A few months ago when Superhuman first heard of "the Hoffmans," We assumed it was two guys that were making a splash onto the wakeboard scene. We were wrong. Since then we have learned a little more. We put Walt Ostarly on the job and got us a little interview with the ladies. Here you go:
Raquel Hoffman's interview with Superhuman
SuperHuman When did you start wakeboarding and why?
Raquel I was ten years old. We always had a boat but we hardly used it and mostly kneeboarded. Our neighbor, Mike took a wakeboard out on our boat once and got our whole family hooked! Then our friend Kyle met us a few years later and started teaching us a bunch of tricks. After Justin Nix from CWB started hooking us up with gear, we started competing a lot more and into the pro scene as well. By then I was about 16 and now I’m 19.
SuperHuman If you had any advice to give a young person starting to wakeboard what would it be?
Raquel Try to ride with people who have been riding for quite some time so that they can help you avoid any bad habits with riding and driving out on the lake. When we first started wakeboarding, we didn’t know anything about what size and type equipment we should have been using. Also, never let frustration take over. Everybody has bad days. Just remember that if it weren’t for the bad days, the good days wouldn’t be that good. And always wear sunscreen!
SuperHuman what was the most interesting trip you have ever taken? Why?
Raquel I think Cancun was amazing! We got to ride in a little salt water river right off the shore of a big outdoor mall. As you could imagine, it was gorgeous! I performed pretty well and so did Shawna. Our parents took us to other places around Mexico too and we had so much fun! It’s the only place I’ve traveled to that I could try to speak Spanish to locals.
SuperHuman what is your favorite breakfast food?
Raquel Special K cereal! Any kind. Yummm!
SuperHuman what is your favorite piece of clothing? why?
Raquel Dresses because they are so feminine and usually comfortable. And they hide the scars on my thighs that I get from falling on rails.
SuperHuman If you had a million dollars how would you spend it?
Raquel I would buy a houseboat to put on Lake Oroville and a cabin in Tahoe. If I could live in a cabin by the snow resorts in the winter and then on a lake in the summer that would be wicked! I would also try to give to St. Judes or some other organization similar.
SuperHuman If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why? Pick one man, and one woman.
Raquel I would want to meet someone from the past since that opportunity wouldn’t come often. Sooo… for a man I’d like to meet Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) because I think he’s one of the best authors in history. I would also love to meet Harriet Beecher Stowe for the same reason. It was rare and hard to see past racism back then and I think it was really brave and cool to have their opinions published in classic novels.
SuperHuman What was the funniest thing you have ever experienced?
Raquel This probably isn’t the funniest thing that’s ever happened, but here’s one funny thing that’s happened recently. So whenever I know a telemarketer is calling, I try to talk to them in a different accent, telling them I am not interested. I like to practice Irish, Spanish, English and German accents. I’m best at my Aussie accent though, so that’s the one I use most. One day, lots of unavailable numbers were turning out to be telemarketers on my phone, so I answered the phone one time with my Australian accent. It turned out to be Amber Wing, the Australian pro wakeboarder. I didn’t even realize it was her until I had said quite a few words with my (what must have sounded lame to her) accent!
SuperHuman If you could own any car in the world what would it be?
Raquel I’d rather have a jeep or something I could take four wheeling in the rocky hills. Or if I could have some kind of safety bubble around me, I’d want to make my Honda CRF150 bike street legal. Actually, a hybrid would be awesome just like Shawna said!
SuperHuman How do you get motivated before a competition?
Raquel I love talking to my good friends. Fortunately for me, a lot of friends that I have from the West Coast are also at the pro competitions too. Hanging out with them right before I ride or listening to them cheering me on while I’m on the starting dock helps me so much!
SuperHuman What's in your IPOD?
Raquel Everything! I don’t have every song, but I have every type of music there is and can appreciate any type of music. I have the usual rock, rap, country, pop…but then I also have and love some classical, Spanish music, German Oktoberfest music, techno and everything else! I love all music but I think I love music with string instruments the best; especially just the acoustic guitar.
SuperHuman What's in your DVD collection?
Raquel Shawna just took a bunch back from out of my house. I don’t have that many, but most of them are wakeboard videos. I also have The Notebook, Stardust, Oceans Eleven and Lord of the Rings.
SuperHuman Are you a cat or a dog person?
Raquel Right now I’m a puppy person! I just bought the most gorgeous little hunting pup (Brittany Spaniel) named Bella. I think I’m going to start hunting again, which I haven’t done since I was about 12.
SuperHuman Favorite TV show?
Raquel I don’t watch too much TV but Scrubs is really fun to watch!
SuperHuman Last movie you went to see?
Raquel The Dark Night. It was brilliant!
SuperHuman Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Raquel Hopefully I will still be wakeboarding competitively. I want to be remembered as one of the most progressive women’s riders. Women are progressing like crazy these days, but there is also still a lot of room for any of us to be “the first to do this” or “the first to land that”. When I’m trying to land new tricks, I try to think about what few or no women do yet. I also hope to be doing something with the degree I will have recently completed. In the more distant future I would like to be an English teacher. I want a husband and kids too someday.
SuperHuman Name a company that you are not sponsored by but would like to be?
Raquel Can I pick two? Honda and Chillis.
SuperHuman Do you ever get tired of signing autographs?
Raquel I don’t. Sometimes my shoulder might but I won’t ever get tired of it. It’s something I never thought I would do when I started wakeboarding so I still can’t believe I’m doing it at times.
SuperHuman and last but not least what did you think of your photographer
Raquel I want you to take pictures at my wedding someday! And to take more pictures at contests and photoshoots and anything else! Thank you so much Walt!
Shawna Hoffman's interview with Superhuman
SuperHuman When did you start wakeboarding and why?
Shawna I started wakeboarding when I was 7 yrs old. Our neighbor took our family out to try wakeboarding and I got up my first try. That whole summer we were wakeboarding maybe 10 times, and each time I improved. By each year, I advanced from crossing the wakes to clearing the wakes to landing wake to wake 180's to trying flips and spins at age 12.
SuperHuman If you had any advice to give a young person starting to wakeboard what would it be?
Shawna Don't get frustrated if you don't get up the first day, or land a new trick that you've been trying. Wakeboarding takes a lot of practice, and when you achieve goals, its the best feeling, all the nerves and hard work is paid off. number 1 thing to remember is don't forget that its all about having fun!
SuperHuman what was the most interesting trip you have ever taken? Why?
Shawna My favorite trip was last year, when My sister, Dad and I went to INT Wakeboard Nationals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We went to the bayous with this huge group of all of our wakeboard friends. We saw the biggest Alligators, and I swear i thought one of them was going to attack me! Then, the next day, a couple of us went wakeboarding with the Louisiana wakeboarding crew on this gorgeous river with endless miles of butter!
SuperHuman what is your favorite breakfast food?
Shawna it goes back and forth between bacon and eggs or biscuits and gravy
SuperHuman what is your favorite piece of clothing? why?
Shawna In the summer, I pretty much live in a swim suit, or the plentiful amounts of dresses, since it varies from 95-108 degrees.
SuperHuman If you had a million dollars how would you spend it?
Shawna I'm not sure I'd want a million dollars, cause I'd probably save it and never really end up using it, except for helping with the community leagues, so that someone can actually eat and live in a home. Then I'd probably pay my parents back for all the gas and traveling they spent on taking my sister and I wakeboarding every summer, which i am very thankful for. If I had any extra, I think i might just buy a piece of land in Hawaii, or on another tropical island on the other side of the world
SuperHuman If you could meet someone living or dead,who would it be and why? Pick one man, and one woman.
Shawna Thankfully, I've already met all of my inspirational Idols of Wakeboarding, and have gotten some really good advice from them. Supposedly I'm related to Amelia Earhart, it would be really cool to meet her and ask what happened, if she ran away to an island, or if she really crashed. How did she get the courage to enter a sport that not very many women would consider doing at the time, and to risk flying all the way around the world.
SuperHumanWhat was the funniest thing you have ever experienced?
Shawna I don't remember any stories of the funniest moment, its pretty much just a couple good laughs with my friends
SuperHuman If you could own any car in the world what would it be?
Shawna I'm not a big fan of the sports cars, so if I could have a hybrid of any brand of truck, as long as it's strong enough to pull a boat, or strap in a dirt bike, that would be perfect!
SuperHuman How do you get motivated before a competition?
Shawna dance around with friends to random 80's songs, maybe do a couple jumping jacks, or take a small jog to get the butterflies out of my stomach..
SuperHuman What's in your IPOD?
Shawna It depends, i favor back and forth between rock alt. or country chick flick songs..
SuperHuman What's in your DVD collection?
Shawna A variety of Wakeboarding, Walt Disney and Pixar animations
SuperHuman Are you a cat or a dog person?
Shawna I think I'm more of a dog person, because I like almost any kind of dog, but for cats I pretty much only love the fat and fluffy ones!
SuperHuman Favorite TV show?
Shawna Fuel
SuperHuman Last movie you went to see?
Shawna The Dark Night
SuperHuman Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Shawna Hopefully ending my senior yr at Chico State, with a liberal studies degree and a teaching credential for elementary schools, and still riding the pro wakeboard Tour
SuperHuman Name a company that you are not sponsored by but would like to be?
Shawna Chevy
SuperHuman Do you ever get tired of signing autographs?
Shawna No! I never do! I feel so special that someone looks up to me, and I love meeting so many people that are so stoked and happy about Wakeboarding!
SuperHuman and last but not least what did you think of your photographer Walt
Shawna Walt is an awesome photographer with so much motivation and enthusiasm! He has a creative mind, and a good eye for perfect angles for neat shots! It was really fun to work with him
