Hunter Graham
Hunter Graham
-foreword by Greg Young-
Starting in roughly 2007, our friend and favorite photographer Bryan Myss told us about a kid he’d met out in Spokane , WA named Hunter Graham. Bryan had been out taking photos on a trip that Slingshot Wakeboards had put together. He knew our company and what we look for in team riders, so as soon as he met Hunter, who rode for Slingshot, Bryan knew he’d be a perfect fit. He said Hunter was a super-talented rider, but more importantly he was an incredibly nice, well-mannered kid that completely had his act together. The next summer, although we’d never met him, we called him and signed him to our wake team. A few weeks later, Hunter flew to Seattle, WA and stayed with us while he was in town to compete in the Bakes Invitational Double Up event. I picked him up at the airport, and considering we’d never met and only talked on the phone for a few minutes, we got along great and talked the whole drive back to the office. Hunter only stayed at our place for about 3 days, but by the time he left, Zack and I were absolutely blown away by the guy. He was more put together than any 16 year old kid I’ve ever met. In fact, he was more put together than most people twice his age.
On Fathers Day of 2009, Hunter was killed in a jet ski accident near his home on Hayden Lake, Idaho. The news of his death stunned us all, and broke the heart of anyone that knew him. I remember talking to him on the phone a few days before he died, he was so excited about the upcoming wakeboard season and wanted to make sure we knew he wanted to be involved in any aspect of the company that we needed help with. Hunter had just started his own business and his enthusiasm for working hard so he could accomplish his goals was infectious. I got off the phone with him and told Zack about the conversation, and both of us agreed that Hunter was one of our favorite people we’d ever met. We still can’t believe he’s gone, but we’ll forever remember him as a humble, gentle, sincere, loving, kind, enthusiastic, positive, hard-working, ambitious, soft-spoken person who changed the lives of everyone he met. In the days following his death, I remember someone describing him as the type of person that would walk into a room and instantly walk over to the person sitting by themselves, get to know them, and make them feel wanted, noticed, and included. Hunter was definitely that kind of person and I wish there were more people like him in this world.
Hunter was a strong Christian and in both life and death his testimony has changed the lives of many of the people who got to know him. The meaningful impact that he had and continues to have on our company earns him a lifelong spot on our team. He may be gone, but he’ll never be forgotten.
-foreword by Greg Young-
Starting in roughly 2007, our friend and favorite photographer Bryan Myss told us about a kid he’d met out in Spokane , WA named Hunter Graham. Bryan had been out taking photos on a trip that Slingshot Wakeboards had put together. He knew our company and what we look for in team riders, so as soon as he met Hunter, who rode for Slingshot, Bryan knew he’d be a perfect fit. He said Hunter was a super-talented rider, but more importantly he was an incredibly nice, well-mannered kid that completely had his act together. The next summer, although we’d never met him, we called him and signed him to our wake team. A few weeks later, Hunter flew to Seattle, WA and stayed with us while he was in town to compete in the Bakes Invitational Double Up event. I picked him up at the airport, and considering we’d never met and only talked on the phone for a few minutes, we got along great and talked the whole drive back to the office. Hunter only stayed at our place for about 3 days, but by the time he left, Zack and I were absolutely blown away by the guy. He was more put together than any 16 year old kid I’ve ever met. In fact, he was more put together than most people twice his age.
On Fathers Day of 2009, Hunter was killed in a jet ski accident near his home on Hayden Lake, Idaho. The news of his death stunned us all, and broke the heart of anyone that knew him. I remember talking to him on the phone a few days before he died, he was so excited about the upcoming wakeboard season and wanted to make sure we knew he wanted to be involved in any aspect of the company that we needed help with. Hunter had just started his own business and his enthusiasm for working hard so he could accomplish his goals was infectious. I got off the phone with him and told Zack about the conversation, and both of us agreed that Hunter was one of our favorite people we’d ever met. We still can’t believe he’s gone, but we’ll forever remember him as a humble, gentle, sincere, loving, kind, enthusiastic, positive, hard-working, ambitious, soft-spoken person who changed the lives of everyone he met. In the days following his death, I remember someone describing him as the type of person that would walk into a room and instantly walk over to the person sitting by themselves, get to know them, and make them feel wanted, noticed, and included. Hunter was definitely that kind of person and I wish there were more people like him in this world.
Hunter was a strong Christian and in both life and death his testimony has changed the lives of many of the people who got to know him. The meaningful impact that he had and continues to have on our company earns him a lifelong spot on our team. He may be gone, but he’ll never be forgotten.
