At 13, Noah O'Brien's making waves in wakeboarding

At the 2025 Wakeboarding World Championship, Noah O’Brien, 12, stepped up to the water Sunday, Sept. 14. 

He had no practice run. He only had room for one fall during his four-minute run. Anything more, and he would be disqualified, and his dream of winning World would escape him.

The boat took off and guided Noah through the lake at the Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton. 

When Noah stepped back onto the dock, he made it. He didn’t get disqualified, and he nailed two or three of the hardest tricks. In that moment, Noah knew he would make the podium. 

Then, he sat and watched the rest of his competitors run their courses. Slowly, as each completed their runs, he had a new realization. 

“I actually might have won this,” he said. 

And he did. 

Noah beat his competitor by one point and he became the Wakeboarding World Champion in the 10-13 boys advanced division.

“He did a great job,” Noah’s dad,  Kurt O’Brien, said. “He was super smart. His run was perfectly designed.” 

Following the design of the plan is crucial during a run for success, and it is something Kurt O’Brien and Noah’s coach, Tony Iacconi, have trained Noah to do. The goal: Be the most intelligent rider in his age group. 

FOCUSED ON FOCUS

Once out on the water, it is only Noah, the waves and his board. His dad watches from afar, hoping everything is going smoothly for his son, but that’s all he can do. Noah has to rely on himself to think quickly and make decisions, all while focusing on his technique — where he’s placing his hands, when to time a jump and how to land it. 

To prepare and condition Noah, Iacconi goes over certain questions Noah will have to answer alone. They discuss what he will do if he misses a tootsie roll, which is a toe-side front roll with a backside 180 handle pass. Should he try another tootsie roll and risk losing points, and what tricks is he going to do? 

Each time Noah hits the waves, he needs to have a general game plan on what to do. It centers him, allows him to stick to what he knows and not become distracted by what others are doing, whether that’s landing flips or falling on them. 

“Before he rides that day, he’s focused, he stretches, most of the kids just go out there and they do whatever,” Kurt O’Brien said. “He treats it more like a real sport and people are seeing that and some of the young kids are starting to do the same thing he does.” 

Noah was a late bloomer in the wakeboarding, foiling and surfing world. He began his water sports journey only four years ago. 

FAMILY BUILDING A LOVE

Noah is the middle child of five. His older brother, Colby O’Brien, wanted to pick up wake surfing, so Kurt O’Brien purchased a good wakeboarding boat. Eventually, Colby O’Brien’s passion for the sport withered, but it piqued Noah’s interest. 

His first attempt didn’t go well on the board designed for someone 10 years older. Once Noah got a proper-sized board, he improved instantly. He also tried the local ski school, Florida Ski School. 

However, real growth came for Noah when he met Iacconi, a former pro who has won nationals a few times. Noah ran into Iacconi at a tournament and asked him to be his coach. 

Iacconi invited Noah to his house and began coaching him. The rest was history. 

Having a coach was just one element of Noah’s growth. His true improvement never would have been possible without his own desire for perfection.

When not doing homework or at basketball practice or out on the water, Noah can be found on his trampoline. He isn’t jumping for joy, though. 

A wakeboard handle is delicately fashioned to the tree in his backyard. Noah carefully unzipped the netting surrounding the trampoline that creates a barrier to protect him from falling out and threw the handle onto the trampoline. He climbed in, zipped himself in, grabbed hold of the handle and began practicing. 

The trampoline serves as a venue for Noah to practice his jumps and tricks, without having to rig up the boat and churn waves. He can fine tune his technique on land before getting wet. 

When it comes time to actually get in the water, Kurt O’Brien starts the engine and drives Noah around the lake in their backyard. He supported Noah’s passion from the beginning, he bought the board and all the necessities for the sport. 

“It’s a lot (he’s done) I’m really thankful for,” Noah said. 

Kurt O’Brien tracks the weather and the wind to know the perfect time to go out. He films Noah so he has footage to review. He travels with him across the state and country to attend competitions — all while managing a business. 

But it’s not just Noah’s father who provides an immense amount of support. His mom, Jessica O’Brien, wakes up early to get breakfast ready, prepares drinks and snacks for school, takes Noah’s two younger siblings to their practices, and manages Noah’s Instagram. 

They started Noah’s Instagram to post his water sport content. Noah’s mom makes a list of all the people to tag, collaborates with them, gives Noah ideas on what to say and suggests music for the videos. 

His family is supportive, but because it makes Noah so happy, that’s what truly matters to Kurt O’Brien. 

“If he didn’t get excited, then there’s no reason to do it,” he said. “We can just go out and wakeboard on the weekends, and he can have fun like a lot of people, because it’s expensive, it’s time-consuming, and it’s stressful.” 

As a parent, it’s stressful to watch Noah in tournaments for two reasons: there’s always a risk of injury and when he doesn’t get to compete because of weather. 

Noah’s love for the sport has grown immensely. When he isn’t out in the water trying to master a new trick, he finds it relaxing and a break from his hectic schedule. He even spent his 13th birthday Saturday, Oct. 25, out surfing the breakers at Cocoa Beach. 

TACKLING THREE LIVES

Water sports is just one element of Noah’s life. He’s a student at The First Academy and plays club basketball. Kurt O’Brien manages Noah’s schedule, because it’s so intense. 

Noah is enrolled at TFA as a hybrid student, so he only goes to school two or three days per week. 

On the days he goes to school, he’s up around 6:45 a.m. to get everything ready and pack for the day ahead. He finishes school by 3 p.m. and relaxes momentarily at home before going wakeboarding or surfing for 30 minutes to an hour then heads to basketball practice. When he doesn’t go into school, Noah rises to wakeboard before going to basketball then coming home to do school work. 

“When I come home from school, I really don’t want to go wakeboarding even though I wish I would but my head hurts from school so surfing is a lot better because I can still take my mind off it but also not be as focused as wakeboarding,” he said. 

Wakeboarding and surfing aren’t short-term hobbies for Noah. He has dreams to continue and win in every aspect and division. 

“Once I do that, I’ll be happy and keep trying to get better,” Noah said. 

To make a living in wakeboarding, you have to make yourself a value to sponsors, aside from simply winning. Noah’s already began to build his reputation through his nonprofit, Wake For Youth. 

He’s partnered with Hyper Light to donate free wakeboards to children in the Central Florida area who are in need. The nonprofit is new and still in its developmental phases but he’s already gifted one 9 year old a board. Down the road, Noah wants to share the experiences of wakeboarding, wakesurfing, water skiing and foiling with the community. 

“His future will be trying to help get people involved in the sport, becoming an ambassador,” Kurt O’Brien said.