It happened.
After 23 years of wakeboarding.
I got a place on the British Team.
Literally a dream come true to represent my country in the sport that I love.
What a moment!!
So what did this entail? Planning to leave the family for 10 whole days was not easy. It was the longest I had ever left them, and the first time I had left the country without them. There were plans, remote working hours and spreadsheets that resembled a military operation.
I caught the Eurostar to Paris and made my way to Le Kable with an hour to spare before my first cable session. This was needed, new cable AND my very first time on a clockwise cable. It was so weird at first but at the moment, I can’t remember what its like to ride a ‘normal’ cable!
The time came when I was given my Team GB jacket… this was definitely a very special moment!
We had a time for more sessions on the water and we were also given our official event bibs which we would then wear every time we rode going forward. Team training sessions followed where the teams were given allocated slots on the water. This was pretty nerve wracking as each team would watch what the other teams were doing in preparation for their comp runs.
The competition started and qualifiers were under way. My turn in the Masters Women was up. I was pretty nervous but I kept the self talk to what I planned. I put down my first run which was complete. And then my second run was definitely the best competition run that I had ever done! I qualified 3rd!
The next three days were filled with cheering for the other team mates and watching the qualifiers and also the heartbreaking LCQs, quarter finals and exciting semi finals. The team put down some epic runs and the overall riding standards were so HIGH!
On the evening on the fourth day, I had my finals. The day was intense. I’d been doing good up until then. I was pretty emotional, I had to keep taking myself away from everyone. I saw others with their families and I missed mine. I had to dig pretty deep to keep it all together and remember why I was there and how I had trained and prepared for this moment. I mentally went where I had to go to get it done. This was new for me, and I’m stoked to say the prep worked.
Finals started and I put down a first run that I was happy with! It even put me in 2nd place for a bit! I had the chance to up it on my second run but fell on the last feature, and pretty hard too on my hip bone, and finished in 3rd.
The goal was to get on the GB Team. A podium finish was a dream vision.
Coming away with a Bronze Medal was honestly the cherry on top.
And I had the best first experience with the Team, so welcoming, friendly and supportive. They made the trip a truly epic experience! Thank you to Team GB!
Lex Balladon 