Taylor Rocca
Colden Thompson made a big splash at the 2014 Canadian National Wakeboard Championships in Bala, Ont. this past weekend, returning home with a bronze medal in junior men’s competition.
“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of riding to get to the finals,” Thompson said Monday afternoon. “I’ve done a lot of hard work, so it feels good [to bring home a medal].”
The 17-year-old Thompson took the tough route to the finals after failing to advance following his first qualifying ride. From there, he needed a strong showing in his last-chance qualifying ride, which brought him back to the semi-finals. Another quality run in the semi-finals sent the Cranbrook native to the finals.
Thompson scored a ride of 64.33 in his final run. It was his best ride of the weekend and landed him third in the junior men’s category (age 14 to 17) behind Erik Schroeder (85.67) and Brayden Beswick (73.33).
This was Thompson’s first trip to the Canadian National Wakeboard Championships, having only been competing for one year. The hardware further pads the resume of the rising young wakeboarder, as he continues to establish himself as a promising water sports athlete.
Last year, Thompson captured a first-place finish in the Outlaw Division at the 2013 Waterski and Wakeboard Association of Alberta (WSWA) Provincial Championships. The win was his first major accomplishment in organized competition.
This weekend, Thompson returns to the WSWA Provincial Championships at Alix Lake, Alta. — approximately 55 km northeast of Red Deer — where he will look to ride a wave of momentum from his strong showing in Bala.
The young wakeboarder wished to extend his thanks to those supporting him through his competitions.
Thompson will spend this week preparing for the provincial championship by focusing on perfecting the ride he utilized at nationals.