Ane Armas Segovia: «I always dreamed of this important moment for me»

–Why did you choose this sport?

—Since before I was born I was already on Cable Ski and as babies, my brother and I spent many hours with my parents while they worked. They always tell me that when I was 6 months old I took my first turn in my father’s arms. When I started practicing this sport I was very little and I don’t remember very well why I wanted to start skiing, I only remember that my parents put skis on my feet and from then on I continued practicing it.

—What is wakeskate?

—Wakeskate is a type of water skiing. It consists of going with your feet on a board, but without fixation, that is, like skateboarding, but in the water. Thanks to not having the feet attached to the board, different tricks can be performed with it, such as turning the board 180 degrees under the skier and then falling back on top of the board.

—Why did you choose this modality?

—Over the years I have tried many modalities, but I have always stuck with wakeboarding and wakeskate. Wakeboarding is characterized by having your feet glued to the board unlike wakeskate. I have always done both modalities, but for about 4 years I have been focusing more on wakeskate due to my results in international competitions and that has been what has driven me to move forward and focus more on this modality. In addition, a few years ago I also practiced mono skiing. This consists of carrying a single ski with your feet together, one in front and one behind. In 2022 I had an injury training in a European championship in this modality and from there I decided to focus more on wakeskate.

—What does it mean to be European and World Champion?

—At first I couldn’t imagine it, I always dreamed of this moment. Thanks to the training and preparation that has taken place over these years, I have finally been able to become European and world champion. This makes me very happy, eager to move forward and I am very proud of myself for having achieved one of my goals.

—What was your best competition?

—For me, the best competition was without a doubt the World Championship, since it was my first World Cup and my last opportunity as an under-18 athlete to win this great title. Also, I am very proud since I was able to perform all the tricks I wanted during my finals round.

—And the worst?

—I have never had a bad competition, I try to think that each one of them is a new opportunity and above all, I try to get all the positive points out of it and thus be able to learn and progress both in the sporting and personal spheres.

—How do you combine it with studies?

—I haven’t had much of a problem since I have always had the support and help necessary to be able to cope. It is true that now at university it is going to be a little more difficult due to the lack of time to train.

—What support do you have?

—I have always had my family, they have always been there and supported me in every step I have taken. Furthermore, I am very grateful for the support of the Benidorm Cable Ski family who have never failed me and without them all this would not have been possible.

—What is a day like in your training?

—First of all I get to the cable and prepare myself with the material to get into the water and train. Before entering the water I do a specific warm-up to be ready and warm up. Once I’ve warmed up, I start spinning around and doing the tricks I always do to warm up in the water. Once that’s done, I try to do new tricks to improve. If I see that the new trick doesn’t work after a few tries, I get out of the water and try to do it out of the water. This helps me a lot since I can see where my mistakes are and what I have to correct. I have almost always had to train alone, without a coach, but I have always received help from other people who can still help me and give me advice.

—Is food essential? What type of diet do you have?

—Food is always essential for an athlete, to be in good physical shape and above all to prevent injuries. If a person is not in good physical shape they will be more prone to injuries. I try to eat a balanced diet, not abuse processed food or industrial pastries that do no good to our body.

—For those who don’t know, what is a cable ski?

—A ski cable is a circuit where there are several hooks (transporters) to which ropes are hooked and these carry the skiers. The circuit usually has 5 pulleys, with a pentagon shape and the objective is to complete the entire circuit, that is, to do the entire circuit skiing without falling.

—Tell me about Humberto, your grandfather, as a pioneer of water skiing in Spain

—Humberto Armas Cruz is my grandfather. Now he is 89 years old and well, he could say that he is fine, but that is not the case. Since 2022 he has suffered from dementia which makes him worse and worse and makes it a little difficult for him to recognize people, although he will never forget me, like I will forget him. My grandfather was born in Lanzarote, he lived in a humble family with his two brothers, he was the middle of the three. After studying in Madrid, he went to Germany where he met my grandmother, Edith Langheinrich. My grandfather always had things on his hands and saw the invention of the Cable-Ski in Germany, so when he returned to Spain he had the idea of ​​building a cable. He looked at many places on the Mediterranean coast, but he stayed with Benidorm. Thus, in 1966, the Cable-Ski was opened in Benidorm, which remains in perfect condition today. My grandfather did not do it alone, he had the help of the German engineer Bruno Rixen who invented it. In this way, the first cable-ski in the world was created and also the only one in the open sea and all because of the wonderful idea that my grandfather had. After 58 years in Spain we only have 5 Cable-Ski while in other countries like Germany and France there are more than 100. It is a shame because it is a very easy way to learn this sport and if there were more there would be more fans in our country. In France, the administration is the one that has built more than 20 because they have realized that it is much cheaper than building, for example, a sports center and many people can use the facility. Later in 1971 his son, Daniel Armas, who is my father, was born. Thanks to my grandfather, today I practice this sport and I have achieved all the merits, thanks to him I have managed to be a world champion since without him I would not know this sport today.

—Are you aware that the Armas-Segovia have been and will continue to be the innovators of skiing in Spain?

—I will never doubt what this family has achieved, a family business which is still standing today and will continue thanks to my brother and me. Thanks to this company, this sport has gradually become known worldwide, although today in Spain it is not as well known unlike in other countries.

—Give three reasons for children to start water skiing.

—It is a very fun sport in which you can make friends and have a good time learning. It is a challenge for each of them, at first it may be difficult, but with perseverance you will achieve it and they will not want to stop. It is a sport that allows you to be outdoors, enjoy the water and the environment and disconnect a little from all the technology.

—Who is your idol in sports in general and why?

—I have always really liked Daniel Grant, he is a Thai professional who has always done this sport and has always been a key character in it. Every time I watched his videos I loved them and it made me want to continue learning and try new tricks.

—Tell me about your studies? Why physiotherapy and physical education?

—Well, I have wanted to direct my university career in physiotherapy and physical education because I have always been a sports fan, since I was little I need to do some sport, be busy and it has always caught my attention. The physio part also catches my attention and since my injury I have even more desire to be able to help other athletes.

—Why are you going to channel your life towards sports?

—Since I was little I have always liked physical activity, exercising and in fact I have always done some sport apart from wakeskate such as tennis and soccer. Sport has always been present in my family thanks to my mother who studied INEF and my father who, like me, has skied since he was little. This led me to pursue sports studies.