Cordell Wear.

As many of you might remember, on May 6, 2000, wakeboarding was hit by a terrible tragedy. One of the Double Up team riders lost their life while riding on Lake Lavon in Texas. His name was Cordell Kraut. "Corey took a high-impact fall, which took him underwater, and he never resurfaced. Corey has always been known to wear floatation. However, on this day, he put on a pullover jersey for warmth and forgot to wear his vest." (Wakeboarding Magazine, May 11, 2000)

Cordell left many friends and loved ones behind, but his memory lives on in the hearts of those who knew him. Corey "Monkey Boy" Kraut was a person that "always provided you with a smile, a laugh, and made a negative situation into a positive one" says Cordell's sister Kelly. "He lived life to it's fullest and fulfilled his dreams." Cordell had a philosophy to "Go Big in Life" and that's he did.

As a way to keep Corey's memory alive, his sister, Kelly (with help from Jocko of Wake TV and Nick Knieriem of Newt Juice), started to make commemorative shirts, jackets, stickers, etc. and released them at Boardstock in October of 2000. The Cordell Wear was a hit and the positive feedback she received motivated Kelly to take Cordell Wear to a higher level. "I design the shirts to keep my brother's spirit alive and it is a great healing process for me," states Kelly.

In mid 2001, Nick Knieriem introduced Dan Noonan, Owner/Proprietor of Xtreme Gear Online to Kelly Kraut. Because she had been selling the products via phone only, Nick recommended that Kelly take her products to the web. Noonan and Kraut worked out an exclusive arrangement where Xtreme Gear Online agrees to be the sole online distributor for Cordell Wear through www.xtremegearonline.com. In addition Noonan agreed to return all profits received from Cordell Wear back to the Kraut family. According to Noonan, he only hopes to generate a little more site traffic from the deal. "I strongly feel that I sell quality merchandise at a reasonable price." says Noonan. "When the people come to buy Cordell Wear, hopefully they'll see something else they like!" Noonan feels that it is a noble cause, and that the more people who buy Cordell Wear, the more it will help the family and help keep his memory alive.

With the anniversary of Cordell Wear's debut less than a month away, the launch of Cordell Wear on www.xtremegearonline.com comes at an optimal time. Be sure to visit to see the new Cordell Wear stickers, shirts, sweatshirts, baby tees, Flex-fit caps, visors and more!

For more info e-mail info@xtremegearonline.com or kellykraut@hotmail.com