Noah Flegel (R) with coach Dean LaVelle. Photo by Gary Curreri
By Gary Curreri
Noah Flegel doesn’t mind leaving the other competitors in his wake.
The 14-year-old Lighthouse Point teenager has won two world championships and capped off his stellar year with being named Sports Illustrated for Kids 2011 ‘SportsKid of the Year’. He graces the cover of the December magazine.
“It is really cool to look at yourself on the cover of a magazine,” said Flegel, an 8th grade honor student at North Broward Prep. “It is really neat. I think it is really good for the sport, especially since we are trying to get wakeboarding into the Olympics. It should definitely help for that. It has really been good for me and really good for the wake-boarding industry. It’s been a really cool opportunity.”
Flegel said he wasn’t sure what his chances were. However, as he was named Top 10 and then Top 3, he thought he had a pretty good chance.
“I was really excited when I heard I had made it to the Top 3,” said Flegel, who said he and his North Broward Prep classmates were checking the Internet between periods the day the magazine was announcing the Top 3.
“We were all screaming when we saw it,” said Flegel, who was waterskiing at the age of 3. Not bad for someone who saw other kids wakeboarding in the Interacostal and thought it might be a fun sport to try.
Noah and his brother Keenan had to wait for their opportunity. They became Dean La-Velle’s first clients some eight years ago. LaVelle said he saw enormous potential in the brothers, but had to wait his turn. Keenan, 16, has since gone on to wake surfing and has won a world title two years ago.
“A couple of years ago, Noah really took off,” said LaVelle, who also trained pro wake-boaders Steel Lafferty and Raimi Merritt. “He would learn a good bit, but he literally wouldn’t ride all winter because he would rather go surfing. They are actually big time surfers. They would just wakeboard when they need to. In the last couple of years, he started to stay out more and ride his wakeboard. It keeps him current on everything that is out there.”
“The one thing I would like to pass on to these aspiring athletes is to make the uncomfortable … comfortable,” added LaVelle, a six-time world champion. “Noah does this so smooth and quick. He is going to be with the top, top guys and be one of the best in the sport ever.”
Among his wakeboarding stops was Milan, Italy last year where he won the International World Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) world title. Flegel said he never thought he would be landing so many difficult tricks, including landing a 900-degree spin, but now has his sights on a pro career.
“I had no clue,” said Flegel, who is currently ranked No. 1 in the 14-18 age division.
“I thought it would be something fun to do and keep us out of trouble and not bored. My friends are really excited for me. I want to go as far as I can take it, but I want to keep having fun. Hopefully, I can become pro and do well.”
Flegel also gives back, part of the family values his parents, Todd and Kirsten, have instilled in him.
“We went to an orphanage in El Salvador during a recent surf trip and donated a bunch of money and played with the kids,” Flegel said. “We just hung out with them for the day.”
“We also feed the homeless. We try to do it every month at a local church here. We just all prepare a bunch of food and then go serve it. We give them lunch and a little bag. It is really cool to help people out, especially knowing how hard it is for them.”
Flegel was honored recently at his school with an assembly where he received a Sports Illustrated for Kids varsity jacket and a poster of the cover. The humble Flegel said it was a nice touch.
“It was really cool,” Flegel said. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me, even better than winning a competition!”
Noah Flegel has won two world wakeboarding titles and graces the December cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids after being named the 2011 ‘SportsKid of the Year.’ Photo by Gary Curreri
