RANDALL HARRIS 1981-2025
How do you eulogize a wakeboarder who’s already been immortalized? Whose nickname has become synonymous with other-worldly riding and an I’ll-do-it-my-way attitude? The truth is, you can’t — and, to be honest, it wouldn’t be fair to his legacy to even try. Randall Harris impacted too many people in too many different ways to succinctly sum up in a matter of sentences.
Thankfully, we have his videos, his interviews and articles, and those oh-so-epic tall tales to remember him — to continue his irreplaceable legacy, and to grow the immeasurable impact he’s had on wakeboarding around the globe.
Photos: Ephrom
I was fortunate to be early in my career with Alliance Wake when rumors started swirling of Randy getting back on a wakeboard after years away from the sport (770 days, to be exact). But he was no longer Randy Harris, the punk-ass-West-Side-Rider kid from So-Cal with swagger and style for days. Now he was Randall Harris – the Vandall – and he was on a mission: for redemption, and for painting a picture of wakeboarding as only he saw fit — full fling send.
I’ll be honest, the first time meeting him and shooting him, I was nervous – definitely intimidated. But Randall was anything but. In fact, he was kind, inquisitive, generous with his time, and way more humble than you’d ever expect somebody with that kind of reputation to be. From 2007 to 2017, I got to shoot with, travel, and converse with Randall numerous times.
Photo: Rodrigo
And every time I only came away more impressed, with both his riding and his unique energy as a human. Yes, he battled demons, worse than I’ll ever be able to relate to. And yes, he could have a rough exterior that at times might seem hard to penetrate. But he was as engaged and in-tune as anybody — armed with the unique perspective and appreciation for life that can only come from going through those battles. And I believe those battles hardened his love for wakeboarding, despite the tumultuous times it had given him over the years, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Photo: Rodrigo
One of my last in-person encounters with him was at the 2018 Wake Awards, which I was in charge of putting on, and where Ben Greenwood was able to present him with the Legend Award he’d been given a year earlier. Some of that story also revolves around Randall’s demons, but to see him on that stage, getting his flowers from the entire industry, was something really special. His gratitude was effusive to all of us for getting him that award and convincing him to come receive it, but we felt like the lucky ones because he was there.
To say that nobody rode like Randall is an understatement. There is wakeboarding as us mere mortals know it, and then there is the way Randall Harris rode a wakeboard. It was aggressive to the point of disbelief.
Photo: Hahn
Equal parts chaos and poetry, power and polish. And more than anything, it mesmerized generations of riders around the globe. While countless have been inspired by Randall’s riding over the years, nobody has come close to carrying the torch. Sure, other riders have and still do go big. But not 92.5 feet at 28mph big. And because of that logic-defying approach to riding sideways on the water, the myth of Randall only grew and grew, sometimes even more with the less he was on the water.
Photo: Garrison
I’ll forever be grateful that my time in wake correlated with Randall’s. As a teen, I was a fan in awe of Randy, but I got to be a colleague and friend in awe of Randall. As hard as it is to wrap your head around the death of a legendary rider and personality like Randall’s, there is the gratefulness in having been there for the journey, while being a documentarian witnessing the artist work his crazy, beautiful, chaotic magic.
Thank you, Randall, for choosing wakeboarding, for being you and doing it your way. Thank you for dropping jaws, blowing minds and pushing boundaries most others didn’t even realize were approachable. Your legacy will live forever, and I’m quite certain your mythology will only grow from here. I’ll be at the front of the line sharing as many of those tall tales as I can.
We have set up this fund to help our brother Randall Harris in support of his Daughter. We have set up a trust to help support Harmony as she goes through life without her Daddy.
It is up to us, Randall’s friends, and the Wakeboard Community to make sure that we all step into that role however we can. I know Randall would do the same. Any amount would be greatly appreciated and very meaningful to Randall.
