Entrepreneur plans 'cable park' near Guthrie

By David Zizzo
Staff Writer

GUTHRIE — "This is stupid,” Dan Trotter thought to himself when he first saw it. "This is nothing. Nobody's going to have fun doing this.”
He changed his mind. After watching one operating in Florida, the Edmond man spent the next few years — and eventually will spend millions of dollars — planning and building the largest one in the world. When it opens this spring or summer, Trotter's Central Oklahoma Wakeboard Center south of Guthrie will be only the fifth wakeboarding "cable park” in the United States.

A cable park is basically a small lake where people ride wakeboards, "wakeskating” boards without bindings or even water skis. All without boats. Boarders are towed around in a circle by ropes attached to an overhead cable. The ride is stoked with "kickers” and "sliders,” a variety of structures in the water that riders can jump or slide over or along just for the thrill of it.

And if you're good enough or wild enough, or a little of each, you can build up momentum for some "sick” air along the short curves.

"You use your body weight to pull out,” said Trotter's son, Daniel, 20, a serious wakeboarder and wakeskater who runs a 13,000-square-foot pro shop already operating at the site. "It acts like a big spring.”

The 10-acre cable lake, which Trotter expects to open in March, will be only the first of many attractions the Trotter family — Dan, former owner of an Edmond boat dealership, and his wife, Cathie, and their sons Jeremiah, 30, and Daniel — plans on the 160-acre site. The Trotters will add a golf driving range, paintball courses, batting cages, off-road courses for motorcycles and bicycles, and a monster truck track. The center also features a 3,200-square-foot bunkhouse that will provide basic accommodations for participants, such as wakeboarding teams.

Until now, wakeboarders in these parts have had to do things the usual way: behind a boat. But those boats, particularly the specialized wakeboarding ones with internal bladders that can be filled with water to adjust the ride and wake, cost at least $30,000. Then you've got to buy insurance for the boat, fill its tank, haul it to a lake and bring friends to drive and serve as spotters.

"By lunchtime, we've already burned through a tank of gas,” Daniel Trotter says of frequent outings in his $60,000 rig. "You can spend $220 a day.”

Wakeboarding at the cable park, on the other hand, will cost $20 for two hours or $40 a day. Season passes will be available for about $800, although that price has yet to be set.

A cable park also can offer a better ride than a boat, Daniel Trotter said. Many tow boats feature a "tower” that raises the rope attachment point so that the boarder is pulled slightly upward as well as forward, making it easier to get up, stay up and perform tricks. The even higher attachment point of ropes at a cable park — 45 feet above the water — means riders have that much more upward pull, making getting up and staying up easier, he said.

And the cable tows at a constant speed, which will be about 16 mph at the Guthrie park when it opens, although the park can more than double that speed for demonstrations, competitions or other special events. Also, without boat traffic or surface area for waves to build, the lake should be much smoother than a public lake.

Trotter searched for years until he found the right spot, enough space close to a major highway and the metropolitan area. The Trotters bought their own heavy equipment, and Dan and Daniel went to work gouging a half million cubic yards of dirt from the slope just east of Interstate 35, turning up "some pretty neat stuff,” such as Model A fenders, from the land that served in recent years as a state fishery and a ranch.

Water to fill the lake to an average depth of 10 feet will come from four 300-foot-deep wells drilled by a Mustang company. A German company has measured the lake and is building the six cable towers and other equipment for the tow system.

The system will be the first in the United States to feature a moving chair to launch riders, Trotter said. Combined with the typical standing start or running start (for wakeskaters with boards that don't have foot bindings), there will be three ways to get on the water. Riders will sign liability waivers and must wear helmets and approved life vests.

If you fall along the 4,600-foot length of the cable, you swim to shore and walk back to the launch point. A computer sensing a riderless rope will detach it as it passes the loading area, and another rider will launch at that point on another tow line. The center will offer lessons and a winch towing device to help beginners.

Like many older water sports enthusiasts, Dan Trotter is more at home on skis. But he plans to give wakeboarding a try on the cable. And maybe on a slow night, Cathie might grab a rope, too.

"If they can, I can,” she said.

^ Is this legit? Does Guthrie really have the niche market to attract/sustain enough patrons to justify this venture??

If it's south of Guthrie, it's basically in Edmond. Definitely sounds like something that could attract people from around the metro.

that is awesome, i can't wait to go out there and wipeout a few times

The Guthrie/Edmond location doesn't bother me as far as a business plan goes. What concerns me is building it in Oklahoma at all. Half the year would be too cold for most recreational users to even consider going there.

Yea, I know the wind surfers at Hefner wear wet suits. I seriously doubt there would be enough people that hard core to even cover operating expenses.

Regardless, I'll be there the first hot summer day to give it a try.

while all still outdoor activities, looks like the owners have plans to diversify so there's more revenue in the winter months... -M

That does sound interesting but $800 possibly for a season pass? I'm not sure how many people will fork over that kind of money ... but I guess he is right about boats and jet skis.. gas guzzlers, park fees, insurance all adds up.

If they had a nice viewing picnic area with trees and shade and misters and offered refreshments (think Shlitterbahn - which I love!) the parents could come and enjoy watching too.

Plus, I like the idea of not having the kids in the water with speed boats or skis...

One of our dear friends was sliced in half lengthwise - lost one leg on one side and one arm on the other ( boat propeller skiing on the Delta - brother was driving ) he survived six weeks and died of a blood clot on the operating table.. it was horrific. Needless to say, propellers and speed boats scare me to death. This sounds like a nice alternative.

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Yes Jack Wonder this will survive. Your posts seem to be antagonistic to whatever the topic is. Anyhow, as someone said, the location doesn't have so much to do with it. Look at Eufala, Texhoma, Grand, and many others, in fact most lakes in any state aren't in a metro area, they are a quick getaway from a metro area. This project was announced a few months back but got stalled do to zoning laws, water table feasibilty, etc. Glad to see all the red tape is out of the way now. I think it will do well and I'll be there!

I don't know about Jack Wonders other posts, but it certainly is not out there to question the viability of this buiness.

I've done a little poking around and I would certainly question whether they have the cash to do this right. I also think their other activities are almost soley based on the wakeboarding being a big enough success to bankroll the rest or attract a major investor.

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea and would be there to check it out.

But unless this is done really really well (code word for lots of money), this could end up being a muddy hole with some telephone polls, cables, dirt track and a paint ball field.

Throw in a some mobile homes and you have Bubba's Paradise. That's it! "Bubba World!" Sponsored by Coors.

Done right though, and it would make for an entire weekend getaway.

As I said in another thread, most lawyers laugh when they hear "liability waiver" as it does nothing to protect from negligence, which is at the heart of every injury lawsuit.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. I hope it works, I just don't see a few of the key ingredients to equal a longterm success.

No, you read me wrong then. I usually ask questions that can spark informational conversation vs. simply saying "yah-who, I'm in" or some such...

I just prefer "meat & potato" answers when it comes to issues or ventures that consumate millions of dollars...that shouldn't offend anyone.


Furthermore, it sounds fun to me. But I live far enough away from Guthrie that I wouldn't be attending regularly. I figured the same for others outside of the Guthrie/Edmond/Stillwater bubble.

Anyone know what has ever happened with this?

The article says they hope to open in March. Their website says April, but I have no idea when that was posted.

Anyone drive by lately? Does it look finished? I really wanna give this a try.

From Dolan Media: 3/23/07

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Oklahoma is about to become the wakeboard capitol of the world.


That is, the world's largest wakeboard park is about to open in Guthrie, perhaps by the end of April. And all over the state, interest appears to be growing in the water sport, which combines elements of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing.

When riding a wakeboard – a board slightly shorter and wider than a snowboard – at a wakeboard park, participants are pulled across the water by a cable system at an average speed of about 20 miles per hour. But wakeboard enthusiasts in Oklahoma have been enjoying the sport by being pulled behind a special boat designed to create a wake.

About 250 wakeboard parks are scattered across Europe, but the Central Oklahoma Wakeboard Center, or COW-C, will be the fifth wakeboard park constructed in the U.S., and the largest wakeboard park in the world, said owner Daniel Trotter.


COW-C is located right off of Interstate 35 in Guthrie. After running a board shop in Edmond for about two years, Trotter and his family built a 6-acre lake that is just now being filled with water. The cable system is due to be delivered from Germany any time now. But the shop is already doing brisk business selling boards and supplies to a community of wakeboard riders who frequent area lakes.


Oklahoma has hosted major wakeboard events in the past, including the Pro Wakeboard Tour in 2000, and this year more events are scheduled. The Oklahoma River Wakeboard Series 2007 will take place in Oklahoma City July 7-9. More than 4,000 spectators attended last year's event, said event planners, and more are expected this year. Another wakeboard event, the Southern Plains Festival, is scheduled for Aug. 4-6 in Eufaula.

The University of Oklahoma now has an official Water Ski and Wakeboard Team. The team was founded in 2004 and in 2006 joined 10 college teams that compete in the NCWSA South Central Regional Conference.

__________________
" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

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" You've Been Thunder Struck ! "

Cool. I can't wait and check it out. Don't have a boat so this is perfect for me.

I suspect I have far too great a center mass to ever participate, but it does sound like some serious fun. I wish them well, and good, long health to their customers.

Not sure what the Reserve is set to but they are auctioning off a Season Pass.. might get a good deal. Value is $700 -

Online they have a deal for $600.00 so don't bid more than that!

Bid & Buy '07

__________________
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WHOA. A season pass is $700??????

What in the world do you get with a season pass? Why is it so expensive? for $700 I should get a personal chef and a massage therapist.

I thought an earlier post said they are not sure about the cost. But for 6-700.00 maybe that is a full family park pass? If it has all of the things when it is fully open it could be worth that kind of money. If you have motorcycles, wake boarding, paintball and a place to stay that could be pretty cheap for a family. With lots of activities.
It being in Guthrie you have OKC, Edmond, Stillwater, Cresent, Coyle, Mahull, Perkins, Perry, Ponca City all within an hour or less away from Guthrie. This is a good location. So be ready for all of it to open.
I also read that Guthrie is the fastest growing city in Oklahoma right now. There must be a reason for it.

Guthrie is the fastest growing city in Oklahoma...Hm I havent heard that. Where did that info come from Yogi??

Logan County is one of the fastest growing Countys Yogi, not "the" fastest growing however.

Guthrie is for sure not the fastest growing city by a long shot but it is on an upswing I guess you could say?

BTW, back on track here. The new wakeboard deal "ain't" looking so good to me people?

As someone pointed out, a mudhole and some trailer houses...

I kinda had the same thoughts Marko....but it isnt opened yet so maybe it will all come together when it opens for business. I know a lot of the college kids from UCO and OSU are sure waiting for it to open.

So - is this place going to open this summer? I heard about a late June opening. This is about as late June as you can get. Hope nobody bought a season pass.

Well they are attempting to buy a million gallons of water from the city of Guthrie that's about all I know.

From the road the place looks like it has a looooong way to go before it opens.