Noah Flegel's wakeboarding career is taking off.
The 14-year-old from Lighthouse Point is already doing tricks on a wakeboard that only top pros can do.
"I really love the feeling of flying through the air," Flegel said, as he prepared to do a few practice runs on a lake in Pompano Beach.
"He's like a human video game for me," said Flegel's coach, Dean Lavelle. "I tell him, he does it, and you see it done."
Lavelle, a six-time world champion wakeboarder, has never even accomplished what Flegel is chasing now.
Noah is a semi-finalist to be Sports Illustrated's Sports Kid of the Year, and if he wins, he'll be on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids.
"I think it'd just be a really great opportunity to help promote the sport," Flegel said. "It'd just be amazing."
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This summer, Flegel won two World Championships, including one in Italy. His coach says that what makes him so great, and why he draws comparisons to Olympic snowboarder Shaun White -- besides the red hair -- is that he never chokes under pressure.
"He's just short of a handful of tricks of the top people that are winning the pro events right now," said Lavelle. "He's literally working on their tricks, already nipping at their heels and he just turned 14!"
In the water, Noah's accustomed to leaving competitors in his wake. Now, he hopes to do the same to the other nine semi-finalists up for SI's Sports Kid of the Year.
The top three will advance to the finals, where Sports Illustrated for Kids will choose who will be on the cover.
You can help Flegel represent South Florida by voting online. Voting ends Monday, October 17th.
