At 15, Raimi Merritt is one of women’s wakeboarding youngest pro riders and one of its fastest rising stars. Since her pro debut in September 2007, the two-time girls’ division world champion has given other riders a run for their money.

In her pro debut at the 2007 Wakeboard World Cup in Singapore, Raimi finished second only to Dallas Friday. She repeated that feat again by finishing second behind Friday at the World Cup in Qatar. Raimi finished third behind Friday and Emily Copeland Durham at the 2007 Tigé Pro-Am Wakeboard Championships in Mexico.

So far in 2008, she’s finished second at the Board Up Miami/IWSF Pan American Championships and the prestigous Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament. She's also in the running for MonaVie's Queen of Wake Rookie of the Year Award, which is a $2,500 cash bonus given to the most outstanding female rider of rookie status competing in pro wakeboaring's Queen of Wake series.

Raimi began competing at the age of 11 and dominated the awards podium from the very start, winning a WWA National Championship in her first season. In 2007, she captured the girls’ division titles for the WWA World Wakeboard Championships, WWA Girls National Wakeboard Championships, USA Girls National Wakeboard Championships, IWSF Pan American Championships, and the Wake Games.

The youngest daughter of former World Champion and professional barefoot water skier Steve Merritt, Raimi is following in her father’s footsteps--only with a wakeboard strapped to her feet. Her dad taught her to ski when she was four, but the sport never quite clicked for her. But at the age of nine, Raimi tried wakeboarding for the first time and got hooked. She says wakeboarding is way easier and way more fun.

Raimi trains with one of the best wakeboarding coaches in the industry, Mike Ferraro, who thinks Raimi has the talent and the drive to be the very best.