Just over a month ago Jeanu and I received an invite to represent
South Africa at the cable World Cup in Shanghai. Our cable was still closed for
winter so we started training at a Dirty Habits Playground in Durbanville which
is a 2.0 cable. Two weeks before we were leaving to Shanghai, our full sized
cable opened so we were able to get a few sessions in. When I found out I was
going, Jason started training me and I managed to learn 2 new air tricks
:D
On Tuesday, the 29th of September, Jeanu and I left and we arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday around lunch time. Not only was I excited to be invited to such a big event, but Jordan also received an invite to represent Spain which meant I got spend the week with him! I managed to sleep all the way- on every flight and even on the bus from the airport to the hotel so I was well rested by the time we arrived. Jeanu on the other hand, is not as good at sleeping on planes so was not quite as well rested as what I was haha. We were starving when we arrived at the hotel so headed straight to a McDonalds as it was the only food we recognized.
We were up early on Thursday morning for breakfast and caught the 7.30am bus to the cable. Jeanu had a very early night so was awake extra early and caught the 6.30 bus. When we arrived the weather was really bad. It was cold and super windy. After finding the motivation to get out on the water, Jeanu, Jordan and I went for our first practise ride. After practise, everyone headed back to the hotel for dinner and we had a chilled evening.
On Friday morning we had to be up early again as the bus to cable
left at 7.00am. We had a short time to practise before the ski jumping
qualifications started. The weather was alot better, not as much wind and sunny
skies. We left the cable in the afternoon and decided to go into Shanghai to
see the city. We had dinner at a local restaurant, the food was amazing! After
dinner we went to see a famous tourist destination in the city center called The Bund. It was like a waterfront area next to a river that was facing skyscrapers and they were all lit up. It
was absolutely beautiful!
Saturday saw the start of the comp with Qualifying heats as well
as LCQ's. Open Ladies started at 8.00am and I was in heat B.
Unfortunately, I did not land my first run, I think the nerves got to me but
luckily I was able to stick my second run. There were 7 ladies in my heat and I
managed to get 4th. Only the top two riders from each heat went through to the
next round which meant that I was in LCQ's. In LCQ's, only the top rider from
each heat went through to the next round and there were 7 ladies in my heat
again. I thought I had no chance in making it so just went out and had fun. I
landed the cleanest run I have ever done and was shocked when I won my heat!
This meant that I was straight through to the Finals and had made it to the top
8! I was unbelievably stoked and couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the
day!
After Open Ladies, was the Open Men Qualifications. Jordan rode
like a machine and got 4th in his heat. Jeanu also shredded but they both were
in LCQ's later that day. Jordan landed the best run I have seen him do in his
LCQ run, all his tricks were done with maximum amounts of style! He just missed
out on the top spot and got 2nd in his LCQ heat. I was still super happy for
him and he was stoked with his riding! Jeanu also had a killer run but
unfortunately went down on his kicker hit at the end of his run so also didn't
make it through his LCQ heat. The level of riding in Open Men was mad!
On Sunday we went to cable a little later than usual because the
Finals were only in the afternoon. When we arrived the Open Men semi-finals
were going down and the conditions were terrible! The wind was pumping and it
looked like there were waves on the lake! Fortunately, right before the Open
Ladies finals, it started raining and the wind died down completely. My first
run was not the best but I managed to have a better second run. Not my best
riding but it was the most amazing experience to be on the dock and compete
against some of the top wakeboarders that I have always looked up to! This was
my first international cable competition and i placed 7th which I was over
the moon about :D
Sunday night called for celebrations!
We had a very slow Monday morning packing and later went into
town for lunch. After searching for somewhere to eat, McDonalds ended up being
the best bet after eating Chinese food all week. We walked around the streets
and looked at some Chinese shops. Just before we left, William, Jordan and I
managed to get onto the roof top of our hotel! We got some awesome pictures of
the view. Next it was time to catch the shuttle to the airport and home time.
What an epic 6 days it was in Shanghai and I couldn't have asked to spend it
with any other homies.
