Interview nationaal kampioen Israel Moti Levi

Een van de bekendste wakeboarders uit Israel is natuurlijk Lior Sofer. Op vele (internationale) wedstrijden een kanshebber op goud. Afgelopen weekend is Lior echter op eigen bodem verslagen door Moti Levi (broertje van Efi Levi) bij de nationale kampioenschappen wakeboarden. Waarschijnlijk een van de meest late kampioenschappen in het seizoen in Europa, maar wat wil je ook als het daar nog gewoon lekker 25+ graden is. Nelly Mance van Boardforce.net heeft een interview gehouden met Moti Levi, lees hier meer (English), en check hier een filmpje van Moti.

This guy promised to write me more about what’s going on in Israel, but seems like he likes more freeriding than typing…  not knowing how much I like to read what he wants to tell us. Last weekend we had Israeli nationals and guess who won it, Moti Levi, kicking out tricks he never thought he gonna stick… He had one of the best runs in his life, which motivated him to go more and more. I just hope he won’t spend whole winter chilling with his guitar and not wakeboarding… If he do this, I promise I’ll come soon to Israel and kick his ass. Did you hear it?!

Israeli nationals are probably last European nationals in this season. While some of us were snowboarding on the mountains you still had +34 degrees over there… How was the day?

That’s sick ! Actually it’s not really 34+ but it around 25 degrees, with blue sky and cold beer – perfection (-: The Israeli weather is a great advantage for wakeboarding – while jumping on the water in Europe around December  you can case heart attack – here it’s just cold enough to wake you up from the hangover cuz of last night party… What can I say not every day I have the opportunity to report in Boardforce that why  – the day is happy la la la la…. .

You won first place, behind Lior on the 2^nd, Idan on the 3^rd and Efi on the 4^th place. Was it hard? Which tricks were in the game, can you picture us all the runs?

Well.. I’m still shock that I did it… The true is that the night before I went 2 partyyyy like a true wakeboarder… and I just came in the morning with “all or nothing” manner… I open my run with toe 9 from the kicker – which I have never done before. Today this trick become like a 180 of the flat for pro riders around the world, but for me it was the trick that gave me the motivation for the rest of the run! So right after I land it I just did few more water tricks – whirlybird, mobe, and Volcan (ha ha I didn’t know what to do so there was just one option – improvise! ). Lior sofer crash in switch mobe 5 in the 1^st run, but in the 2^nd one he showed us his sick riding with raley 5, crow mobe 5 of the kicker – as I call him – Sofffffer man !!! What can I say, I was kind of a free style rider in my runs – I guess cuz of this way doing my comp – “the best trick or nothing” + a bit of luck = 1^st place.. that’s a cool formula !

You didn’t compete in this season international, with such high level of riding you should join the other Israelis who were with us this year?

Yeah I know… Actually I really took a gear down from the competition scene for a while, but for me it’s part of the life  – studies, work, family, friends, new hobbies.. I don’t want to concede about those stuff. Sometimes as a pro riders you need to take a rest from wakeboarding, then when you are back – you feel like a sick 16 years old rider again !

Read the complete interview here