An up-and-comer in the sport, Rebecca finished in Third place overall in 2008’s Gravel Tour. She's also wrapping up her senior year at UCF, where she's the girls' A-Team rider. WakeGirls sat down with Rebecca right after she finished her first photoshoot ever, and she was still riding high!

WakeGirls: Where are you from?

Rebecca: I was born in Pennsylvania, and I’ve lived in Mount Dora since I was in 5th grade.

WG: When did you start wakeboarding?

Rebecca: I started wakeboarding later than most average wakeboarders, I was a senior in High School. Even if you are a little bit older, you can still wakeboard, have fun, and progress in the sport.

WG: We understand that you go to UCF and are part of their wakeboard club. Tell us about the UCF Club and what you have planned for this year.

Rebecca: Right now we’re focusing on the Collegiate Nationals, which are going to be in San Diego, CA. Last semester we competed in the Collegiate Regionals for a spot in the Nationals and got Second Place. We’re hoping for a win this year at the Nationals!

WG: How many girls are involved with the UCF Wakeboard Club?

Rebecca: There are only three of us, the majority are guys.

WG: What is your major?

Rebecca: My Major is Creative Writing and my Minor is in Film.

WG: What are you plans after UCF?

Rebecca: I want to write for an extreme sports magazine and I would like to get an internship with WakeBoarding Magazine or anything related to Wakeboarding. I also want to learn more about film and the editing process.

WG: So you’re also interested in filming wakeboarding videos?

Rebecca: Yeah, that would be amazing.

WG: Is it true that you tried out for American Idol last year?

Rebecca: Yes [laughs].

WG: Want to tell us about that?

Rebecca: It was a long process. I waited in line the first day for five or six hours, I think. I auditioned in Miami. We had to get in line at about three or four in the morning, and they didn’t even let us in until noon or one [in the afternoon]. It was a lot of waiting around! The next day, when you fill out your registration and everything, you go to the arena, and that’s where you have the longest wait. I arrived at about three in the morning and didn’t get in until late in the afternoon. They have set up all these little booths in the middle of the arena, and they take you in to audition by whichever section you are sitting in. If you get in early for registration, you have a better chance of going in first to audition. They line you up with four different girls, and each of you get to sing whatever acapella song you’ve chosen for about 30 seconds, and then afterwards they tell you who in the group got accepted and who didn’t. I didn’t get accepted, nobody in my group did. It was really cool to be part of the whole experience, though. You feel like you are part of something bigger, it was pretty cool.

WG: Are you planning on trying out again?

Rebecca: I don’t think so. I sing a lot for my church and I’ve been singing since I was five years old, and I’m currently part of a gospel group called Adoration.

WG: Do you have any other talents other than wakeboarding and singing that we should know about?

Rebecca: I write; I like to write a lot, short stories and poetry. I’m just getting into scriptwriting, I’m learning about that too.

WG: What kind of genre would you like to write in?

Rebecca: I like action. I would love to write an action film or a thriller. Right now I’m working on a romantic comedy, so it’s definitely fun!

WG: If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Rebecca: I think to be able to fly, as well as excellent vision.

WG: What board and setup do you ride?

Rebecca: I ride the 2008 Ronix One 137, with the Ronix One boots. My boots are almost all the way out on my board.

WG: Why do you like riding the Ronix?

Rebecca: It gives you a really great pop off the top of the wake. With the board I rode before this one, I had to edge really hard to get a good pop off the top of the wake. The first day that I rode the Ronix One, I got a lot of air and it felt so effortless. I thought it was awesome, it just felt really easy.

WG: What tricks are you working on right now?

Rebecca: I am working on my 180s, taking them two wake. Hopefully I’ll get those down and then either start working on 360s or an invert.

WG: Do you have any pointers for someone working on their 180s?

Rebecca: For me, it was easier to start with small steps. Go from the surface 180s and then build yourself up as you feel more comfortable. I started doing a ton of surface 180s and then I went to the one wake 180s. I’m still doing one wakes now, but it’s just easier to take my time. My suggestion would be to just take your time.

WG: What do you have planned for this season?

Rebecca: I plan on doing Gravel Tour. I did Gravel Tour last year and got Third Place overall in the Women’s, so that was really exciting because I thought I rode terribly [laughs]. I’m going to do Gravel Tour this year and do my best at that and see what happens!

WG: Do you plan to go pro?

Rebecca: That would be my ultimate goal. Right now it’s just doing amateur competitions and stuff, but definitely I would love to go pro in the future.

WG: If you could be any character in fiction, who would you identify with?

Rebecca: One of my favorite book series is Harry Potter, so I’m going to say Hermione Granger. She’s super smart, she knows how to handle every situation that comes her way, and she’s friends with Harry!