Wakefest is an international wakeboarding competition held yearly in Singapore. In 2012, I took part in the Intermediate category and crashed out, not making the finals. 2013 had been a slow year in terms of progression for me. 2 injuries back to back meant I was out of the water a lot. In spite of a strained leg, I decided to take part in the competition for the experience and with no expectation.
Wakefest
I had been working a lot on getting my basics right and had not learnt many new tricks. Throw in the injuries, I started to prepare only two weeks before. Although I said no expectations, my coach had a different idea. I crashed out in 2012. So in 2013, I had to ride to win. It was the same category and it wasn’t like I couldn’t do the tricks. He did have a point. It is a competition after all.
There were 12 competitors for my category. The competition started with 2 heats. The top 3 from each heat would go straight to the semi finals. The remaining contestants would get to ride again for a second chance in what is called the Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ). The top 2 from the LCQ would move on to the semi finals. The semi finals would have 8. Whereby 2 would be cut out to have 6 contestants for the finals.
This thing called ‘nervousness’ always gets to me. It happens when the boat pulls me from the dock to start my run. My arms would feel weak and my legs would become like jelly. All I could think of was how I was thrown off by the big wake of the boat, last year.
I came in second last out of 12 contestants.
Thank goodness for the Last Chance Qualifiers. I managed a better ride in the Last Chance Qualifiers and made it to the semi finals by the skin of my teeth. I was seeded last.
Now, it was game on. I cannot take part in a competition and not be competitive. This is what I signed up for. This is where I show off the goods. The next morning was the semi finals. One contestant from each heat would be out. I needed to make sure it wasn’t me. The survival instincts kicked in and I actually completed my run without falling. I was excited and gave the others a run for their money.
Finals here I come.
The finals were not so exciting. Everyone didn’t ride so well and neither did I. We all did not complete our run. Even so, lucky me came in second. The winner, 14 year old Jia Yi had been riding flawlessly and her ride in the finals was no different. She was the most consistent of us all and that is why she won. Consistency, let us be friends : )
Here is a video of Wakefest Singapore 2013:
Want to know more about my experiences and how you can learn from them? Let’s talk… Drop me a line.
