Lymington teenager Myles Southworth, who trains at New Forest Waterpark, will compete for the Team GB cable wakeboarding team at the Coldwater Classic

Lymington-based teenager Myles Southworth is about to embark on his first full season as a Great Britain cable wakeboarding team member.

Southworth’s first competition of 2025 will be the Coldwater Classic, held in Belgium in early April, so called because, at this time of year, the water temperature has had little time to heat up after winter.

After that, the talented 18-year-old, who first learned to ride at his local wake park, the New Forest Waterpark near Fordingbridge, will compete in the UK Nationals and the European Championships later in the summer.

Former Priestlands pupil Southworth, who was head boy, was invited to join Great Britain squad after reaching the final of the UK National Championship in August last year. He was thrown straight into the deep end, competing for his country at the World Championships in Paris the following month.

Southworth still does most of his riding at the New Forest Waterpark, where he works as a cable operator and instructor during his school holidays.

Cable wakeboarding is a sport where the boarders are towed around a lake by a fixed cable system and perform tricks off various features strategically placed around the lake.

Whilst not yet an Olympic sport, the inclusion of cable wakeboarding in The World Games in Chengdu, China, in August is seen as an important step to becoming an Olympic discipline and unlocking lottery funding for the riders, who are currently supported primarily through fundraising activities and the support of family and friends.

This year will be busy for Southworth. In addition to competing, he will take his A-Levels in May and June. He is currently studying for his exams at Peter Symonds College in Winchester.

Following his exams and a summer of working and competing, Southworth hopes to travel and work in Australia, hopefully riding as many of their wake parks as possible.

To follow Myles Southworth’s journey, follow him on Instagram. Alternatively, to support Great Britain’s cable wakeboard team, visit gofund.me/8b9552c8