No Pain, No Gain! Laura Christian tells us about learning Raley’s on the System 2
Over the bleak winter months, we’ve been very impressed with the hard work and dedication of young wakeboarder Laura Christian. The 12 year old has been breaking the ice to ride and letting nothing stand in the way of her goals. Since we last caught up with her, she’s been relentlessly perusing raleys. Here’s her account of braving the through the cold to reach her goal…
Laura Christian writes:
The first time I went to JB Ski, I remember being blown away watching the Raleys! It was so different to anything I had seen before. Sophie Cordery, Kirsteen Mitchell and Sarah Kingdom seemed to effortlessly ‘pop’ out of the water at high speed and spin in the air. I really wanted to be able to do that one day. However once I started learning to ride, that dream seemed an impossibility as I worked hard at getting some basic skills! It was seeing Chloe Goudie at the Nationals raleying in the girls group that really inspired me to want to do it before I was 13… she made it look so effortless and is so skilled. I had heard stories of how painful it was to learn to Raley and of girls who had got knocked out trying. I wasn’t sure I fancied that but LDB reckoned that the System 2 was a good place to learn the technique without so much pain.
I remember my first session at Quayside at the end of September 09… I was so excited to be learning to ‘get aerial’ and scared at the same time. I don’t know what Phil Mitchell must have thought when I first arrived full of hope but I wanted to show him I could handle whatever it took. The first few sessions involved a lot of holding on for my life, big splats and achey shoulders but after a few weeks I had managed to start flying around the corners and getting into the Raley shape… getting higher and higher… it was fun… so sick!.
In November it started to get colder and the splats got more painful but I was determined by then not to let that get in my way. It was sooooo frustrating when the weather got so bad in December/January and there were weeks when the lake was frozen over.
At the beginning of February I was feeling confident at flying round the bends on the System 2 and even got Krypts on them… but I needed to move on and get the technique on the straight bit of cable. Half term was the ideal opportunity and Phil was awesome and opened up every day for me to have a go… owe you one Phil! Dad and Phil spent hours each day watching me splat over and over again. It seemed like so many pieces of a jigsaw that I needed to get right… all at the same time and it was tough… really tough. I had to work so hard to get a decent pop out of the water and when I did I was so surprised that I just hung in the air… splat! I was getting so close but also frustrated and tired. I came home on the fourth day feeling that I would never do it but after an early night and some serious mental focus… thanks Mum… I got it… I landed my first few Raleys on the straight of the System 2… yeahhh! I could NOT believe it and it was funny watching dad and Phil dance around on the dock. There is loads for me still to do now… the line needs to get longer and my pop needs to get bigger… and hopefully I will be ready to give it a go on the cable at JB in a few months when LDB returns… that will be another tale to tell… but I will get there… one day… hey, still six months before I am 13!
I am so glad the winter will soon be over…. so I can hang up my sad looking tadpole hood for another year and look forward to some serious sun. I would like to say a huge thank you for all the support and big encouragement I have had throughout the winter… especially LDB, Sarah Kingdom, Elliott Newman and all the kl guys and gals at Quayside especially Stew Mackie and awesome Phil Mitchell… legend !
Phil Mitchell of Quays said: “Laura Christian is definitely one of the most dedicated and talented young riders I have seen in a long time. Her willingness to learn and the way she responds to coaching is not only inspiring to other riders both male and female but to me as a coach as well. Parents play a massive role in a young persons sporting career the balance of pushing and letting them learn in there own time can make or break a child I think Lauras dad (Neil) has got it spot on. Remember there is no rush!”
Quays is open Tuesday through to Sunday with their System 2.0 in full operation. Quays will be open 7 days from the end of March.
Don’t forget all WAW readers get a 10% discount in the Quays shop until Spring!
