WAKEBOARDING
Not many 17-year-olds can call themselves a national champion.
But for Wilberforce’s Nic Rapa it may only be the beginning.
Rapa claimed the junior men’s national title at the Australian Wakeboard Nationals on the Murray River in Renmark, South Australia last weekend.
Hawkesbury’s Zahra Kell won her sixth Australian wake board title at the championships when she took out the 10-14 girls category and scored the prestigious Mark Kenney Award.
Rapa, who immediately flew out for the USA the day after the championships, said being a national champion was a surreal feeling.
“It’s indescribable to be honest,” he said.
“For me this is something I have trained the last four years for. So for it to finally happen I’m pumped.
“I was real happy with my performance. I was seeded first off the dock in a stacked final of six.
“I just went out there and did what I had to do.”
The 17-year-old finished with a score of 73.37 in the final, almost five points clear of Joel Bartley.
Rapa said he ranked the achievement on par with receiving the Mark Kenney Award a few years ago.
“All the boys in my division are killing it,” he said.
“I’m stoked I could stand up my run and show the crowd and my sponsors what I can do.
“I was shaking...waiting for the result to come out. When it did I was over the moon. But it didn’t feel real.
“A lot of work has gone into this for sure. Training every day and putting 100 per cent into everything I do. But it has just proved that the hard work is paying off.”
Rapa is now living in Orlando, Florida and will continue competing while abroad.
He made a good start to the Wakeboard World Series at the weekend, taking out the junior pro men's division of the Nautique Wake Open in Waco, Texas.
Rapa plans to return to Australia in October for the new season.
Kell won her final with a score of 76.63, more than 25 points clear of her closest rival.
NSW were named the state team winners with 600 points, 80 ahead of South Australia.
