LBSU wakeboarder takes on Worlds

By Jennifer Ferranto
Special to the Daily Forty-Niner

Long Beach State senior Cheryl Newton is facing her biggest challenge yet: finishing college. Her second biggest challenge, however, is what is getting her the most attention: competing as a professional wakeboarder.

This weekend, Newton, a marketing major, will compete against the top women professionals from around the world at the Vans WWA Wakeboard World Championships in Lake Elsinore. Worlds, as it is commonly called, takes the top wakeboarders from countries such as Canada, Japan and Australia and pits them against each other to determine who are the best wakeboarders in the world. Newton is proud to be representing the United States.

"I'm on my home lake," Newton said. "So, I am most excited about actually being here and for all my friends and family being able to come and see me wakeboard."

Having the hometown advantage is getting Newton a lot of attention, but her swift move into the Top Ten professional women in the nation is gaining her the respect for which she has been striving. Placing fifth at the Gravity Games, seventh at the National Championships of Wakeboarding and sixth at the America's Cup tournament has secured Newton a place among the top women in the sport.

She has high expectations for her performance at Worlds.

"My goal is to get in the top six and I expect to do it," Newton said. "I have the advantage because I have ridden [at Lake Elsinore] in every different condition it could possibly be."

Newton added that balancing school with sports is often difficult.

"It's hard to balance both," Newton said. "It will be so much easier after I graduate in December. I am looking forward to [wakeboarding] more full time, where now I can only be part time because of school."

Newton has no plans of slowing down after graduation. Her goals for next year include qualifying for the ESPN X-Games, competing in all the pro stops and finishing in the Top Five. As for the distant future, Newton plans to combine her degree in marketing with the sport she loves.

"I look to wakeboarding as a way to get a marketing job in the industry," Newton said. "It has opened up so many doors for me."

For now, Newton said she is just happy to have had the opportunity to come this far, and she looks forward to the challenge at Worlds.

"I am going to do well through practice and confidence," Newton said. "I have made a lot of mistakes this season and I have learned from them."

The Vans WWA Wakeboard World Championships will be held Oct. 5 ? 8 at the Channel at Lake Elsinore.