La Familia

Sam Brown, Luca Kidd, Ulf Ditsch, Josh Harris, Kai Ditsch, Brandon Harris, Daniel Miles, Massi Piffaretti, Tyler Higham

Action sports as we know them today are wildly different from how they rose to popularity at their inception. As years have passed, money has made its way into the sport whether it be sponsorship backing, competition prize pools, or maintaining an image as a social media influencer. While having more money for athletes is the best thing for a sport as it gives them the opportunity to push the boundaries of what is possible, it also seemingly comes at the cost of creating a politically correct culture that incentivizes people to stay within a box of personality in order to be a “more marketable asset” for incoming sponsorship dollars. Even within the social media realm, creators are encouraged to use songs or recreate trends because it will pull in more viewership and ultimately “generate more return”. Individuality is a dying art form but fear not, because La Familia is here to prove to the wakeboard community that the model we have just described is complete nonsense.

Luca Kidd getting the shot

Being under the same roof means spending a lot of time together

It’s been almost two years since the Instagram page “La Familia” popped up in our feed. Their first post, although very vague, tagged a group of arguably the best riders in the sport. Equally as important as raw skill, these riders are also truly individuals in every sense of the word on and off the water. It’s not uncommon for groups like these to develop in the sport, but none quite have the diversity of La Familia. Each rider has a unique element they bring to the table that makes sitting through one of their edits extremely engaging.

Ulf Ditsch sending to the flats

Ulf and Kai Ditsch are willing to send themselves into the flats on seemingly any occasion, Sam Brown is one of the most stylish riders to pick up a wakeboard, Tyler Higham has a technical arsenal of tricks that many riders haven’t even done yet, Massi Pifferati and Luca Kidd both have elite boat riding skills as well as cable abilities, Josh and Brandon Harris continue to push the limits of cable creativity out at Lake Ronix with mind melting hits every month it seems, all while Daniel Miles is behind the camera with his uniquely recognizable filming and editing style.

Massi Piffaretti is no stranger to holding on too long

We are all from different parts of the world but thanks to wakeboarding we all crossed paths at a very young age, what brought us even closer is the way that we all look at wakeboarding and the way we think outside the box, I’ve always looked up to the pointless crew because they could do everything, boat riding rail riding and they were super creative with everything that they did but mainly they were making memories with their best friends that they can remember forever! So when I came into the game that was always a dream, I wanted to do this with my best friends and really try to take this to the next level and really give the young generations more and more to watch and influence them to be themselves!

LFG La Familia

Honestly, we always rode together in Orlando but I think what really made a difference was being under the same roof. Surrounding yourself with good people is really important even if it can get hard sometimes. Daniel Miles is definitely the most important person in the group, without him most of the work would’ve never came out to the public eye!

Massi thinking outside the box

I’m so thankful for every single homie in the group, everyone shines in a different way and I hope we can keep making memories and film amazing videos that represent wakeboarding at its finest!
– Massi Piffaretti

Kai Ditsch putting in work

We like what you’re doing La Familia, keep it going

The point of highlighting each character’s unique skill set on the water is to make a point that these guys aren’t interested in doing what everyone else is doing and this extends into every other aspect of La Familia. From the music selection, to the on-camera hijinx, to even the way they dress, La Familia are paving their own way in this sport in whatever way that they see fit. It’s too common to be scrolling through Instagram watching riding footage to a played out song with a trick we have seen over and over again that feels more like a shill to corporate sponsorship then a unique expression of self. This freedom of expression means one edit could feature an alt/indie song and then in the same edit they bang you over the head with Chief Keef. Ultimately this curates the sense that these videos aren’t made to appease anyone but themselves; something about that unique spontaneity draws you in.

Sam Brown not giving a s#$! about views

None of us really got asked to be a part of La Familia, we all thought of it at once and it was kind of just a group idea that we committed to, it was nothing out of the ordinary of what we were doing anyways. We just decided to film it and put a name to it. I think that’s what keeps something authentic, not giving a shit about views or whether people like it or not. If you like it, you like it. If you don’t, you don’t. Doesn’t really matter, we do it because we love it and that’s that.
– Sam Brown

Tyler bringing the stz

From shooting, to the court, or the grill they are family

Some of the most notable characters in all sports alike are often not the ones that followed the traditional mold of what’s to be expected. Authentic characters like these are what fans can naturally attach themselves to and frankly La Familia are unapologetically authentic through and through. Following trends and sponsorships is often a necessary evil to both grow and bring new people into the sport. However, going against the grain and showcasing your own vision is what leads to building long term culture and influencing the sport for years to come. As La Familia’s Youtube videos continue to rise in popularity we look forward to watching their growth as we expect them to shape the future of wakeboarding for years to come.

Josh Harris is motivated

La Familia started when all the boys moved in together, it’s such an unreal time, everyone is always amped. My twin brother and I never officially lived at their house but we were linking up all the time to film, wakeboard and hang out. I feel like everyone in our crew has their own unique tricks and style to it, we all motivate each other to keep things different and set new standards. This crew gets me the most motivated to wakeboard and film my best.
– Josh Harris