RUSTY MALINOSKI

Rusty Malinoski was born and raised in Humboldt, Saskatchewan.  As a young child, he had a lot of energy that he channeled through sports, such as hockey and motocross.  By his teen years, he was over the competitive hockey scene and getting tired of being on the road for motocross races.  One summer day, he tried wakeboarding with his brother and some buddies, and instantly got hooked.  He knew the very first time he tried it, that it was something he wanted to do at a very high level.  

Rusty worked hard every chance he got on the water.  He utilized resources to increase the size of the wake on an old fishing boat and eventually got an old ski boat that he transformed himself into a wakeboarding boat.  He built the tower and used this vessel to take his skill to the next level.  He was on the water every chance he could get, and eventually moved to the U.S. to pursue wakeboarding as a career.

Once in the United States, Rusty worked odd jobs to pay bills and support his training on and off the water.  With the support of Backside Board Shop located in Saskatoon, Rusty's first sponsor, he was able to work his way up to earning industry sponsorships.  

Rusty's breakthrough year was in 2005, where he won his first Pro Tour stop in Reno, NV.  From there, Rusty's confidence and ability grew and throughout the next decade, he captured every title there was to win, including multiple World Championships, US and Canadian National Championships, Master Championships, and even securing the gold for his home country of Canada at the 2015 Pan-Am games on Canadian soil.

Rusty credits his hard work and determination for getting him to the top.  He truly changed the sport of wakeboarding and made it a more physical sport in the sense that training off the water was just as important as on the water.  

Rusty is most proud of his back-to-back Wakeboarder of the Year titles, that were voted on by industry insiders.  He also was the first to land a 1080 in competition.  Rusty is grateful for his upbringing in the small town of Humboldt, and the hard work ethic instilled in him by his parents, Gloria and Bernie, and is appreciative of the support he received as part of the WSWS High Performance Program which helped him achieve his goal of becoming a world class athlete.