Becoming an Army Reservist is much more than a career opportunity – it also opens many doors to obtaining new skills and taking beloved hobbies to an entirely new level. This was the case for Lieutenant Amy MacDonald, a Reservist with 71 Engineer Regiment whose love of waterskiing has evolved dramatically within the last two years.
From a young age, Amy took a keen interest in waterskiing. However, it was not until 2021 that she decided to apply this skill at a military competition level. That summer, she competed for the first time in an Army slalom course – the spark that would light a competitive flame for her.
In June 2021, Amy teamed up with a group of Royal Engineers (RE) wakeboarders for a week of intensive training. It was an ideal opportunity for knowledge sharing and personal development which is always greatly valued in the Reserve Armed Forces. By the end of their week together, there had been a considerable amount of riding, learning, falling and swimming done!
July 2021 saw the start of the Army Waterskiing and Wakeboarding Championships, where Amy placed sixth overall for waterskiing and second among the female competitors. From there, she was chosen to represent the Army at the Interservice Championships, and in August of last year she took part in the Corps of Royal Engineers Championships along with 49 other Corps members.
Despite still being something of a newcomer to wakeboarding, Amy welcomed the chance to coach some of her colleagues in completing their first jumps. When it came to competition time, she once again scored a second place victory.
Speaking about her experiences, Amy said: ‘I’ve always loved waterskiing and the feeling of skimming across the water, but to have to learn to take on the slalom course was a whole new challenge.
‘Wakeboarding was and still is entirely outside of my comfort zone. The people I’ve met and their enthusiasm for developing the sport keeps me coming back, and I’m excited to represent the Army at interservice level! It is not something I would have expected so soon after starting training, especially as a Reservist since the rest of the RE Corps team are all Regular soldiers and officers.’
Lowland RFCA wishes Amy the very best in her future sporting endeavours, and offers warm congratulations on her remarkable achievements to date.
