of 8, slaloming at 9, and wakeboarding at 23.  Tim and I are on our 2nd Wakeboard Boat now and we are pretty much addicted to boating and wakeboarding.  We had Maryn Alena Damron on June 11tth, 2004 and she will be the next Dallas Friday someday!

MWM - Local Pro (makes us look good)

Name: Mark Baxter   
Age: 27

Nickname: ODB (old dirty baxter)

Male/Female: Male
Location: Schaumburg
Body of Water you Ride: Illinois River or Big Silver Lake

Occupation: benefits analyst
Years Riding: 10
Stance: Regular or goofy?  regular

Board/Bindings: Liquid force trip/ super sucks

Pimpin Vehicle: 01 Acura Cl S
Boat: My brothers or parents malibu

Best Trick: either a crow mobe or one handed wave hip thruster
Hobbies:  calling QVC wasted after the bars close and hitting on the saleswomen and winning double up contests totally sloshed. 
Music: gangsta rap and 80s heavy metal (fifty cent needs to hook up with axel)
Favorite Band: fifty roses
Bio: I show up at all the local events and try to stomp the youngsters. I am married now, so I don't ride as much as I would like

MWM - Ottawa Crew

Name:  Paul L. Baxter
Age:  1 year older than last year
Nickname:  Mr. Baxter
Male/Female:  Male
Location: Ottawa, IL/ Bloomington, IL/ Wautoma, Wisconsin
Body of Water you Ride:  Illinois River, Big Silver Lake
Occupation: Teacher
Years Riding: 10
Stance:  Goofy
Board/Bindings: 04 Parks, 134 Motive
Pimpin Vehicle:  Oldsmobile Bravada
Boat: Malibu Response
Best Trick: Half Cab Roll
Hobbies: I enjoy water sports and teaching.
Music:  A Little of everything.
Bio: I'm an Illinois State University graduate going into teaching.  During the summers I like to spend my time out on the boat hanging out and wakeboarding.

Militia Chica

Name: Peggy Baxter
Age: old enough to know better, still too young to care
Nickname:Pegleg, Pegasaurus, Wizzo, Miss Peggy, Margarita (you pick)
Male/Female: Fembot
Location:Ottawa, Il
Body of Water you Ride: Illinois River
Occupation: Domestic Engineer/Mommy 
Years Riding: since I met Dave 

Stance:  just found out I'm goofy
Board/Bindings:hyperlite divine/splits
Pimpin Vehicle: Honda Odyssey I want Dubs but Dave won't let me
Boat: My Malibu (I let Dave pull me), cant wait to ride behind the 1979 tooner with the 48 johnson ob
Best Trick:  Staying on top of the water, sometimes I accidentally jump the wake.
Hobbies: Playing bongos in my carribean band
Music: Bongo music of course
Favorite Band: Carribean Castaways, The Boat Drunks, Snoop, Dre, Abba, Gonzo or Darrel 

Bio:  I have been water skiing since I was old enough to wear a cape hocker.  I plan on getting better at this wakeboard thing, now that I have a board that makes my brother-in-laws jealous and isn't the size of a school bus like Daves.  My dream man is a midget with an authentic mullet that performs in the circus and drives a rusted 80 trans am.  I settled for Cookie instead after seeing
the tiger suit.

Militia Chica

Name:  Melissa Wahlberg

Age:  27

Nickname: Melba Toast, Mel, wiff

Male/Female:  Female

Location:  Cedar Lake, IN

Body of Water you Ride:  Lake Holiday, Cedar Lake, and Illinois River

Occupation:  Dietitian

Years Riding: 5

Board/Bindings:  Liquid Force Trip, Exo Suctions

Boat:  SUPRA

Hobbies:  Naked Boarding, Edward 40-hands, herbal therapy

Music:  Anything that helps get your groove on

Favorite Band:  Dave Mathews

Bio:  In the winter I sleep.  In the summer, I like to hang on the boat with all my buds and drink frosty bevs’.  Midwest Militia represent!

Soulriders.com Crew

Name: Robert Coyle
Age: 22
Nickname: RUPIE, Rup
Male/Female: Male
Location: So. ILL, ChiTown Burbs for summer '05
Body of Water you Ride: Ill ride anything!
Occupation: Pilot
Years Riding: Um, this is my first time.
Board/Bindings: Hyperlite Premier 136 / XL Parks presented by Extreme Power Sports
Pimpin Vehicle: '96 Chevy pimp Van!
Boat: 98 Tige 22i
Best Trick: Fashion Air/Yo Mama
Hobbies: Wakeboard, Wakeskate, Jump, Slalom, Barefoot, Beerfoot.
Music: Whateva! Just make it LOUD!
Favorite Band: what type of question is that?
Bio:  Robert is currently attending Southern Illinois University, there he has mastered the skills of flippy cup, along with how to not get kicked out of a bar before closing time.  He is currently working on the keg stand and quarters.  Most of his training has been completed at the Ski House, where he currently resides.  In April of '05 Mr. Coyle was elected president of the  Wakeboard/Waterski team that he will serve the 05/06 school year. Robert's current plans are, "f-it, its summer biaches!"

Soulriders.com Crew

Name: Christian DeGraaf

Age: 30

Male/Female: M to the Ale

Nickname: Xtian, X, & Degraafics

Location: Lansing, Ill-in-noise

Body of Water you Ride: Aren't women made of 75% water?  oh, Koontz Lake

Occupation: web designer and corporate suck-up

Years Riding: 4

Stance:  Goofy

Board/Bindings: '01 Byerly, '03 Byerly, '04 Byerly, Belmont bindings

Pimpin Vehicle: '85 Toyota Pickup 4x4

Boat: '03 Mobius LSV Gravity Games Edition

Best Trick: Landed a back-roll ONCE!  Ya I got lucky.

Hobbies: camping, snowboarding, and buying stuff I don't need.

Music: Punk, punk, and lets see, PUNK!

Favorite Band: Alvin & the Chipmunks Rock & Roll Christmas

Bio: I run Soulriders.com and we're out to promote wakeboarding and all of our friends involved in the sport, whether they have a business or are out to just have fun.  We're going to make the Midwest scene better every year, ummmm, and I like sushi.

Soulriders.com Crew

Name: Mike Edwards
Age: 31
Nickname: You tell me
Male/Female: Male
Location: Lansing IL
Body of Water you Ride: Koontz Lake IN
Occupation: Work Sucks
Years Riding: 3
Board/Bindings: 141 TFD and High Backs
Pimpin Vehicle:  Toyota MR2  Hey, it gets good gas milage
Boat: 05 Moomba XLV
Best Trick: Your Mom
Hobbies: Wakeboarding Snowboarding, and Your Mom
Music: Electronic, Rock, Punk, Opera, Yodeling
Favorite Band: Dont have one really
Bio: I'm one of those Soulriders.com people that befriended Tim and Mark and it turns out that I like to drink too so we all get along real well.

Fox River Grove represent

Name: Brian Kalin                                 
Age:  28                       
Nickname:  FRG (internet only!)
Male/Female: male       
Location: Fox River Grove, IL
Body of Water you Ride:  Fox River, IL or Rock River, WI
Occupation:  Owner/Manager
Years Riding:  TOO MANY, Skurfer days!
Board/Bindings:  Hyperlite…………….
Pimpin Vehicle:  DEMO OF THE MONTH (FORD)           
Boat:  ’94 Baja jet boat! or ’03 Super Air
Best Trick:  What ever I land that day
Hobbies:  SLEEP, because board sports and work take up the rest of my time      
Music:  Anything loud and annoying
Favorite Band:  311
Bio:  Sellin' Ford's Ridin' Boards. Representin' the FRG Crew and promoting wakeboarding in the Midwest with the Militia and Soulriders

Film Dude

Name: Ryan Castre
Age: 17
Nickname:cantspell
Male/female: Male
Location: Mchenry, il
Body of water you ride: illinois/fox river
Occupation:film/graphic design
Years riding: 4 years
Stance: regular
Board/bindings: ronix 0ne soon
Pimpin vehicle: 97 blazer
Boat: Whoever i can get a ride with
Best trick: 3
hobbies: Wakeboarding, Wakeskating, Snowboarding, filming
Music: Everything
Bio: I have been snowboarding for a while, and I just picked up wakeboarding a few years ago. Just got a wakeskate so I can’t wait to try that. In my spare time I edit and make videos, I also started my own company Hyptonic Films, a few videos up on the site so check those out. http://HyptonicFilms.com

MWM - Fox Lake

Name: Steve Gattuso
Age: 21
Nickname:  Ice Man
Location: Fox Lake, IL
Body of Water: Anywhere... Petite Lake is Prime Though
Occupation:  Wakeboarding
Years Riding: 9
Stance: Regular, Slutty-Wide
Board Binding:  Any Liquid Force...Usually Substance 138 With Transits
Pimpin Vehicle: GMC SYCLONE
Boat: 2005 Wakesetter VLX
Best Trick: Whirly...But a Grabbed Floaty Backside 180 In THe Flats is Way Cooler

Music: Everything But Country
HOBBIES:  Wakeboarding, Snowboarding, The E.T.A (EXTREME TUBERS OF AMERICA), Smoking Anything U Got With a GMC Syclone, And Hanging Out with my buddies Captain Morgan and Bud Light
BANDS: Swollen Members, and pretty much anything else
BIO: Born on the water, started skiing at like 5 and just went from there.  I was a pretty good extreme tuber at the age of 10 but I decided to hang low and not go pro, started wakeboarding at age 12 behind whatever moved on water.  I was weighing down old crappy I/O's with garbage cans filled with water. I think I blew like 2 out drives doing that.  Started building kickers and rails way back in the day because I didn't have a good boat.  After a while I just got hooked up with the right people. Now I trying to help spread the sport to all the people who are missing out and helping the ones who want to get better.

MWM - Ottawa Crew

Name: Chris Clark

Age: 28 I Think?

Nickname: Bob,GraveDigger,BillyBob,

June,Junior,Bisquick,

Clark Man 

Male/Female:  Boy   

Location:  Ottawa

Body of Water: Illinois River and Castle Rock Lake, Wi  

Occupation:   HVAC Service Tech

Years Riding: Couple of times a year since 1994'ish

Stance: Normal

Board/Bindings:  CWB Flame/Parks

Pimpin Vehicle:  THE BIG RED TRUCK - GRAVEDIGGER

Boat: 2004 Centurion Enzo

Best Trick: Breaking My Brand New Boat and Hitting Things with it.

Hobbies:  Boarding, Boating, Surfing, Hunting, Four wheeling, Snowmobiling, sex, masturbating, dead horsing 

Music: Not jazz not blues or any of that crap but everything else 

Favorite Band:  Kid rock, Green day, Nickleback, Sublime, David Allen Coe, NWA,Eazy-E,2LiveCrew,GNR                            Bio: I Started wakeboarding on a little skidoo jet boat, it could barely pull my hairy butt out of the water. Then I got a pontoon that did not help, but we still did it. Then I seen Mark M.'s X Star sitting in the Fox River in Ottawa and that is when it all started. I wanted a wakeboarding boat.

CHAPTER 3: I met all you great people

MWM - Ottawa Crew

Name: Janelle Clark  

Age: 27

Nickname:  Janelle-telia

Male/Female:  Woman          

Location:  Ottawa

Body of Water: Illinois River and Castle Rock Lake, WI  

Occupation:   stay at home mom and Chris's personal maid, chef etc

Years Riding: 1 yearish

Stance: Goofy  

Board/Bindings:  GATOR/LIQUID FORCE

Pimpin Vehicle:  YUKON XXXL

Boat: 2004 Centurion Enzo

Best Trick: Pulling Chris with 2 kids on my lap. I can do like 8 things at once, steer, gas, watch for people, other boats, drink, turn stereo up/down etc. I also yell at him after he hits wing damns. 

Hobbies:  Boarding, Boating, Surfing, Four wheeling, Snowmobiling, Wal-Mart, Target , grocery shopping, Cleaning  

Music:  80's big hair bands and, alternative rock, rock

Favorite Band:

Bio: I have been boating with Chris for 11 years now and whatever he does he teaches me to do.