Izzy Goode tells us about her first trip with the GB team to the Cable Wakeboard European Championships . . .

On Thursday, 15th September this year the GB Cable Wakeboard team met at Luton Airport. It was fantastic to see us all in our GB kit and we stood out, and plenty of other travellers took photos of us. This certainly made the trip feel real. The 5hr flight to Israel seemed to take forever but spirits where high and we all made the most of it.

On arrival at our hotel, we dropped off the bags and headed for a much needed meal. The food surprised me and was good throughout our stay. Most days we were down for breakfast at 6:30 and heading out on the shuttle to the lake.

On the majority of mornings we had team training which usually went well for everyone. The cable was high and the obstacles were in a good position. The training time allocated to the GB team seemed to go very quickly each day.

On Monday evening we attended the opening ceremony. How amazing it was to see all the different countries in their kit. This felt a special moment and made us feel proud to represent GB. Throughout our stay we met many new and old friends from around Europe, and I personally look forward to seeing and competing against them soon.

To pass the time away from wakeboarding, there was always something whether that was at the lake or back at our hotel.

All 10 days were packed full with activities. I really enjoyed the trips to the beach and pool to help unwind and build team spirit. One particular evening a few of us went to a horror maze. I should probably say that the guys were very pleased I was there to be the brave one, I've never heard so many screams!

Qualifications:
Overall I was really pleased as I landed both my runs, linking four air tricks. However, the standard was super high and I narrowly missed qualifying, coming 3rd! This meant that I had to go to LCQs the following day. We had so much support and encouragement from the other team members – who warmed up with us and calmed our nerves! CK and Jack were on the dock making sure that everything ran smoothly.

LCQ’s:
As many of you know you only get a single run in LCQ’s therefore these runs are quite pressurised. It’s all or nothing! Luckily my run was very clean putting me in a strong position but I was mindful that the girl after me was the favourite to qualify. The scores took forever to come through (9minutes!!) but finally I found out that I had qualified by one point.

Finals:
The day after LCQ was my final. I had not had long for it to sink in that at my first international competition and I had made the finals. My personal goal therefore was met and I had nothing to lose here and everything to gain. Being first off has pros and cons. I personally prefer it as there is less time for nerves. My run was good, it had good composition and I was happy to land all 4 inverts in my run very cleanly, but unfortunately this year was not to be mine.

There were great performances from everyone and the level of riding was insane. I would like to say congratulations to the whole team and especially to Paul, Liam and Kieran for riding so well in the finals. Big shout out to our medal winner – Steph Caller xx.

The atmosphere during the whole trip was amazing, everyone was so supportive of each other and this filtered throughout the entire team. We didn't manage a team medal but it was still amazing to be at this event.

I would really like to thank the people who made this trip happen and run so smoothly. Helen Harbottle and Paul Peacock for the organisation, Sarah Peacock for being a great “Team mum”, CK and Jack as Coach and Team Captain. Without your time and effort, this trip would not have been the success it was and we all appreciate you!