The Story of Fluid Concepts

Fluid Concepts was founded in 2001 with one goal in mind. . . to design and manufacture quality accessories for the wakeboarder. The following is a small inspirational glimpse into our world.

Growing up in Southern California and being influenced by various sports indigenous to the region (surfing, motocross, cow tipping, gator wrestling, and hot-air ballooning), wakeboarding was a natural crossover sport. One day, a good friend of ours, Stephen Kingry, showed up to the lake with an old skurfer. I had never seen a skurfer before. It looked like a small skinny surfboard, but it wasn't for surfing. He claimed this board was for jumping the wake and doing flips and spins. I told him to forget it but he insisted that we give him a pull! Reluctantly, we set out on a jet ski with Stephen on the skurfer. To my surprise, he was actually riding this thing! Carving. Jumping. Then it was my turn. I grudgingly strapped myself into this ridiculous board and proceeded to try to get up again and again and again. Then it happened. All I remember was that feeling of carving the water.

Wakeboarding quickly became a way of life. It was all that mattered. Stephen was always looking for that next ride and it was this passion that fueled our wakeboarding chronicles. As a true ambassador to the sport, Stephen introduced us to a knee-high wake, took us to our first Board Stock in '98, and wrecked us many times with a bottomless cooler of beer while jamming the Dead Kennedys down our throats. Getting caught up in the whirlwind of this So-Cal punker was easy, but the bottom dropped out in the spring of 1999. While driving home from a wakeboarding trip with boat in tow, Stephen's life was tragically ended by a reckless driver going in the opposite direction. Since then, a lot of things have changed.

As we enter the new season, one thing is still certain. . . our passion for wakeboarding. We have learned a great deal along the way, but most importantly, not to take things for granted. This sport has given us the opportunity to meet a lot of great people including friends, riders, and industry professionals. It is through these relationships that we get input when designing products and feel that with their help and our dedication, we can bring you the most refined wakeboarding products in the sport.

Our friend Stephen Kingry will always be remembered...friend, husband, fireman, and wakeboarder. Look for an upcoming product line (SK) honoring his name and what he brought to the sport.

JL