Twelve-year-old Calgary based athlete Hunter Kelso participated in his first-ever Water Festival on July 27.
“It didn’t go very well,” Kelso said.
Despite the excitement of participating in his second-ever competition, and first Water Festival, Kelso’s nerves and the wind made competing extremely challenging.
“It was really windy. I couldn’t get any pop offs from the wake, it was hard because it was rounded on the top, so I just had to ride over it,” Kelso said.
For Kelso, who has been wakeboarding for two-years, training begins in the summer in Fernie with his father.
“He’s on the water as much as he can with his father,” said Kelso’s mother, Amy Kelso.
“He did well, but he was disappointed in his run because he can do a lot better,” she said.
Adding, “Nerves might have had a little something to do with it, and the wind has an impact.”
Although Hunter didn’t perform as he had hoped too, wakeboarding keeps him coming back because of the adrenalin he gets while on the water.
“I’ve always been into action sports, I like the big air,” Hunter said.
Despite the challenges, Hunter faced while on the water, he was proud of his grabs coming back to the starting point.
“My grabs coming back were good, but they were hard because I didn’t get much air, and the wind was in my face,” he said.
Although Chestermere residents attended the Water Festival to watch athletes, there was a wide range of activities for families to spend the entire day at John Peake Park, including games, bounce houses, food trucks, and live entertainment.
“I love what the city does, all of the activities, with the bonus of the competition,” Amy said.
She added, “This year it seems to be even bigger and better than the last time. It’s great to be out here and see the city really come out and support it.”
