Sibiu Wake Trophy - Wakeboard Romania
- maxxevanphotography
- Jul 15
- 3 min read
Romania Blog - SIBIU WAKE TROPHY
Traveling to Romania might have been one of the best decisions I've ever made knowing absolutely nothing about a place. What an incredible country for wakeboarding. The people, the food, the places all had such great heart. With two solid full sized parks, some 2.0’s and a couple boat lakes, Romania is full of untapped potential.
The sport is only just getting started and has found its way under federation leader Ioana Goncea, a longtime friend and rival from her time visiting the US over 10 years ago. When I met Ioana we were the same skill level and would learn tricks together and compete against each other at local Points Chase contests. She went back to Romania with a mission, and man is it cool to see how far she developed her ideas.
The sport of Wakeboarding in Romania touches so many people and gives a great outlet to the youth, it’s made up of extremely passionate and hardworking people. It truly is a group effort out there and I’m happy I could be a part of it and give back!
I was brought out there to compete in an IWWF event and host a clinic with their up and coming riders. Getting them ready for their biggest contest of the season. The event brought in international competitors and a whole lotta pressure for the local scene.
It was extremely rewarding to help this group of kids level up their riding. The trick tips and one-on-one help while riding doubles made all the difference. I was so proud of these kids for pushing out of their comfort zone and facing their fears. I taught most of them their first transfer which they mastered day 1 and took to their contest run.
A few days later the contest kicked off. The IWWF judging sucked in my opinion but there were cool moments. I didn’t have the best results due to a technicality and almost disqualification, but it felt so good to lay down a run I was proud of. I had multiple people going out of their way to tell me I had the most stylish run and to ask what certain tricks were because they’d never seen it done before. Everyone was so hyped on wakeboarding.
I also sat down with Red Bull Romania for an interview: https://www.redbull.com/ro-ro/sibiu-wake-trophy-2025-maxx-evan-interviu
After the contest wrapped I headed to A2 CablePark which was a 4 hour drive away for a short stay. I had met the owner, a new and fast friend; Alex Rosu, who had been helping out at the Sibiu Wake Trophy Event. He showed me the best things, like the European Big Tasty and the Romanian Gypsy Johnny Bravo. He welcomed me into his home and to stay a few days at his park. I will be thankful for his kindness.
I am extremely grateful to everyone who I was able to share this experience with and who made me feel at home. It’s a beautiful thing to travel for wakeboarding and see just how much in common we all have. We all have this burning passion to grow the sport of wakeboarding, and every culture has their own approach. There’s plenty of room for everyone's take, so I’m excited to see how the sport continues to grow. I know I'll be back one day and am looking forward to seeing just how far Romania can go with Wakeboarding
Alex at home and frying up some fresh caught carp from the cable lake
Sibiu Old City
Entrance to Sibiu Old City
A2 Wakepark
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