Wakeboarder Sasha Christian ready for World Games 2009 in Kaohsiung

By Marvin Lowe

Bedok Reservoir, Thursday, July 16, 2009 – While kids her age were at tumble tots, Sasha Christian was already conquering the waters. Sasha started water skiing at the tender age of 3 and she made the switch to wakeboarding when she was 5 years old. At age 11, she made her first foray to into the competition arena. As there was no competition catering to her age group at that time, Sasha was made to compete with much older peers.

Now 16, Sasha Christian is already one of Singapore’s top female wakeboarder. Starting young has provided her 13 years of experience that has helped her overcome challenges and firmly establish her position as one of the best in Singapore.

Sasha grew up in an environment where her family members also participated actively in the sport. She was inducted into the sport by her mother while her brother, Matthew Christian, is also a competitive wakeboarder. Sasha recalls the times when she followed her older brother.

“My brother was the first to wakeboard and when he started doing wakeboarding tricks, that really spurred me on to do well in wakeboarding. He inspired me to learn more and excel in this sport.”

Besides her brother, Sasha considers Dallas Friday of the USA, one of the top female wakeboarders in the world, to be another source of her inspiration. ” The tricks that she pulls off are amazing, she’s definitely as good or even better than some of the guys out there!”

Besides wakeboarding, Sasha enjoys music as a form of leisure. She loves to play the guitar and is learning to play the piano as well.

Currently studying in the Singapore Sports School, Sasha is the only wakeboarding student in the school. Being in a sports school environment has helped further develop her potential. The flexible time table allows her to go for training and overseas competition without compromising on her studies. Sasha credits her teachers for their support.

“The teachers are very approachable and supportive here. They make sure I catch up with my studies through one on one sessions after I return from overseas competition.”

Beyond that, the school has also helped honed Sasha’s mental strength through their sports psychology programs and strengthened her physically with their gym programs.

Sasha will most probably the youngest competitor for the wakeboarding event at the World Games in Kaoshiung. The World Games is organized by the International World Games Association (IWGA). It is made up of 32 International Sports Federations governing all those sports and disciplines of sports. One unique feature of the World Games is that alternative sports such as Sky Diving and Wakeboarding are featured in this competition.

Before flying to Kaohsiung for the World Games, Sasha will be heading to Hong Kong over the weekends for another competition first. This competition will serve as a warm up for Sasha. The lack of local competition has forced Sasha to undertake oversea competitions for experience and to further develop her competitive edge. As wakeboarding is not a recognized core sport yet, Sasha has to fund these overseas trips on her own at times.

Sasha has been out of action recently after suffering an ankle injury during training while practicing for a new trick. Coach Paul Fong shared, “Big tricks tend to be ankle busters and when she was trying it out, she landed badly and hurt her ankle. She’s just gotten better and slowly getting back into the groove. The competition in Hong Kong will help her get into a competitive frame of mind again.”

Paul has literally watched his charge, Sasha, grow up under his care. When asked how he would define his protege, he summed it up succinctly, “Tenacious and passionate. She never gives up.”

As for the upcoming competition, Sasha has set herself a realistic target, to make it into the final round.

“For this competition, I will be up against older and more experienced wakeboarders. I just hope to have a good clean run in all my rounds and land all my tricks. My best trick has to be the first invert that i learned, the Heelside Backroll. I am also hoping to land the toe-side 360, which is one of the newer tricks that I have learned recently.”

Sasha has set her sights far and wide. After the World Games, she is hoping to excel at the World Wakeboarding Championships which will be held in Korea. Her best finish was 3rd place in the under-14 category and she is looking to improve on it.

Coach Paul has high hopes for Sasha. “If she peaks at the right time, she can win the gold medal this time.”