Hydroflight Athlete Profile: SCOTTY KNEMEYER – USA

H2RO: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? What is your sports background and how would your best friends describe you if I asked them?
I was born the small town of Aberdeen WA and moved to Wenatchee WA at the age of 15 where I lived most my adult life. Currently I’m living in O’ahu Hawaii. Moved about 6 months ago to introduce Flyboarding here. I have one younger and one older brother. So I’m the middle one…
I’m an adrenaline junky – I race motocross, skydive, wakeboard, snowboard, cliff jump, bmx, jetski, rock climb, sportbike stunting etc.. basically anything that’s fast enough to do something stupid on I’m down to do!

My friends would describe me as a cross between Evil Knievel and Jackass.. If someone said a stunt couldn’t be done I’d have to be the one to prove them wrong. Not sure why I’m that way with everything. I guess it’s because I was brought up in a very competitive family. I live for that push to take everything to the next level.

H2RO: Scotty how did you get introduced to the sport of Flyboarding and what was it about the sport that has you so hooked?
I got into the sport of Flyboarding by accident. I was looking for a new career to get into and wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do. My brother found a flyboard instructor job online and sent me the link. He said it looks like something I’d be interested in for the time being. Strapped into the board and never looked back!! It’s an undescribable feeling like no other on this planet… think I forgotten about even looking for a new career lol

​H2RO: Tell me a little bit about your personal progression as you began to get more comfortable on the board. What was your process for learning new tricks? Have you been experimenting with your own variations on the current maneuvers?
Well for only having logged 26 hrs total on a Flyboard I’d say I have progressed extremely fast. I’m hoping to have up to 30 hrs by the time I fly out for Toronto. My process of learning new tricks is pretty much trial and error. Then seeing what can be changed to make it look better or tweek it into something new. Yeah, I’ve experimented a little with variations of tricks. It’s crazy how when designing new tricks in your head they start out the way you imagine but by the time you get it all dialed in it’s something totally different but just as siick!

H2RO: Let’s talk about the first ever Flyboard North American Championship. Do you have a strategy going into this event? What do you think the judges are going to be impressed by the most?
Well normally a well thought out strategy would be key going into an event like this, but I have yet to get the rules and regulations for this event and being it’s my first one I have nothing to compare it to so sounds like I’m just gonna wing it 😉 I think judges will be looking for a combination of things – big new tricks, flow, execution, and style.

(Official rules and regulations were in hand soon after our interview)

H2RO: You’re one of about four Flyboarders that I’ve seen successfully fly out of a double back flip and that list includes Franky Zapata. Damone Rippy and Aaron Gould. I’m curious how you plan on using the biggest trick in the sport​ ​ to your advantage and if you’ve been comboing tricks in or out of the double?
With the double being thought of as one of the hugest tricks in the sport of course I’m gonna being incorporating that into my run. Whether or not I’ll combo or doing variations of the double you’ll all have to wait and see… 😉 can’t give away all my secrets …