If someone was to suggest strapping your feet to a piece of plastic towed around a lake at 30kmph with minimal safety kit, you wouldn’t be mistaken thinking they were mad.
However, seven members of The Second Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (2 RGR) jumped at the opportunity to represent their Battalion at the Infantry Wakeboarding and Waterski Championships. The week saw these seven people undertake a zero to hero style course focussing on cable park wakeboarding and slalom waterskiing, with a competition at the end. A new skill for all members of the team, a large portion of training involved falling on their faces and being thankful they had increased their PAX insurance prior to starting.
The competition format saw riders complete two runs of the cable park, with points scored for riding skill and tricks performed. Embodying the defeinition of bravery, Rifleman Pravat Rai decided to end his run with a courageous attempt at the 6ft ramp, and although not succesful in landing the trick managed to secure himself fourth in the novice category. Rifleman Sagar Rai also received a special award for spirit of the sport, where dispite struggling to make a complete run, never gave up. Although 2 RGR were unsuccesful with securing a medal, a fantastic week was had by all and preparation is underway for next years championships.
