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Britains F2 Ladies skier Paula Newland admits that being around boats and water skiing all her life just gets better as she gets older! We put Paula in the hot seat for the 1^st of our fortnightly Focuses

How Long Have you been involved in the sport

At the age of 8, in 1974, I learnt to ski on Llangorse Lake in South Wales behind a Dory that was a tender to a luxury powerboat. From then on, I spent as much time as was allowed, training and playing on the River Severn with my father, Martin Davies. As a family, we were members of the Penarth Water Ski Club, a thriving, hard working, hard playing, social and racing community of which I am very proud to still have the support of and from where I have many life long friends.

What titles have you achieved

I have raced for many years, from winning Junior Girls and Ladies in the Welsh and South West Regions, to picking up podium places in British Nationals.1987, and our family boat became a new 21ft Ring called ‘Motivation’, a name that would stay with our boats for a fair few years to come! Kitted out with a pair of Mariner 200’s, it helped me to gain selection as a GB team member for the World Titles in Sydney, Australia but for a number of reasons, we unfortunately had to decline the late 1990’s, after the birth of my second child Lauren, I took to the water once again, and secured a place in the British squad for the 1999 World Titles in Spain, where I achieved 6^th overall in the Women’s Category. nto the millennium and 2000 was a case of onwards and upwards, teaming up with Frank Fleming and his F1 outfit ‘Tuff-E-Nuff’. This was the first of many enjoyable seasons, including another British team posting in 2001. This time, the eyes of the ski racing world turned to the USA and to Las Vegas for the World Championships, racing on Lake Mead. 10 years after my first World Championships in Spain, the time had come once again to step up to the plate and represent GB on the world stage at the 2009 Championships. The location was to be the infamous Belgian Canals. A handful of points seperated me from 3^rd In Women’s F2.

How do you prepare for each race

Getting on the water as much as time/ weather allows, but being in the UK perfect conditions and nice weather can be few and far between. It does stand us in good stead for racing elsewhere though, being prepared for the worst conditions can only make the less demanding ones easier

Who is your greatest inspiration

My father, Martin Davies, also a skier and now entering into his 44^th year of competitive racing, still one of the favourites in British F3 and to this day my biggest supporter and above all, biggest influence in the world of ski racing.

What has been your most favourable race

2010 brought THE BEST season ever, conquering the dreaded Belgium Canals by taking top honours in Ladies F2 at the Diamond Race, picking up the title of Overall British Ladies Champion and placing 2^nd in ladies F2 in the European Championships in Arcos De La Frontera, Spain. As well as a proud moment with Will joining the GB team alongside me to compete in Men’s F2 in the same Championships.

What advice would you give to up & coming skiers

My advice to a new participant of our sport would be to mark your success not only by your achievement but also the enjoyment and time it takes you to get there.

Do you have some hidden talent !

In1983 I was selected as Miss Young Wales, with a trip to Seoul in South Korea to take part in the Miss Young International Beauty Pageant.

What are your goals for 2011

What do I want from 2011?

More of everything… (Although maybe cutting back on the minor disasters!)