UF Wake Team Tribute
William Scott Green II was born on November 6th, 1991 weighing nearly 8 pounds and measuring 21 inches long. He was born in Orlando, Florida, where he would spend the next 23 years embracing a hyper, God-devoted lifestyle. Will was active from the start, fearlessly practicing horseback riding, motocross, hunting and camping. However, there were two things that truly grabbed Will by the heart; wakeboarding and God.
Will’s father, a skier enthusiast, was strapping water ski’s to Will’s feet when he was still in diapers, towing him across their shallow backyard beach area. Needless to say, Will got hooked. However, between school, worship and other sports, Will didn’t really have the time to consider himself a wakeboarder until age 13. This was when he began attending Cohutta Springs, a Seventh-Day Adventist wakeboard camp. Will became very focused on his wakeboarding around this time, and loved being able to involve God in the thrilling sport. The next 5 years, Will continued to practice wakeboarding and his strong belief in the sacredness of the seventh-day Sabbath. He wouldn’t be caught wakeboarding on Saturday because of his devotion to God, and surely wouldn’t’ be caught without his Bible handy (although he could have rehearsed many parts of it verbatim anyway). His commitment to the seventh-day Sabbath prevented him from competing in many professional wakeboard contests, ending his pursuit towards a professional wakeboard career. However, the collegiate wakeboarding industry welcomed him in with open arms, supporting his personal beliefs.
In fall of 2013, Will Green began his journey as a proud competitor for the University of Florida Wakeboard Team and Gator Nation. He was instantly one of our strongest competitors, and was loved by our Gator Wake family, as well as by his biggest collegiate rivals. Will spent the next 2 years growing his relationship with his Gator teammates, even though he attended UF’s Orlando campus. As long as competitions weren’t on Saturday, you could promise the quiet, gentle, yet aggressive rider would be repping orange and blue as he ripped behind the boat or cable. He was that kid who had a perfect run and returned to the dock without ever getting his hair wet… His wakeboarding was legendary, although he was as humble as can be.
However, perfect run or not, Will always had a smile on his face. He lived through God, but didn’t preach about it. His presence gained much respect in the collegiate wakeboard industry, due to both his persona and riding capabilities. So much so, that USA Wakeboard made sure Will was able to ride on a day other than Saturday for 2014 and 2015 regional and national qualifiers. Sure enough, Will would become the 2015 USA Wakeboard National Champion for Men’s B, taking part in UF’s team title as number 1 on May 31st, 2015.
Unfortunately, that was Will’s last year before graduating from UF, and would be his last wakeboard competition ever. Will Green, at age 23, returned to Cohutta Springs for his 6th year as a wakeboard instructor and SDA worshiper in June of 2015. However, he wouldn’t get to truly start his 6th year at his beloved camp due to a fatal wakeboarding accident. On June 23rd, 2015, Will was sent to the place he always dreamt of being, with his biggest idol, the Lord.
Will was a hero to the Gator Wake family and beyond. Even those older than Will looked up to him. It didn’t take much to see where Will’s heart was, and his inspirational qualities were undeniable. We live every day trying to be as close as we can to the perfect human that being Will was. Will is sorely missed, and will be remembered forever.
Please feel free to make a purchase from our selection of frat tanks ($15) and tee’s ($10) in memory of Will’s life. Email us at ufwakeclub@gmail.com to make an order. All proceeds will go towards Will’s cause: sending more children to Cohutta Springs.
#WakeForWill
#LiveLikeWill
Will made the #3 spot of Collegiate Wakeboarding's Top 10 in the 2014/2015 season
http://www.wakeworld.com/news/feature/collegiate-wakeboarding’s-top-10---20142015.html
Assistant Dean of Men at Southern Adventist University, Kevin Pride, shared Will's incredible story with Adventist Athletes. http://www.adventistathletes.com/2015/07/10/live-your-life-on-a-different-level-what-i-learned-from-will-greens-wakeboarding-teammates/
