The Scarecrow is one of the easier toeside inverts in wakeboarding, it's a trick you can do small or big, and it looks great with a grab. It's a natural rotation in the air, and the hardest part of
the trick is the approach and pop off the wake. The Scarecrow is a great building block as well. It can help you learn Elephants, Toeside
Front Rolls, and Crow Mobes. It's simply a toeside Front Roll with a 180, and some would argue it's an easier
rotation then the toeside Front Roll.
Prerequisties
Before trying the Scarecrow you should be able to do the following things:
1. Be comfortable edging hard and progressively on your toeside
2. Be able to do big toeside 180s
3. Be comfortable going upside down
Performing the trick
Watch this trick as an Quicktime movie.
To learn the Scarecrow, it's probably best to start out
with a medium edge, hard enough to clear the wake by a few feet, but not so hard you're out of control. So cut out wide about
15-20 feet, then start your progressive edge back in slowly. As you approach the wake, stand tall and back off your edge a bit
and stand tall and wait for the wake to pop you up in the air.
If you have waited long enough for the pop, you should get shot up in the air pretty good. Begin the Scarecrow rotation by rotating the
board towards the boat and looking up and over your front shoulder while twisting your shoulders in the same direction. When you time this
right with the pop, you should start rotating without much effort.
As you start to flip over, keep the rope in tight to your body (face), and try to have the board go up and over you, instead of beind you like an S-bend. The best
Scarecrows look like you're coming out of a switch front flip when you come out of the rotation like the rider in the picture. It's easier for some riders if they go for the grab like the rider in the picture.
By this point you should be thinking about looking for the water, and letting go with your front hand to make sure that you land switch in order to a Scarecrow instead of a Front Roll.
If you're going to go for a grab on the Scarecrow, you definitely need to let go with your front hand right off the wake.
After spotting your landing, just bend your knees, and land with the handle in your back hand (which is now your front hand since you did a 180). If you're
having a hard time sticking the landing, try doing really big toeside 180s to get used to landing in this position.
Style additions
1. Learn it switch
2. Grab it melan, nose, or slob with your front hand.
3. Grab it indy with your back hand, this is can be an awkward landing because you'll land with the handle in your back hand.
Moving On
The Scarecrow helps you do the following harder tricks:
1. Switch Scarecrow
2. Toeside Front Roll
3. Elephant
4. Crow Mobe
5. Crow Mobe 540
If you have specific questions about this trick or would like to discuss it further, talk about it in the Trick Talk Forum.
