Episode 1: A Chat with John Reeves

Wade Cox launches his brand new podcast with a conversation centered around five questions of his guest’s choice. For this first outing, he welcomes John Reeves, a fellow native Arkansan and friend dating back to Sunday school days. Relatively new to water skiing, John shares a little about how he came to the sport and takes the lead by asking the inaugural round of “Five Questions” for Wade, ranging from his personal life to his four decades as a waterskiing professional. A legendary champion, Wade was inducted in 2012 into the Water Ski Hall of Fame in Polk City, Florida. 

John and Wade chat about everything from how Wade developed his “Five Questions” idea to his earliest memories of water skiing and how he got hooked. They also look at what it takes to be both a great coach and a coachable student. They share a bit about their lives, from divorce and reinvention to their mutual passion for music. Wade shares anecdotes about how his uncle, a charismatic Army veteran, and pilot, sparked his initial interest in waterskiing and how it was a group effort on the part of his whole family that made his pro career possible, financially and otherwise. Wade also talks about what it feels like to move from the go-go years of pro-touring and titles to becoming a mentor and coach to generations coming up as well as midlife newbies just getting into the sport. Together the two old friends tackle the question of what it takes to achieve that aspirational “next level” in water skiing and perhaps also in life at large!