THREE county teenagers are jetting out to Thailand in a quest to become world champions.
Eve Smith-Lang, Lotte Docherty and Orla Winn will fly the flag for Great Britain at the IWWF World Cable Wakeboard and Wakeskate Championships.
Athletes from across the world will take part in the event, which gets under way on October 30.
Smith-Lang, from Dunbar, has been representing Great Britain since she was 13 and taken part in more than 20 international competitions.
The 17-year-old, who will be competing in the open women category, said: “I got selected for Team GB in 2018 when I was 13 so to get that recognition for my riding at such a young age meant the world to me.
“I feel so fortunate to be able to represent my country in competitions, the sense of pride you get from standing in your team kit at the opening ceremony is unreal.
“I am standing there for me, my family, my local cable who started me on this journey, my coaches and my country.
“It makes all of the hard work and sacrifice worth it.
“IWWF World Championship events are about as big as they get in cable wakeboarding and they only happen every two years, so people are desperate to showcase what they can do. It is where the best riders from all over the world come together.
“There are over 240 people entering this competition from around 80 nations, so the stakes could not be higher.
“I am no stranger to this type of competition now, having attended three European Championships.
“This will be the second time I have attended the IWWF World Championships – the first time being in Argentina in February 2019 in which I placed fourth, narrowly missing that podium spot.
“I had a lot of nerves and pressure the first time around so I am going to try to really enjoy this one.”
Fellow Dunbar resident Docherty took up wakeboarding four years ago and is already ranked number one in the UK and number two in the world in her category.
The newly-crowned U14 British National Champion told Courier Sport she “could not feel more proud and privileged”.
The 14-year-old, who is in S3 at Dunbar Grammar School, said: “I am so excited to be given the opportunity to watch and ride alongside the best wakeboarders in the world.
“This will be an amazing experience, one I will never forget.
“For me, Thailand is my biggest competition yet; my aim is to go out and do the best I can for the team – and, most importantly, make every minute count of this experience and enjoy it!
“Wakeboarding for me is the full package: it’s fun, exciting, inclusive and such a friendly environment.
“I love being down the wake park helping out at kids’ clubs and on the dock sharing stories, experiences and giving hints and tips.”
All three of the athletes train at Foxlake Adventures, near West Barns.
Smith-Lang, who left Dunbar Grammar School earlier this year and now works at Foxlake, said: “Wakeboarding provided me with an escapism from any pressures I had at school or with generally growing up – just heading down to the lake to cut some laps and try something new to get away from all the stresses of the day.
“I’ve also met, through the sport, so many incredible people from all over the world who I would now consider some of my closest friends; also, the complete adrenaline rush of landing a new trick or trying something you are absolutely terrified to do but doing it anyway has taught me to step out of my comfort zone and be brave and resilient.
“I’d say ‘enjoy’ doesn’t capture how I feel about wakeboarding as it is so much more than that to me; also sometimes it hurts!”
Fellow competitor Winn, 16, from Haddington, was recently crowned 2022 Junior Women’s National Champion.
Winn said that “the only pressure I feel is from myself” ahead of competing in Thailand.
She said: “I’m excited to compete. It is such a large competition with so many top riders taking part from all over the world.
“It’s both an honour and a privilege to be representing my country in the competition.
“I try not to buy into others’ expectations of me but keep true to my own. I will keep pushing myself and progress as much as I can.
“My hope is that I will continue to be one of the world’s top wakeboarders and continue to inspire the younger generation to take up the sport and encourage the older generation to keep progressing.”
Winn, a pupil at Knox Academy, said that while combining school and wakeboarding was difficult, she “wouldn’t give up wakeboarding for anything”.
She said: “It’s tricky trying to fit everything in – I just have to do my best.
“The life experience I am getting at the moment is amazing. That’s education in itself.”
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