When 12-year-old Evan Hudson took to the water in Ogden Valley, Utah for the 2019 Centurion World Wake Surfing Championships in early September, the Chestermere boy was competing against men up to three times his age.
But Hudson – who picked up the sport just two years ago – blew the judges away, and was crowned world champion in the amateur division.
“I was freaking out. It was a special moment,” he said.
This wasn’t the first time Hudson saw success. His trophy collection is full of first place finishes from all over the world.
“I’ve been to Russia, France, Japan, Hong Kong,” Hudson said.
“My main goal for this sport is to get first place at Worlds in every single division.”
Wake surfing uses specialized boats weighted to one side to create a “surf wake.” Competitors then ride the wave, performing tricks that are judged based on difficulty, intensity, variety and execution.
The amateur division for wake surfing is reserved for riders aged 13 to 44 years old. But because Hudson already won first place in the junior division in 2018, he decided to jump up and compete at the next level.
“That was challenging,” he said.
“But I got used to it.”
Evan’s mother, Nicole Hudson, is a pro wake surfer herself and coaches young riders in the sport. She also organizes wake surf competitions in Chestermere and the U.S.
“So proud,” she said.
“This year was a big deal fighting back the tears. In finals, all the guys had good runs… a couple of them landed tricks they’ve never landed before in competition. But Evan did just enough.”
The competition pitted Hudson against wake surfers from around the world, including Poland, Hong Kong, Ukraine and the United States.
Hudson practices five to seven days per week either in Chestermere or in Arizona during the winter months.
Hudson plans to capitalize on his current momentum, jumping up yet another division to “outlaw” or semi-pro for another major competition in Phoenix in November.
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