By Muneera Al-Rabiah
KUWAIT, March 14 (KUNA) -- Wakeboarding is one of the most demanding marine sports that requires some "gnarly" skills to overcome the unpredictable nature of the sea.
With their "far out" attitude and unwavering determination, Kuwaiti women wakeboarders had taken on the challenge to show people that their country has the asset to compete against the world's top athletes.
In an interview with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), member of (Q8 Balance) wakeboard team Shaikha Al-Nouri attributed her passion to her late father who always encouraged her to take up sports when she was young.
In 2009, the Kuwaiti athlete got interested in wakeboarding and by 2010, Al-Nouri began to compete and win local tournaments.
Al-Nouri said that she was currently the only senior female team member in Q8 Balance; however, she was undeterred from continuing on her path to glory.
She affirmed that her teammates had always encouraged her to continue pursuing her passion.
Most recently, Kuwaiti women had been showing increasing interest in wakeboarding and in fact, more cadets are joining the team so far, said Al-Nouri.
On their part, wakeboarders Janna Al-Nsef and Mariam Al-Sabah -- who joined the team in 2014 and 2016 respectively -- were inspired to take up wakeboarding after the reputation of the team grew exponentially.
Despite a number of difficulties, both athletes expressed their desires to compete and win in upcoming wakeboard tournaments, stressing that nothing was impossible with hard training and a gung-ho attitude.
The all-Kuwaiti wakeboard team was established in 2008 while the Q8 Balance squad was founded in 2011. (end) mar.gta