Wakeboarder Josh Gailbreath will compete in the Georgia Games. CHRIS THELEN/STAFF

It often takes someone watching to get him into gear.

"When I'm out there and nobody's watching I can be lazy," he said. "I slack off until I see someone looking."

The 17-year-old Thomson teen is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the sport. Last year, he was No. 3.

On Saturday, he'll compete in the Georgia Games competition on the Savannah River.

The Georgia Games is a legacy of the Olympic Games. The Olympic-style event provides an opportunity for Georgians of all ages to compete in 43 sporting events. More than 12,000 participants are expected to compete during the nine days of competition, which began Friday.

Since registration can be extended until the day before the event, it's impossible to know just how many teens compete, according to Scotty McDuffy, Championships manager for the Georgia Games.

Fred Hall, a 15-year-old boxer with the Augusta Boxing Club, in the ring during practice Thursday. He will compete in the 139-pound class during the Georgia Games this weekend. KEVIN MARTIN/STAFF

"I see the championships focusing on amateurs," Mr. McDuffy said. "This is a great competition for them if they want to take their sport to a higher level."

Water sports have always been a family affair for the Gailbreaths.

"My dad was a pretty good slalom skier," he said. "But my mom just sits in the boat."

It was even a family connection that got him started in the sport - his cousin Ashley was responsible for his first trial run.

"It was so long ago that I don't even know how old I was," Josh said. "I was still in the Ninja Turtle phase. The second time I did it I got up, went 50 feet and fell and I was hooked."

His dedication to the sport can be time consuming - his practice begins in February and goes until November. It's also expensive for his parents, Mike and Frankie. Wakeboards cost $300 to $600. The rope to pull them can cost up to $100.

He's hoping the hard work and money pays off and he can turn the sport into a career.

But if that doesn't work out, he still wants to be involved in wakeboarding in some way.

"I'll probably do some sort of video editing or something for extreme sports," he said.

It all could have happened very differently for Fred Hall Jr.

"When I was in elementary school at Barton Chapel I was always getting in fights with the other kids," Fred said. "I never really got suspended, but my parents decided to do something."

Fred's parents, Fred Sr. and Francine, turned to Tom Moraetes, executive director of the Augusta Boxing Club for help. Within a few days, he was there, taking his aggressions out on people who were ready for it.

"(Coach Moraetes) teaches me things every day," Fred said. "I get the great sparring from the top elite open division (boxers)."

Following the club's motto - it's better to sweat in the gym than bleed on the street - closely, has lead him to a No. 3 national ranking in his weight class.

The 139-pound junior welterweight also has a collection of medals and trophies from regional tournaments, including the East Coast Silver Gloves Championship.

"He's a work in progress, definitely," Mr. Moraetes said. "No local kid could take him in the ring."

Now, instead of sparring with schoolmates as he did in elementary school, Fred, a rising sophomore at the Academy of Richmond County, now spends six days a week working out at the Augusta Boxing Club.

Last Saturday, Fred added another accolade to his collection when he knocked out his opponent, Barry Santa Maria of Atlanta, in the second round of his gold medal matchup.

"It means a lot (to) go to the Georgia Games in our city," he said. "I'm excited that so many people will be watching."

IF YOU GO:

Georgia Games

Through Sunday at various venues

For more information, check out the Web site at georgiagames.org or call 261-4263. Visit the Georgia games section at AugustaChronicle.com/gagames.