Fountain Gap

What would you do if someone offered you the chance to jump a 65-foot gap over a fountain in the middle of a lake? If you’re wakeboarding phenom J.D. Webb, you go for it. On September 30th, Webb sailed more than 70 feet over Lake Eola’s fifty-year-old fountain in Orlando, earning himself a place in the record books and a key to the city in the process. The feat was filmed for the TV show Stunt Junkies, so tune into the Discovery Channel on January 24th to see it go down. Read on to see what J.D. himself had to say about the experience.

The Interview with JD Webb

What did you think when you were approached with the fountain jump idea?
At first, I was like, “Let me think about it.” I was kind of nervous. I had seen the fountain before, and it’s huge, so I couldn’t ever imagine myself jumping over it. I was down for the publicity it was going to get for the sport—and for myself—so I went for it. Now that I’ve done it, I’m definitely stoked I had the opportunity.

What’s the longest gap you had jumped before this one?
(laughs) Probably 20 feet. The actual gap over the fountain was 65 feet, and I landed down the ramp at about 75 feet. It was a big jump!

So how did you prep for such a long jump?
We had the ramps out here for about three weeks before the actual jump. We’d set them up close, and move them further and further apart every couple of jumps. It was definitely a long process, but it ended up coming together.

Was there ever a point in the process where you weren’t sure if you could do it?
Definitely—a couple of times. I’d jump it and a real big gust of wind would come in, or I’d case the landing a little bit or something like that, and I’d be thinking, “Man, I don’t know about this…”

What was the actual filming experience like?
It was super cool. It was nothing like [filming for] your average wakeboard film, because you’re always just chilling, hanging out, never on any kind of schedule. They were waking me up at 7AM, and we had a schedule set up all day long. If you were late, you got in trouble.

How many days did you film?
They came into town for four days. We did a meet and greet the first day where we went out to the lake and met with all the people from the city. The next day, we went to Orlando Watersports Complex and I showed one of the [Stunt Junkies] guys how to wakeboard. On the third day, we had practice out at my house, and on the fourth day we actually did the jump.

What was it like getting the key to the city from the mayor?
It was sick! That was definitely one of the coolest parts, getting the key to the city and getting September 30th named as J.D. Webb day in Orlando. That’s probably my biggest accomplishment in wakeboarding so far. It was cool how stoked the city was. A lot of people think we’re just punk wakeboarders, so it was super sick to have the city backing us that much.

We heard you had a little trouble with the landing in practice.
On the practice day, I hit 60 feet perfectly, then I tried it one more time and landed on the flat at the top and just tumbled down the landing. I was done for the day; I was getting tired, and I didn’t want to get hurt. I figured I’d have plenty of time to practice at Lake Eola before the actual jump. Friday came along, and we couldn’t get the anchoring right on the jumps; it took them all day because there’s so much muck on the bottom of the lake. I only hit the full length of the gap one time on Friday, so that was scary.

On Saturday, I got about five jumps in before they turned the fountain on. Normally, I’d say, “Okay, I hit 50 feet yesterday, so let’s start at 45.” I had to go there and hit it at 60 feet straightaway. On the first one, I told Shaun Murray (the boat driver) to go a little bit faster, and I just pushed off twice as hard as I normally would, just to make sure I’d clear it. It was definitely scary. I was sitting in the water and Murray was asking, “You cold or something?” I was shaking so bad because I was so nervous and had so much adrenaline running through me.

What were you thinking before the final jump?
I had landed it five times, so I was feeling pretty comfortable. When they turned the fountain on, I was thinking, “Okay, this is the same thing.” I went out there and stomped it, so I was pumped.

Do you think you have a responsibility to do things like this to bring more exposure to wakeboarding?
No, not necessarily. Stunt Junkies proposed it to Hyperlite and Hyperlite came to me. It’s cool, but I still like just riding behind the wake, hitting rails and all that stuff. If another opportunity comes up, or somebody tries to break my record, then yes, I’ll do it again, but I’m not going to try to keep breaking my own record.

What are your plans for the winter?
I’ve got two or three snowboard trips lined up, I have to do a bunch of boat shows, and then I’ll hopefully go on a couple of surf trips. I take a little break in the off-season, but I’m always riding.

Any plans for next season?
I got top five on the pro tour this year, so my goal for next year is top three. I just got back from Australia and had pretty much the worst ride I’ve had in my life, so I’ve got a fire lit under me right now. I’m going to ride every day, get some new tricks, and get everything super consistent; that way, I can throw down a really big pass next year.