About
Early Life
Darin Shapiro was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Growing up as a waterskier and a trick skier, Darin was instantly hooked on wakeboarding when it was first invented. He was a major influence in the start-up and growth of the sport, inventing many of the first tricks, most notably, the "Raley".
The first ever signature wakeboard was named the "Shapiro Pro Model" by Hyperlite in 1985 and from there Darin would go on to dominate the sport for nearly 20 years and become the winningest wakeboarder in the history of the sport. Over the course of his career, Darin won six X-Games medals (the most of any wakeboarder) which included two gold medals and four silver.
Retirement and Comeback
Darin retired from wakeboarding in 2004 and moved to Hawaii to start a family. Ten years later he would return to Florida with his two children, and after seeing his 5-year-old's fascination in wakeboarding, Darin decided to return to competition after a ten year absence. Fans were amazed that at 40 years old, Darin was still riding at the same level that he was ten years ago. However, due to the increase in talent throughout the industry, Darin was unable to podium in his first year back. Despite being outmatched by the current elite riders, Darin is still, and forever will be, one of the most respected and talented riders in the history of wakeboarding.
Darin Shapiro was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Growing up as a waterskier and a trick skier, Darin was instantly hooked on wakeboarding when it was first invented. He was a major influence in the start-up and growth of the sport, inventing many of the first tricks, most notably, the "Raley".
The first ever signature wakeboard was named the "Shapiro Pro Model" by Hyperlite in 1985 and from there Darin would go on to dominate the sport for nearly 20 years and become the winningest wakeboarder in the history of the sport. Over the course of his career, Darin won six X-Games medals (the most of any wakeboarder) which included two gold medals and four silver.
Retirement and Comeback
Darin retired from wakeboarding in 2004 and moved to Hawaii to start a family. Ten years later he would return to Florida with his two children, and after seeing his 5-year-old's fascination in wakeboarding, Darin decided to return to competition after a ten year absence. Fans were amazed that at 40 years old, Darin was still riding at the same level that he was ten years ago. However, due to the increase in talent throughout the industry, Darin was unable to podium in his first year back. Despite being outmatched by the current elite riders, Darin is still, and forever will be, one of the most respected and talented riders in the history of wakeboarding.
Links
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TricksAchievements in wakeboarding -
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