Parker Payne: In Pursuit of the Impossible - The Journey of the Best Wake Surfer in the World

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 You're listening to the Radcast, a top 25 worldwide business podcast.
 If it's Radical, we cover it.
 Here's your host, Ryan Alford.
 Hey guys, what's up?
 Welcome to the latest edition of the Radcast.
 We're bringing the pain today.
 Let me tell you, we talk about being Radical.
 It's Radical if we cover it.
 We're talking to one of the top five in the world.
 Week surfers, Parker Payne.
 What's up, brother?
 How's it going?
 Thank you so much for having me.
 Of course.
 Dude, you got the perfect name.
 It's just a cool name.
 The double P, the alliteration.
 And, you know, I don't know.
 At least be here.
 I'm going to give you a little bit of that as a freebie.
 When they introduce you at any of your contests or stuff.
 Bring in the pain.
 You're dropping the pain.
 I'll care how nice it is and how nice you are.
 But, damn, man.
 Five weeks, surfer.
 You know, you've been doing it for 10 years, right?
 Professional for 10 years.
 Yeah.
 There's definitely been years before that where I was not, you know, not currently a pro, but
 at 14, that's when I turned pro.
 And it's been a grind from here on out.
 Yeah.
 I mean, you know, I think people, it's a really growing sport.
 I mean, at the end of the day.
 But, you know, we talked, you know, pre episode, like, you know, I'm on my lake all the time.
 On my houseboat, chillin, cruising, and every other boat that goes by, I feel like everybody's
 trying it.
 Why is it gotten so popular?
 I think it's just a really family-friendly sport.
 It's low impact.
 You're not going very fast, but if you want to push the sport and progress, there's definitely
 an opportunity to be able to do that.
 Everyone loves being on the water.
 Everyone loves going on the lake.
 So I think it's a perfect combination.
 And it's just like more accessible, because like, when you think about riding behind the
 boat, it's intimidating because of the speed and the rope factor, right, being pulled.
 And it's hard.
 But I feel like wake surfing, at least at the basic level, is a little bit more accessible.
 Like, I think most, some people, a lot of people that can't get up maybe skiing or wake
 boarding.
 It's a little, it's a little less intimidating, maybe once they see or they get up.
 Is that part of it?
 Absolutely.
 And I tell my grandfather how to wake surf.
 So if I tell my grandfather how to, I think that anyone can really learn to get behind the
 boat and go.
 I got to admit, though, I've fought the urge.
 I have not done it.
 So even though I've watched the videos, and I'm telling you, you guys are going to go watch
 Parker.
 You're going to be listening and you're going to go watch Parker on Instagram, and then
 you're going to be hooked, either at least on the vortex of watching the tricks and how
 mad and how bad he is on the water.
 But I've fought the urge.
 I've have a feeling now, I'm like, forced.
 You know, I have a top five in the world, wake surf, or I'm going to have to get out there
 and do it.
 I think we're going to have to get out there and teach out to him.
 Oh, okay.
 I'm going to hold this to it.
 I'm going to make, Parker's going to come up.
 We're going to get him to, well, I have like a phase two of the, of the rat cast.
 We're going to get him up out on the water on Lake Kiwi.
 Yep.
 Are you committing to this?
 Let's do it.
 I get the professional lesson for Parker pain.
 I think that'll be legit as it is, and some good content for both of us.
 Absolutely.
 Nothing else.
 Talk to me, even doing it ten years, just give me the, let's do the, let's give everybody
 a little bit of a life story.
 You know what got you started into it, the journey of being a pro, and just like the overall
 growth of the sport.
 Of course.
 So, to rewind all the way, my parents were collegiate waterscares back in college.
 We had always had a boat growing up.
 You know, I tubed.
 I wakeboarded.
 I skied.
 Wakesurfing, you know, in the earlier 2000s, was starting to gain popularity, and being
 a young kid wanting to try every single board's one on the water, I knew that wake surfing
 was something that interested me.
 I found a natural talent, and I, you know, managed to find my way learning new tricks really
 fast and progressing, and in 2013, I started competing.
 I had an undefeated year as an amateur, went to semi-pro.
 The next year, and halfway through, they kicked me out, and I went immediately straight
 to pro, and from there, it's been 10 years of professional wake surfing, and I've enjoyed
 every minute of it, and gone to trial around, meet awesome people, and it's been cool to
 live my dream.
 Speaking of bringing the pain, they kick you out of the amortures.
 Yeah.
 It's out of here, like, dude, you're too good, we're going to, I'm politely, I can hear
 him talking to your parents.
 We're going to have to get you out of the league, he's making all these little kids feel
 bad.
 Well, Mom, how that discussion went?
 Mom, the pain at that time was, oh my gosh, she's only, you know, 14 years old at the
 time, so it was definitely scary for her and for me as well, being thrown in that life
 at such a young age was not something I was even ready for, but something that I had
 to do.
 You're still a young guy, I mean, at 24.
 But I sense the maturity about you, have you always had that in you or has it just come
 with time and being a pro for 10 years?
 Maybe a little bit of both.
 I've heard some people say I'm an old soul, but I think definitely having the experience
 of, you know, being around, especially being within the business world at such a young
 age, it's allowed me to have a different perspective on how that whole thing works.
 All of this success and all these things you've been doing has happened as social media
 has exploded, you know, like it's obviously been around for almost a 20 years now on some
 level.
 We'll throw my space, but probably before your time, but you know, Facebook's been around.
 There's been these things, but I'd say the explosion of social media has happened through
 it.
 How's that guided, you know, your career or just the awareness of the sport?
 It's definitely changed everything, not just within wake serving, but any other, you know,
 individual sport that you can do.
 Social media gives you the platform to tell your story.
 Having the ability to post my videos, show off sponsors, you know, and promote my own
 personal brand has allowed me to really elevate my career.
 And I think without it, I would not be where I am today and sitting in this chair to
 build out this conversation.
 As it, you know, social media is interesting.
 It paints a certain picture.
 It tells one side of the story.
 Have you seen the positive end, the negative sides of it?
 I mean, have you experienced any of the hate, you know, or any of the, I mean, obviously
 you're a bad ass.
 I mean, on the water.
 And so there's not much to hate on, I'm sure someone figures it out.
 But have you experienced both the positive and the negatives?
 Absolutely.
 There's always up and downs.
 And as they say, haters going to hate, but I think that they wish they were on the
 water too.
 So I think that they'll take that as a, as a win.
 Yeah.
 The worst, what the worst they could say to you, you're on the water, you know, making
 a living and doing what you love.
 And that's also amazing, you know, about what the internet has opened up as the ability
 for people, no matter what it is, obviously you're making a living.
 But your ability to spread that word and spread it and, you know, to bring a business along
 with it, with what we'll talk about it shortly.
 But that's the thing that I think not everyone believe it or not has embraced is the ability
 that you can make a living through social media.
 Absolutely.
 It would blow your mind on how far you can really take it.
 Talk to me about the business of the sport.
 Like you've witnessed it in your 10 years, it'd be young, 14 through 24.
 But just the growth of the sport and how it just continues to expand and, you know,
 the number of sponsors and the number of things.
 Like what's the most eye-opening thing for you about just how big the sport's getting?
 Social media has given it so much popularity and really allowed people to see an inside
 look of how the sport operates.
 I think for myself a key part that has really allowed me to succeed and there's three
 elements is personal brand, your talent slash skill and the partners that you work with.
 I think those three things are what really makes the total package to allow you to excel.
 Having social media to help push your personal brand and have the partners and sponsors
 go hand in hand with that is I think what really helps generate dollars and generates
 the impressions on mine.
 Talk to me, you know, and we talked about this pretty episode, you know, starting out
 in the sport, it was all about competing in the competitions.
 So maybe explain a little bit of that for a listening like how does someone make a living?
 How did they do it and maybe how they're how you're doing it now as a wake surfer?
 Yeah.
 This will always be the root of wake surfing.
 That's where everyone gets together and has a good time.
 It's almost like a family reunion every time you get to go to these events.
 When it comes to turning that into a career, wake surfing in the competitive space is your
 starting point.
 Social media allows you to showcase, you know, your abilities within competitions and that's
 how brands start to find you.
 Once you have, you know, completed a, let's say, you know, certain amount of competition
 wins, that's when really you start to get a lot of interest.
 And then now you can not necessarily shift away from competitions, but more pick up the
 side of social media to allow you to grow your personal brand has, I mean, ultimately,
 these brands just want to sell more of their stuff to, you know, as the sport grows,
 their business grows.
 So they bring on someone like you top five in the world, because ultimately if I'm selling
 boards or boats or ropes and everything involved with it, the point is the more eyeballs that
 see you using that, the more influence there is on people purchasing, correct?
 Yes.
 And what's, what is the transition from, okay, I'm sponsoring and I'm sure you've gone
 through this thought process, you've got your own board, things like that.
 But from helping a brand so more things versus selling more of your own, have you gone
 through that?
 Had a processor thought?
 Absolutely.
 There's definitely a certain angle that you have to take on it when it comes to promoting
 that product on social media.
 Obviously, you can't have something stick out and look like it's a direct ad, but I
 think having an endorsement and, you know, seeing people that if I ride this board, if
 I wear this life jacket, maybe I can be as good as them or maybe I can do that.
 That trick that I've been trying to get on that particular board, that's where it starts
 to look less like an ad and more just like me telling you, hey, this is something that
 you should try.
 And I think that's what gets a lot more sales, rather than a brand directly trying to promote
 that straight to their end user.
 Yeah.
 But are you crossing that line of where, you know, we should have Parker Payne manufactured
 ropes versus X brand ropes?
 It goes half and half.
 I think having the personal brand as long with a well-known brand, I think they go hand
 and hand together.
 I've seen it go both ways and individuals got and make their own brands, but sometimes
 having the backing of those bigger brands allows both people to succeed.
 Yeah, because I think of the skateboarding, you know, I grew up on the skateboarding scene
 and, you know, it was all about, you know, Lance Mountain and you had a Powell Perolta
 who makes like all the skateboard stuff, but then they had the individual nameboards
 under that, you know, which, that's kind of similar to yours.
 You got the Phantom 5, Phantom Phase 5, Wake Surfboards, that's you, right?
 The Phase 5 Fanon, that is the winner, that's my board.
 What distinguishes one board from another, you know, like, well, unlike skateboarding,
 you know, oftentimes you see skateboard decks are very similar in shape.
 Wake surfboards, just like ocean boards, can be all kinds of shapes, sizes, varieties,
 even styles.
 We have surf style boards and we have skim style boards.
 Skim style being, you know, your typical kind of beach skim board, very flat, very slick,
 then you have your surf style board, which is the Phantom board that I produce, which
 is modeled after a small ocean surfboard, very aggressive big fence.
 Making both of those styles kind of allows you to try both things, try different tricks,
 but both of them allow you to excel your skills in wake surfing.
 But it's, we talked about this, but wake surfing is kind of like this combination of skateboarding
 and traditional surfing, right?
 It is.
 And, you know, to talk about, what's the evolution?
 So, from beginner to pro, what are the distinguished, like, if I'm just learning, is it all
 about staying up, like, I'm just trying to keep, like, the gravity up, upright, like,
 what distinguishes the true amateur to where, what are the stages of, like, growth on the
 board?
 Of course.
 Well, usually your first victory is letting go of the rope and staying within the wave.
 I think if you can surf, you're already better than most.
 The next thing that you're going to try to strive for is a 360, and that is the classic
 wake surf trick.
 Everyone wants to be able to do their 360.
 Everyone goes out that summer, and they're like, this is the summer that I'm going to get
 it.
 You can skip, you know, let's skip down a couple of tricks and get all the way to kick
 flips or, you know, 900 shove it, so things like that.
 It can get very technical, very quick, but once you start to get those more high in tricks,
 they kind of all come together and start to become something more achievable.
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 What guides it for you, like, you know, the thinking through like the next thing.
 And then let's talk a little bit about the trick that you're the only one in the world
 that has pulled off.
 But what guides kind of the creative flow of, you know, attaching tricks to tricks?
 Of course, looking online definitely gives me a lot of influence.
 When it comes to my process of trying to learn that trick or try to find something that
 I'm ready to do next, I'll go out and try it, but I shoot videos of it and I go home
 and I study those videos.
 Being able to go back in slow motion and see each individual thing that you've done
 really allows you to go back the next day and, you know, see what, you know, achieve
 what you're looking for.
 I don't have a coach.
 So I don't really have anyone to kind of help me with my basic strategy.
 It's all on me.
 So I would say self-taught in what I've achieved so far and having those skills and the
 utilities to be able to help bring them to life is essential.
 What's the trick that you can do that no one else can?
 The kickflip.
 Okay.
 The surf style kickflip.
 The surf style.
 First to do it.
 Only one to do it.
 At least.
 You can claim it, but they don't have a video of it.
 There's some rumors here and there, but as of right now, I'm the first person to do a kickflip
 on a wake surf board behind the boat.
 Yeah.
 What?
 Why is it so hard?
 I think it's the first, it's the first trick in wake surfing to where you're looking
 at the bottom of your board while you're in the air.
 Generally, we're doing a lot of spin tricks, a lot of tricks where you kind of just spend
 the board underneath your feet.
 This is the very first one where halfway through the air, I'm looking at the fins on the
 bottom of my board and trying to get over that hurdle and learn that trick was one of the
 hardest things I did in my entire life.
 What was the first time you completed it?
 The first time I completed it was earlier this summer.
 It took me 10 years of trial and error to be able to do this trick and I finally landed
 it on the 94th attempt of that morning.
 We were watching that video earlier and I saw you, you know, like you like the look on
 your face and then hearing though the story of the 94th time, I'm just in here going,
 the stamina, you know, to not only stick with it, but, you know, knowing you did it, then
 I don't know, I was probably at the energy to pull it off.
 It was definitely a big feat that morning.
 It was probably about three and a half hours in the water.
 It was a total mental roller coaster of the up and downs of being all I'm so close and
 now I'm so far away.
 What are you doing it regularly now?
 I've hit three in total so far.
 I haven't had much time truly got and practiced a lot to try to get it down, but just recently
 I found that one little key factor that I think is going to be my ticket to getting
 it consistent for next season.
 Is this like just a mental, like a mental check or something or is it like a physical,
 like a physical motion?
 It's physical.
 Ah, so you could teach it until the firm money.
 Yep.
 I can see this happening.
 How to do the kick flip.
 Kick, of course, coming soon.
 Yeah.
 I mean, is that what it really comes down to, like as far as the monetary side, like my
 mind kind of gets wrapped around, obviously, you know, the inflows are stuff and promoting
 products and stuff, but teaching and all that, have you gone down that route yet, like
 online teaching?
 Teaching is huge.
 I'm thankful.
 I have a lot of clients that fly me all over the world to teach them how to wake surf.
 I have a client that's, you know, in their 70s right now and they fly me out a couple
 of times every summer.
 I definitely do some online coaching as well.
 I have friends that have created online courses of how to do wake surf tricks and even like
 a, I have a friend that did like a all a cart program where you can pick each individual
 trick you want to learn how to do.
 So if you already know one, you don't have to pay for it.
 So there's definitely been a very large influx of online, you know, pay per knowledge type
 of, you know, programs out there.
 But for me, I love being in person to teach you how to do it.
 So when we have a chance to get on the water, I'd rather be there on the back of the boat
 telling you how to do it than text you a video of, this is how I do it or, you know, type
 something out.
 Yes.
 Yes.
 I'm much more in person.
 I don't think I can learn without in person, for sure, is, but when you think about
 your own personal brand parker, talking with Parker Payne on the top, we're just going
 to call them best in the world, because you can do a trick no one else can, or the best
 in the world, wake surfers.
 In studio, I might add, we had to do it in studio, you know, in person, which I appreciate
 Parker.
 Yeah.
 You know, you think about your personal brand, I mean, are you thinking about it from
 that media standpoint, like building that library, like doing things, I mean, like what's
 going through your mind is you're planning out the, the, the, the Parker Payne, you know,
 personal brand.
 Personal brand and social media are huge.
 I'm always thinking of what's the next video, what's the next crazy trick that I can
 do that'll break the internet, because as soon as I have a video that goes wild and I
 have my, you know, my board there, my life jacket there, those are all, you know, sales
 and it creates brand awareness there as well.
 So the more views, the more sales, the more fun, it all goes hand in hand.
 So is that really just kind of it now, like, is it just how, you think of amplification
 through the range of the tricks themselves?
 I mean, obviously, obviously that's going to drive it, but more people watch it, more
 people, the good things come.
 Exactly.
 So it's as simple as that for you now.
 Any other channels you're exploring, I mean, is YouTube a big channel for you?
 No, usually short form content is where it's going for us.
 I've tried YouTube in the past and not to say that I wouldn't try again, but with the
 world that we're living in with TikTok and Instagram, Reels, things like that, people
 love that quick, immediate, you know, oh my gosh video that I've got to share this to
 a friend or I've got to show someone.
 That's where we start to see the, the viability that we're looking for.
 And that's, I think, the, the goal of all, do you think people appreciate the difficulty?
 Like obviously if anyone that's done it before goes holy shit, it's, I don't know how
 you just did that.
 Do you, do people grasp the difficulty that maybe haven't tried it?
 I think they do.
 I did.
 Immediately, like I've just seen enough people going by them and like they're not doing
 what Parker's doing, you know, like, but I, I, I dude wonder if that goes over people's
 heads on that.
 To use the kick flip as an example, I think that was probably the, the one where I didn't
 really get any videos of, oh, I can do that too or I've done it before I, that was the
 one where everyone was like, you know, respect, like that's not something that's supposed
 to happen on the water.
 So that was the first one.
 What's the craziest, like DM or response you've gotten, like from people like, imagine you
 get it from all over there, you know, from girls to the guys, you know, like, what is it,
 you know, anything that stands out?
 Well, I'll give a shout out to my friend Joel.
 Some may know him as a dead mouse.
 He's big into a wake surfing, the DJ.
 And he saw my kick flip and he's immediately like, we got to get together, we got to wake
 surf.
 I've had some wild stuff over time, but, uh, he's celebrities or anyone else that's like,
 you know, here and there, here and there, but I'll leave it just at Joel.
 I don't want to name job too many other ones.
 Come on out.
 Yeah.
 Is, uh, but that's the thing though, like we were talking about, like the number of celebrities,
 like the growth of the sport, like Mark Wahlberg mentioned him, like a lot of people are
 getting into this.
 It's definitely become very popular.
 Um, we're seeing many, you know, uh, social media influencers, celebrities, everyone seems
 to be, uh, to getting out there on the water.
 What's been like, you know, the craziest place you've ever, uh, wake surfed or best?
 You mean, yeah, I know you got, like you're, you're trying true places that you go with
 practice and all that, but maybe just experiential.
 When it comes to you, like the experience, I love turks and kakos for wake surfing.
 That crazy blue water, um, is something that you can't get anywhere else.
 It's smooth enough.
 It's smooth enough.
 Yeah.
 So you just, uh, both of those is, but how about saltwater versus regular waters at that?
 I mean, once you're on the water, is it that much difference?
 Um, if you can find smooth water, it doesn't make much of a difference.
 Saltwater does change the buoyancy of the board.
 So if you know really what you're looking for, you may find a small difference, but for
 most, you can go out and be in saltwater or fresh water and still have a great time.
 What's your, what's your boat of choice, um, and currently right now, it really just depends
 on the day.
 Um, I've got something in the works right now and you'll definitely be hearing about
 that soon.
 Oh, okay.
 We're not ready to release that on the rad cast.
 We're maybe on the next one we can, we can have something there, but, uh, yeah, I'm
 really excited for, for what's to come.
 There's a bunch of great boats out there that all make great waves.
 Um, but I think here soon we're, we're going to have something really special.
 Is there a specific boat brand that you do work with, um, currently in the works right
 now?
 Oh, oh, oh, oh, there we go.
 There are things behind the secrets.
 Yep.
 What's unlike the bucket list for you as far as like, maybe where you surf, who you surf
 with, I mean, their aspirations for those type of things.
 Yeah.
 Um, it's always fun to get a chance to surf with celebrities, um, and get to do that
 experience.
 Um, I also love traveling as much as I can to go on those surf type of adventures.
 Um, I love ocean surfing as well.
 Um, last week I was in El Salvador getting to surf with some friends, so it's fun to
 switch it up.
 Um, but I think that I'm always looking forward to, I just love teaching people about
 the sport and introducing them to, you know, the family life of being on the lake and
 being with your friends, uh, is something that I really love showing people and getting
 to, uh, you know, get to experience with them.
 Also, I'm the 2024 calendar for Parker pain, 24 calendar is definitely stacking up, um,
 a lot, um, already at the start of February, where, uh, we're going to be rocking and rolling,
 but I think I'm going to spend a lot of time in Turks and Kicos next year with a great
 friend of mine.
 And, um, there's going to be a lot of opportunities that stem overseas as well.
 Dubai is huge for wakesurfing as well.
 So I'd love to spend some time over there, um, anywhere that I can go, I'll always say
 yes.
 We're podcasts like this just to go and shake hands and meet new friends.
 I'm always willing to, to say, yeah, yeah, it's smart to do that.
 Hey, you might start your own podcast, you know, we started a podcast network.
 You might come under there.
 Yeah.
 Actually, uh, me and a great friend of mine, we do it every now and then, but we do do
 a podcast called The Last Pull and, um, it's every now and then, but we interview other
 wake surfers of like behind the scenes of not just their wake surfing, but also, you
 know, similar conversations we're having of how do they run their personal brand?
 What is their training schedule look like?
 What does their personal life look like outside of that stuff?
 Yeah.
 I mean, let's go down that path a little bit like, you know, the injuries, like people
 think of these sports.
 They may not think of it as like, I think you as you see people, you know, there's
 athlete athleticism involved in it.
 But the training regimen and or maybe some of the injuries you've experienced.
 Yeah, um, with any sport, whenever you push it to its fullest potential, you will get
 hurt, not if you will, um, it's the, it's just the reality of it.
 Um, in my days, I've definitely seen a lot of injuries.
 Uh, personally, I fractured my spine, um, taking many blows to the head, uh, from boards.
 Um, I mean, broken bones in my feet.
 You name it.
 I've probably had it happen, um, being someone that has pushed it really far, uh, it
 happens.
 Um, we try to make our biggest, if we're trying a new trick that potentially has some
 risk, I always try to do it at the end of the year.
 So if I do hurt myself, I have the, the one or time to be able to heal up, um, but thankfully
 within wakesurfing, it tends to be one of the safer sports for anyone that's just getting
 into it.
 You're not really having to worry about, you know, general injuries.
 If someone steps on a skateboard, everyone has a risk of falling down and hitting the
 concrete, whereas on a wake surf, we're thankfully at 11 miles an hour, the water's not going
 to hurt you too bad.
 Yeah.
 I think I'll fall off a few boats, uh, you know, go a little faster than that.
 Yep.
 And then like, in like wakeboarding, I mean, you know, you're pulling behind, you're
 going faster just by the nature of it.
 Yeah, the face plants tend to hurt a little bit more.
 Oh, yeah.
 I'm friends with a lot of those guys and pretty much all of them are wearing double knee
 braces and they're going to physical therapy three times a week.
 So I think that's a whole other, uh, whole other side of injuries and extreme sports.
 And what do you do to keep in shape?
 I mean, is it just, it's a car, I think we talk for years, uh, cardio's a bit one of
 the biggest things.
 Yes.
 So I'm a runner, um, you know, wake surfers are generally tall and skinny.
 So I'm not trying to get as big as I can, trying to keep my body weight low.
 So I'm more efficient on the board, um, but a proper diet is really what helps.
 You are what you eat.
 So eating great food will make you feel amazing.
 Yeah.
 How do you, um, how do you, what's, it's interesting, you're talking to guy like you that's
 doing what they love, you know, was doing a sport that's fun.
 What's fun for you that's not on the water?
 Um, man, I mean, my passion is my, also my hobby at the, or I'm sorry, my job is also
 my, you know, hobby at the same time, um, traveling is probably my biggest hobby outside
 of wake surfing.
 And obviously it does go hand in hand, but whenever I have the opportunity to go somewhere,
 even if I'm not going to bring my wake surf boards, I love just to go into that town
 and experience wherever I'm going for a couple of days.
 Um, and that's what I absolutely love to do.
 Does it get old?
 Has it gotten old yet?
 Like if somebody, you know, somebody might be going, you're going to teach it.
 Let's go.
 Let's get out there on the water.
 I mean, you know, it all has its ups and downs, but generally I love just about every
 minute of it.
 Yeah.
 Is, uh, I mean, what's, what do you see yourself doing like 20 years from now?
 I mean, is it like, I don't know because if you were to ask me, what am I going to,
 if you were to ask me five years ago, where do you see yourself in five years?
 I would not have guessed that I would have been sitting right here doing what I'm doing
 now.
 Um, you know, our environment is changing so much and so many new things are coming up
 here and there that it's really even hard for me to say, what am I going to do in two
 years?
 What am I going to do in five years?
 Um, the best thing that I can say is I will try to capitalize on whatever comes at
 me.
 So if there is a, a new path or a new trick or a new sponsor that comes along that will
 both lead us to success, that's a, that's the train that I'm willing to hop on and
 go with.
 When did the, you know, you obviously went pro in your 14, when did the lights switch
 for you going, this is actually a business, this is a career.
 You know, like, I sense that now from you, but clearly, but is there a certain, did you
 recognize that early on that like, I might do this forever?
 That point came in 2018 when I signed with phase five wake surfers, um, together we made
 the board, the phantom, which is the board I landed the cake flip on.
 Once we came up with that board and we started to see how the public reacted to it, um,
 that was the first time where I was like, wow, there is a, this is a lucrative industry
 to be in.
 Uh, it's also a very affluent industry.
 So there is definitely room for growth and, uh, for success within the, within the sport.
 And as soon as I saw that we had products taking off and the other brands were starting
 to become interested, I knew that this was my time to, to double down and really go in
 on this before time.
 So we're, uh, that puts you roughly 19ish, 18, 19, around that time, I think that was 18
 years old.
 Yeah.
 I mean, it's, it's mind-bending to me, you know, thinking, you know, about your age and
 like having a skill that's so rare at the level that you do and the ability to turn
 that into potentially, you know, lifelong careers is just awesome.
 You know, like, and I mean, I hope you're embracing it.
 Absolutely.
 I love every minute of it.
 I'm very thankful to be doing what I love and get to do it every day.
 What do your parents feel about it?
 You know, like, how do they, how, what's their, uh, pattern and all this?
 They love it too.
 Um, my dad is a social, or, I'm sorry, a serial entrepreneur.
 So, um, he's kind of been my guiding, uh, you know, mentor within my younger years.
 Um, they love it.
 I mean, like I said, they were water skiers in college.
 Um, every time I ask them to say, hey, come on on the boat with me, they're always trying
 to make it.
 I love having them on the water with me whenever I can bring them with me to something.
 I'll always try to, um, they've definitely been a huge influence in my life.
 And the success that's come from it has definitely been, uh, stemming from them.
 Any brothers or sisters?
 Just me.
 So my parents get to get to do it just this, but, uh, it's been a great, great time.
 That was good, man.
 Hey, they were blessed.
 They got a great son that's doing big things and, you know, like blowing up the world.
 It's the internet, right?
 Yeah.
 Yeah.
 Is, uh, TikTok or Instagram, where, where's your, uh, what's the sweet spot?
 I like Instagram.
 I've got a lot of friends that are on TikTok, but Instagram, for me, is, uh, a way to have
 a little bit more of a concentrated audience.
 Um, that's always been my bread and butter is Instagram.
 Were you always an athletic kid?
 Like, I mean, like, for someone listening, it's like, I like to get my kid and something
 like that.
 Yeah.
 Was it just really just always natural?
 I was.
 Um, I love basketball and soccer growing up.
 I was not a football kid being as tiny as I was at the time, but, um, at the same time
 doing basketball and football, I was also picking up skateboarding and snowboarding and
 just being, uh, you know, just starting being into, uh, ocean surfing.
 And, um, as soon as wake surfing came around, I knew that it was time to, you know, hang
 everything else up on the rack and go in on this because I knew that that's what I
 loved.
 Yeah.
 And what's interesting, you know, like thinking about the, the breath and the scope of the
 industry, you know, back to the approachability of it, you know, sometimes these sports and
 like, you know, I think about the X games and winter games.
 It's a young man sport or young woman sport, you know, a young person sport.
 And, but this, this, it just like you said, 70 year old, like you could be 10 or you
 could be 70, right?
 Yep.
 That's an awesome, that's a wide open window.
 I'm still considered to be one of the young guys within the industry.
 Um, so I'm thankful that there's still plenty of time left for me to continue to expand
 my career and that, you know, uh, oftentimes what happens with athletes is right when they
 start to get it figured out, they're kind of on the back and out of their career and they're
 getting a little old, whereas I'm very thankful now that I've still got plenty of time left,
 you know, knocking wood, I'm still in great health.
 So I would love to have the years to come and continue to grow.
 What, how old are most of your peers?
 Um, one of my top competitors right now is 34.
 Okay.
 So we have a 10 year gap.
 Dude, you got 10 years to kick his ass.
 You know, oh, I love it, man.
 I love it.
 I mean, you've got to, you have this really strong sense of like, you got it together,
 but there's humongous, you're going to go far, man.
 Well, thank you.
 Thank you, right?
 I really appreciate you coming.
 Thank you so much for having me.
 It's been an honor to be here.
 Yeah.
 And I'm going to take you up on that, uh, that phase two on the water.
 Let's do it.
 I think that'd be a great video.
 We can absolutely make that happen.
 It'll either be the blooper of the year or the greatest thing ever.
 I don't know.
 I'm fairly athletic.
 I think you can get me up.
 You're going to be kick flip number two.
 I don't know.
 65270.
 I think I have the buoyancy.
 You got it.
 Might be a little bit much, but uh, where can everybody keep up with everything you're
 doing, brother?
 Absolutely.
 If you're finding on social media at Parker Payne Surf, um, that's my main platform.
 You'll find everything else from there, um, I'm always posting crazy videos and trying
 to get the next one there.
 So if you see me there, give me a follow.
 There you go.
 Parker Payne Surf.
 Appreciate you, man.
 You don't find us the radcast.com search for Parker Payne.
 You'll find all the highlight clips from today.
 Links to everything.
 Go get a new board, man.
 You know, you need a new one.
 You do whatever it is.
 Well, it's still some boards for Parker.
 Hey, I'm at Ryan Offord on all the social media platforms that blue pit check mark before
 you could buy it.
 We'll see you next time.
 We're at yes.
 To listen and watch full episodes, visit us on the web at the radcast.com or follow us
 on social media at our Instagram account d dot rad dot cast or at Ryan Offord.
 Stay radical.