Having learned to ski before he could even walk (at a tender six months old), Trevor Hansen has spent his life on and around the water. For 14 years he competed at the highest levels on the Pro Wakeboard Tour, but since 2015, as his riding career was winding down, he still found himself in the thick of the competition — in the driver’s seat.
What’s it like going from competing on the Pro Wakeboard Tour as an athlete to being the driver?
I have always loved the competitive atmosphere, so it’s different not having that game-day pressure and having to go perform at my highest level on the water, but it’s pretty cool to still be part of the action by being in the boat and watching from the mirror.
What’s the hardest part about the driving aspect?
Probably not getting too excited when the guys are landing insane tricks! In all seriousness, the hardest part is making sure that I drive the right lines for that specific venue to minimize rollers and keep the water the calmest it can be for the riders.
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What are some of the advantages of today’s watersports boats?
The technology that is in the boats makes boating accessible to a lot more people, especially in the watersports realm. Just hit a few buttons on the touchscreen and you can seamlessly transition from being able to wakeboard, surf, ski or just cruise. The learning curve and intimidation factor have been reduced dramatically over the last few years.
You first learned to ski when you were six months old, so you’ve basically been on the water your whole life. How has that played a part in your family dynamic now?
It’s incredible, we live on a lake in Clermont, Florida, and our entire world revolves around the water. We are out on the boat almost every day during the summer. For me, it’s really fun that my wife and kids enjoy it as much as I do. It’s an activity that allows us to spend a lot of quality time together having fun. In my book, it doesn’t get much better than that.
If you’re on the water but not driving or riding, what are you doing?
I run a wakeboard and surf school called Wake Coach Trev, so I am out coaching on my Supra SE 550 all the time. It’s funny because I work on the lake, but even if I have some “me” time, I am usually right back on the water, whether it’s fishing, spearfishing or SUPing. But if I ever want to get off the water, I love hunting and golfing as well.
