|
Official Name:
|
Bader A. A. Aljihayem
|
|
|
Team Position:
|
Team Captain
|
|
Date of Birth:
|
June 5, 1979
|
|
Place of Birth:
|
Kuwait
|
|
Height:
|
161 cm
|
|
Weight:
|
60 kilos
|
|
Aljihayem started wakeboarding in the summer of 2004. Before he even knew whether or not he had the ability to wakeboard he bought a board. Within the first year of wakeboarding he purchased a boat and began the Kuwait Wakeboard Team. And since this time has continued to support the riders and the team.
|
|
Why did you start wakeboarding? Saw it on T.V. early "2004" and bought a board for the summer to give the sport a try. The following year I bought a boat. I have been involved in gymnastics since I was a child and wakeboarding seemed to stem from two activities I love and am passionate about; gymnastics and water.
|
|
Do you have an idol? Who? Why? Or Who is your favorite rider? Philip Soven is my favorite rider because of his style, tricks and abilities as a rider. Darin Shapiro is my Idol because of his aggressive riding style.
|
|
Personal Goals: To become a professional rider and be within the top 5 riders in the World Cup Competitions.
To develop wakeboarding within the region
|
|
What is your current wakeboard and why? Watson by Liquid Force, 130cm. My other board broke and Watson was available here in Kuwait. It is the best board I have tried so far. Prior to this board I had a Lyman by Liquid Force, 135cm. It was the latest board available here in Kuwait. I thought I would give it a try. After 3 months of tricks and increasing skill challenges the board split and I bought the "Watson."
|
|
What was your first wakeboard (if different from the one now)? My first board was a beginner board which was a CWB, 142cm. This board was too big for my height and weight. At the time I picked this board because it was the cheapest. This board was broken by the propeller of the boat. I purchased this board because I was inexperienced in wakeboarding and was unsure of how to pick a board.
|
|
Favorite time of day (week and year) to board: Around 3:00pm just before sunset in the summer when the beach is not too crowded (weekday)
|
|
How often do you practice (when, where and how)? Not less than 4 times a week from June to September, this training has become a yearly ritual. When I am lucky I train more. During the winter or cooler seasons I trampoline train.
|
Current tricks:
- Basic Tricks: switch, jumps, wake to wake jumps, grabs
- Grabs: mute, tail, nose, Indy, melan, Indy shifty, slob, stalefish
- 180’: front / blind, with grabs(many versions), back roll, Air Raley
- ack roll / Heelside Roll to Revert / Toeside with grab / Toeside back roll / 360’ backside, frontside / Air Raley( superman ) / Heelside Air Krypt / Whirlybird / Suicide / Tantrum /Tantrum with indy grab / offaxis 180
|
|
Hardest trick thus far: Whirlybird-it is a combination of a tantrum with a 360' turn, two tricks in one.
|
|
What is the best method of wakeboarding for you? Glassy water, wakeboarding behind a boat specifically designed for wakeboarding full of my friends cheering me on with any rope, anytime of the day and on any board.
|
Current titles:
- “Best Team Award” at the 2008 Annual Arab Slalom and Wakeboard Championship
- Participant in “Kuwait’s First X-treme Water Show in 2006”
- 1994 and 1995 “Kuwait Judo Champion”
- 1999 “Kuwait Body Builder 3rd Place”
|
|
Other interested activities: Soccer, watching UFC, trampoline, watching Wakeboard clips or videos, listening to music
|
