SAN DIEGO -- Kim Kiirch can do things on a wakeboard that most people can only dream about.
“Most of my friends ask, 'How did you even do that?’” Kirch said.
Kirch wowed the crowd and the judges last August with big air, backflips, and board grabs to win the 17th Annual Jr. Women's World Wakeboard Championship in Orlando, Florida - scoring a near-perfect 60 points.
And to think, she didn't even plan to compete after a disappointing showing at Nationals.
“A really good friend of mine, Allison Blaha, said 'I think you can win so I`m taking you with me,'” Kirch said. “So she paid for me to go and I ended up winning.
“The first time I ever even landed my run was in the contest because I had just put it together the day before. It was pretty crazy and I was stoked because I landed everything perfectly so it was a good trip for me.”
Kirch also skateboards, snowboards and surfs and loves every other extreme sport that gets her adrenalin flowing. But what she really wants to do is get other little girls to enjoy these sports as much as she does.
“The cool thing about action sports, especially now, is that there is a lot of young little girl skaters and wakeboarders that I have seen coming up,” Kirch said. “They are adorable and they freaking kill it.”
When home in Clairemont, the 20 year-old drives around in her Toyota F-J cruiser loaded with wakeboards, surfboards and skateboards. She also carries a five-gallon gas can, and asks strangers for wakeboard rides in exchange for gas.
Kirch says action sports gave her the self-confidence to “go for it,” and she wants other girls to empower themselves.
“Those are the girls that are going to have the most will power and stand up for each other and become more successful ,” Kirch said. “They are going to know, 'Hey, I can do this. I know I can do this and there is no one that is going to tell me no.'
“That is what action sports gives to the younger generation. It gives them that little feistiness to go out and get what they want. I think that is really important, especially for young girls. We are kind of stepping up in the world now and it just gives you that sense of, 'Yea I got this.'
With her success, Kirch has picked up a wakeboard sponsor and snowboard sponsor and also coaches wakeboarding and snowboarding.
In August, she plans to try to defend her world wakeboarding title and hopes to become a force on the water for years to come.
“Most of my friends ask, 'How did you even do that?’” Kirch said.
Kirch wowed the crowd and the judges last August with big air, backflips, and board grabs to win the 17th Annual Jr. Women's World Wakeboard Championship in Orlando, Florida - scoring a near-perfect 60 points.
And to think, she didn't even plan to compete after a disappointing showing at Nationals.
“A really good friend of mine, Allison Blaha, said 'I think you can win so I`m taking you with me,'” Kirch said. “So she paid for me to go and I ended up winning.
“The first time I ever even landed my run was in the contest because I had just put it together the day before. It was pretty crazy and I was stoked because I landed everything perfectly so it was a good trip for me.”
Kirch also skateboards, snowboards and surfs and loves every other extreme sport that gets her adrenalin flowing. But what she really wants to do is get other little girls to enjoy these sports as much as she does.
“The cool thing about action sports, especially now, is that there is a lot of young little girl skaters and wakeboarders that I have seen coming up,” Kirch said. “They are adorable and they freaking kill it.”
When home in Clairemont, the 20 year-old drives around in her Toyota F-J cruiser loaded with wakeboards, surfboards and skateboards. She also carries a five-gallon gas can, and asks strangers for wakeboard rides in exchange for gas.
Kirch says action sports gave her the self-confidence to “go for it,” and she wants other girls to empower themselves.
“Those are the girls that are going to have the most will power and stand up for each other and become more successful ,” Kirch said. “They are going to know, 'Hey, I can do this. I know I can do this and there is no one that is going to tell me no.'
“That is what action sports gives to the younger generation. It gives them that little feistiness to go out and get what they want. I think that is really important, especially for young girls. We are kind of stepping up in the world now and it just gives you that sense of, 'Yea I got this.'
With her success, Kirch has picked up a wakeboard sponsor and snowboard sponsor and also coaches wakeboarding and snowboarding.
In August, she plans to try to defend her world wakeboarding title and hopes to become a force on the water for years to come.
