Allendale may not be the first place that comes to mind when one thinks of the cutting-edge wakeboarding scene. But Allendale will be the site of a new overhead cable wakeboarding park, one of few in the nation and the first of its kind in Michigan.

Placid Wake Park will officially open on Saturday with a grand opening celebration slated for June 4. The park is located at 11252 84th Ave. in West Olive, about 5.5 miles west of Grand Valley State University’s Allendale Campus.

Placid Wake Park will be set up in the existing man-made lakes of Placid Waters, a community designed for water sport enthusiasts. In addition to the traditional wakeboarding method of being towed behind a boat, Placid Wake Park will feature the new technology of an overhead cable system 2.0.

The cable system runs between two towers at opposite ends of the lake. A wakeboarder is harnessed to the cable and the pulley system allows an operator to determine the speed a wakeboarder will travel across the lake. The cable system allows the rider to take on a variety of jumps and rails without worrying about the boat making it through the obstacle course.

Colleen Condra, 2010-11 school year vice president for the GVSU Ski Team, said the park will benefit all the wakeboarders on the team by giving them more options for practice.

“I think it will bring more awareness to the cable park and to the ski team,” Condra said. In past years, the GVSU Ski Team has utilized the lakes in Placid Waters to practice about three times a week. This new park will further enhance their performance.

Scot Ferwerda, a co-owner of Placid Wake Park along with Kyle Sischo, said the park will appeal to all college students, not just the more-experienced ski team.

“They’re still young enough where the body can stay active,” Ferwerda said of GVSU students. “Who doesn’t want to be outside in Michigan in the summer?”

Placid Wake Park will operate from May to September, offering open riding, lessons, clinic, demonstrations and day camps. Ferwerda said the idea for the park started in September 2009 based on a wake wars event at the B.O.B. in Grand Rapids. After seeing the interest the event drew, Ferwerda decided Allendale would be a good site to bring together members of the wakeboarding community.

Ferwerda, 26, spent 10 years as a professional wakeboarder and moved to Orlando, Fla, for six years. Originally from Rockford, he said Placid Wake Park is a way for him to bring the sport home and stay active in the wakeboarding industry.

He said he looks forward to being able to direct the sport by deciding what kind of rails and riding will be featured in Placid Wake Park.

“It will be cool to be part of the movement,” Ferwerda said of the growing popularity of overhead cable systems, which were invented just three years ago.

A former GVSU student, Alex Malarnek, is also excited to be involved in the movement.

Malarnek attended GVSU last year as a freshman, though he plans to transfer before the upcoming semester. However, he will continue to act as an advertising representative for Placid Wake Park and promote the sport.

“This is a huge deal for the wakeboarding community, and everyone should go check it out,” Malarnek said.

Malarnek said the cable system offers a different style of riding than behind a boat with the option of hitting more rails and making more continuous passes.

“I think it’s a lot of fun to learn air tricks,” Malarnek said. “I like just being on the water and the sensation of flying over the water.”

Placid Wake Park will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Open riding costs $25 per hour and boat lessons with professional coaching is $55 per hour. The day camps are for boarders 8 years old and up with a half day costing $95 and a full day $175. All necessary equipment is available to rent for between $5 and $10 a piece.

Visit the Placid Wake Park Web site at www.placidwakepark.com for more information.

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