Joel Poland isn’t just having a good run of form; he’s redefining what is possible in the sport of water skiing. The 25-year-old Englishman had as close to a flawless weekend of water skiing as perhaps anyone in the sport has ever had, breaking the overall world record in both the preliminary and final rounds, taking home yet another professional victory and the season championship on the WWS Overall Tour to cap things off.
Last year, during the final stop of the WWS Overall Tour, Poland broke the world overall record, his first in two years, and the first time a world record had been broken in a professional tournament since 2005. Since that fateful day, it’s been as if a floodgate has opened. He broke the record again two weeks later at the Malibu Open, again in the spring at Fluid, and then, in one of the most remarkable runs ever in the sport, he exceeded the current record over three consecutive rounds—including in both the preliminary and final rounds of the WWS Travers Cup last weekend.
To be clear, not all of these performances will be recorded as official records. Poland’s scores from the Fluid Fall Record are marginally higher than his two pending records from Sunset Lakes, which will only be considered if the first performance is denied upon review. But all three exceed the current world record, set by Poland back in April.
Spare a thought for his competitors. While Louis Duplan-Fribourg, Dorien Llewellyn, and Martin Kolman have all been in incredible form this season, they are tasked with competing against a guy who is breaking world records at a consistency and pace unheard of in the history of the sport.
To put it in context, the entire podium from the finals of the WWS Travers Cup—Joel, Louis, and Dorien—recorded scores higher than Jaret Llewellyn’s “unbreakable” overall record, which stood from 2002 to 2017. Even Martin Kolman, who finished in fourth place, wasn’t far off the pace. The former World Champion recorded a personal best in jump and one of his best-ever overall scores, yet still couldn’t make the podium.
The level of skiing was off the charts all weekend. Highlights included a pending under-17 world record from Jake Abelson, a new French national jump record from Duplan-Fribourg, and countless personal and season bests.
But none of it was enough to threaten Poland, who managed scores midway through 10.25m (41 off), over 12,000 points in tricks, and jumps in the high 60s (220s) across both rounds of the tournament—truly world-class performances in all three events.
We are witnessing something very special indeed. Don’t look away for a minute.
The Jbilet Mountains Watersports Complex, a man-made waterski facility in Marrakech, Morocco, has been permanently shut down amid growing environmental concerns and public outcry. Earlier this year, the venue hosted the inaugural K1000 Marrakech Pro, the first Waterski Pro Tour event on the African continent. However, the facility’s closure followed local criticism over its environmental impact and lack of community involvement.
Reports indicate that the artificial lake created for the complex relied heavily on groundwater extraction, raising alarms during a period of severe drought in Morocco. Local residents and environmental activists questioned the legality of the drilling permits and the extensive use of scarce water resources. Although the event was not advertised locally in Marrakech, the professional slalom competition’s high visibility—especially on social media and international platforms—amplified these concerns, leading to increased public pressure on regional authorities.
The facility, which resembled a giant swimming pool with a full artificial lake liner, required a significant financial investment to build. It has now reportedly been filled with sand, marking a swift and dramatic end to what was once considered the start of a new frontier in professional water skiing. While the owner initially intended the lake for personal use, the decision to host a major international tournament is believed to have contributed to its downfall. The increased media attention and public scrutiny ultimately led to its closure.
Water skiing has increasingly become a pastime for the wealthy and elite, a natural progression for a sport that relies on luxury towboats, precision engineering, and controlled water conditions. However, the closure of the Jbilet Complex serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of engaging with local communities. While it is a tragic outcome for a passionate family that sought to bring water skiing to their home country, the event’s exclusion of spectators and local businesses—reportedly a chief criticism from the community—meant that the immense resources invested in the facility were not viewed as a benefit, particularly in a region grappling with water scarcity.
Mike Osborn, a legendary figure from the early days of water skiing and a USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame inductee, has passed away. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998, Mike was recognized as one of the best men’s jump competitors of his era, helping to advance the world record during the late 1950s.
Mike’s passion for water skiing began at the age of six, following in the footsteps of his boating and competitive swimming parents. Initially focused on competitive swimming, his drive shifted to water skiing after being inspired by classmates excelling in the sport. By age 15, Mike was already skiing at the iconic Cypress Gardens in Florida, where he became known not only for his athletic skills but also for his comical performances as “Corky the Clown.”
In 1959, Mike reached the pinnacle of his competitive career, winning both the National Men’s Jumping and Overall Championships, and tying the national jump record at 142 feet. That same year, he represented the United States at the World Championships in Milan, Italy, where he earned three individual medals and was a key contributor to Team USA’s victory in one of their closest competitions to date. His unique jumping style, which appeared almost upside-down at times, became his trademark and distinguished him from his peers.
At the height of his career, Mike was featured in several nationwide advertising campaigns, including a memorable stunt in which he skied over a jump ramp while shaving for a Rapid Shave commercial, delivering the line, “Make it fast, make it smooth!”
Outside of water skiing, Mike pursued a successful entrepreneurial career. He founded Osborn Marine in Winter Haven, Florida, in 1969, a business that built custom boat models and became a hub for top marine products. Mike worked alongside his wife, Nancy, and his father, LaRue, in the family-run enterprise.
Mike is survived by his wife, Nancy, and their three sons, Mark, Mitch, and Matt. His passion for sports extended to his family, as they shared a love for dirt bike racing in their later years, even purchasing a motorcycle dealership to support their hobby.
An incredible competitor and early pioneer of the sport, Mike will be greatly missed.
Joel Poland has been on an incredible hot streak over the past few seasons. The 25-year-old is currently leading the Waterski Pro Tour jump standings and the World Water Skiers Overall Tour, taking home more prize money than any other water skier so far in 2024. He has officially broken the world overall record five times, with a sixth record pending as of last weekend. His versatility across all three events—slalom, trick, and jump—is unparalleled in the modern era, consistently competing with the best in the world in each discipline.
This raises the question: Has anyone ever been this good across all three events? While numerous factors contribute to any GOAT debate—such as longevity, consistency, world titles, and professional victories—Poland, still in the early stages of his career, has a long way to go before reaching the heights of legends like Sammy Duvall, Jaret Llewellyn, and Patrice Martin. However, over the past four decades, since systematic record-keeping began, has any skier ever been as close to the top scores in all three events as Poland? Below, we rank the top five streaks in men’s overall:
Dorien’s achievements often get overshadowed by Joel Poland’s rise to world dominance, but the second-generation Llewellyn is the best in his storied family by some metrics. At the 2021 World Championships, his scores across the prelims and finals would have broken his own world overall record—had they been performed in the same round. Unfortunately for him, Poland’s scores were even better, snatching Llewellyn’s world record on his way to the title.
During this period, Dorien posted scores into 10.25m (41′ off), tricked just shy of 12,000 points, and jumped 70 meters (230 feet), placing him within 90% of the top specialist scores in each event. Only Dorien and Joel have achieved this since world rankings began in 1979. Sidelined with injury in 2023, Llewellyn has shown promising signs of a return to form across the first two stops of the WWS Overall Tour.
Image: Yvon le Gall
4. Mike Hazelwood (1979-1981)
92% of Individual Top Scores
92% of Individual World Records
Hazelwood’s dominance in overall skiing is unmatched in many ways. From the late 1970s through the early ’80s, the British skier won five consecutive Moomba Masters and four consecutive US Masters overall titles. At the height of his powers in 1980, Hazelwood held the world jump record, was less than 1,000 points short of the world trick record, and within a pass of the world slalom record.
He remains one of only two men in the past half-century to win professional titles in all three events, including victories in slalom and tricks at the Moomba Masters, alongside his string of jump and overall titles across the globe. Hazelwood might have ranked even higher on this list if records had extended further back, as they only began near the end of his dominant run.
Carl Roberge, known for his imposing athleticism, holds a strong claim as the greatest skier never to win an individual gold at the World Championships. He was ranked either first or second in the world for overall from 1980 to 1990, helping Team USA to five consecutive victories.
In 1982, Roberge was just one buoy shy of the LaPoint brothers’ jointly held world slalom record, less than two meters short of Hazelwood’s world jump record, and still ranked fourth in the world for tricks despite it being his weakest event. To this day, Roberge is the only man to simultaneously hold top-five world rankings in all three events and the only man to win a season championship on the Pro Tour in both slalom and jump.
Patrice Martin is best remembered for his six consecutive world overall titles from 1989 to 1999, including a nail-biting victory over Kreg Llewellyn by just 0.2 overall points—the smallest margin of victory ever recorded.
Martin’s performances in 1996 remain the closest anyone has come to the world record marks in all three events over the past four decades. He held the world trick record, was less than three buoys shy of the slalom record, and trailed Bruce Neville’s jump record by only 20 feet. At his peak, Martin was awarded the IWWF’s first-ever overall record, which he went on to break three times through the twilight of his career.
In an era where specialization reigns supreme, Joel Poland’s prowess across all three events is astonishing. In 2023, Poland ran 10.25m (41’ off), getting within 2.5 buoys of Nate Smith’s decade-old world slalom record. He tricked within 500 points of Patricio Font’s world record and jumped 71.7 meters (235 feet), just half a meter shy of the highest score that year.
While Patrice Martin’s golden run in the years leading up to Poland’s birth was technically closer to world record marks, the context is different. In the 1990s, scores were steadily climbing, whereas today, Poland is competing in an era where jump scores, at least at the highest level, have been declining. In the past five years, only one 240-foot jump has been recorded, and the world jump record hasn’t been seriously challenged in nearly a decade.
In 2023, Poland’s scores were within 95% of the top specialist scores in all three events, a feat previously unheard of in the sport’s recorded history. Statistically speaking, no one has ever been this good at water skiing.
Honorable Mentions:
Jaret Llewellyn (2002-2004)
93% of Individual Top Scores
90% of Individual World Records
Jaret famously held the “unbreakable” world overall record for 15 years, but his slalom performances fall short in this purely score-driven analysis. While undoubtedly one of the greatest overall skiers of all time, Jaret’s success stemmed more from longevity, consistency, and clutch performances than raw talent.
Sammy Duvall (1984-1988)
92% of Individual Top Scores
89% of Individual World Records
The most dominant skier of the 1980s, Duvall won four consecutive world overall titles despite fierce competition. A legendary jumper and consistent slalom and trick skier, Duvall’s era saw specialists like Andy Mapple and Cory Pickos pushing the envelope in slalom and tricks, leaving overall skiers like Duvall playing catch-up.
Pre-1979 Skiers
Early greats like Mike Suyderhoud, Ricky McCormick, George Athans, and Chuck Stearns may well have had periods rivaling Poland, but without systematic tracking of scores, we will never know for sure.
The recently concluded Fluid Fall Record tournament in Central Florida lived up to its reputation, with several impressive performances and records broken. Although the event is an amateur competition, the shores of the lake were lined with professional water skiers, all vying for big scores at one of the world’s premier ski sites.
Among the standout performances was Joel Poland, who potentially set his sixth world overall record. The British skier delivered a remarkable round that included 1.5 buoys at 10.25 meters (41’ off) in slalom, a trick score of 12,160 points, and a jump distance of 69.8 meters (229 feet). This marks Poland’s fourth world record in the past 12 months. Leading the Waterski Pro Tour in jump and remaining undefeated in the WWS Overall Tour, Poland appears unstoppable.
Poland shared on Instagram that he almost didn’t compete in the tournament, saying “This was a real last minute event, I signed up on Thursday, i just had a feeling this weekend could be the one. 3 days later, another pending world record and legs that feel like stone. No regrets 🤘 I’ll take every opportunity I can get!”
In the tricks category, Nelly Ross of Canada set a pending national trick record with a score of 11,230 points, just 130 points shy of the current world record held by Erika Lang. While there are no major trick events remaining for the 2024 season, Ross’s performance signals that the level of competition in women’s tricks is continually rising.
Meanwhile, Hanna Straltsova set a new personal best with a leap of 58.7 meters (193 feet), further solidifying her status as the best jumper in the world right now. Straltsova, who already leads the Waterski Pro Tour, is now outright the second-farthest female jumper of all time, behind Jacinta Carroll. Previously, Straltsova shared the second position with Natallia Berdnikava, but her latest achievement sets her apart in a class of her own.
Another rising star, Martin Labra, the 2024 Masters trick champion, demonstrated his growing potential with a pending Chilean overall record. Labra posted scores of 5 buoys at 11.25 meters (38’ off) in slalom, 12,190 points in tricks, and a jump of 63.1 meters (207 feet). The performance marks a significant milestone for Labra, as he overtakes his uncle, two-time world overall champion Felipe Miranda. Labra is shaping up to be a strong contender in men’s overall in the coming seasons.
Though not breaking any records, Regina Jaquess delivered another remarkable performance, setting only the second score in 2024 past two buoys at 10.25 meters (41’ off)—both scores belonging to Jaquess. The American skier is still in pursuit of becoming the first woman to run the full pass, with her current best standing at 5 buoys.
With six professional events remaining in 2024, including slalom, jump, and overall, the competition is heating up for what promises to be an exciting finish to the season.
Note: the original version of this article incorrectly listed Straltsova’s jump as a pending European record.
Kristy Appleton, the newly crowned girl’s overall champion at the Under-17 World Water Ski Championships in Calgary, Canada, had a harrowing experience following her victory after contracting a misdiagnosed case of meningitis on her journey back to Australia.
In a detailed Instagram post, Appleton recounted the terrifying ordeal that began shortly after she returned home on August 8th. She was initially told by hospital staff that she had COVID-19 and was sent home to rest. However, her condition worsened, and she was later rushed to a second hospital via ambulance after experiencing excruciating pain and near paralysis.
“I couldn’t move, the pain was so bad,” Appleton shared in her post, detailing how she felt “paralyzed” as pain coursed through her body. A doctor at the second hospital quickly administered antibiotics, a decision that Appleton credits with saving her life. “Less than an hour they said I had,” she explained, after doctors confirmed she had contracted meningococcal disease, a severe bacterial infection.
Appleton spent eight days in the hospital fighting the infection. Reflecting on the experience, she expressed gratitude for her recovery and emphasized the importance of vaccinations. She revealed that she had unknowingly not been vaccinated against the B-strain of meningococcal, the one she contracted, and urged others to ensure they are vaccinated.
Despite her brush with death, Appleton is hopeful for a full recovery, supported by her family, friends, and a strong network of well-wishers.
“I have a long journey ahead of me, but I am so, so grateful and lucky to have had so much support behind me,” she concluded.
Her resilience in the face of such a serious illness adds to her growing reputation as a rising star in water skiing. We look forward to seeing what Appleton can achieve over the coming seasons.
The 2024 Waterski Pro Tour’s thrilling season is set to resume with the California Pro Am at Shortline Lake. Leading the pack, skiers like Jaimee Bull, William Asher, and Team Syndicate aim to hold on to their top spots, while the battle for the season championship in jump heats up.
As the tour returns after its summer break, here’s everything you need to know heading into the final six stops of the 2024 season.
What’s Happened So Far?
It’s been almost six weeks since Corey Vaughn secured his maiden victory in England. Now, the world’s best skiers are back on the water in Elk Grove, preparing for the California Pro Am finals this Sunday. The stakes are high as world champion Jaimee Bull seeks to close out her fourth consecutive season championship.
The men’s slalom division is especially competitive, with veteran Asher feeling the pressure from up-and-coming talents like Rob Hazelwood and Cole McCormick. Meanwhile, California marks the first of four jump events that will close out the season, leaving the question of who can challenge veterans like Freddy Krueger and Ryan Dodd still unanswered.
Men’s Slalom: A Tight Race
Asher began the season in dominant form, winning the first three Pro Tour events he entered. However, his momentum faltered with a runner-up finish at San Gervasio and an uncharacteristic sixth-place finish in his home country under the lights.
The big winner on that day was Vaughn, who became the oldest man ever to win his first professional slalom title at the Oxfordshire Pro Am. So far, 2024 has been one of the most competitive men’s slalom seasons in recent memory, with six different winners across the Waterski Pro Tour and legacy Masters events.
Freddie Winter, the reigning world champion, started the season strong with a victory at the Moomba Masters, but a series of disappointing performances ended with a season-ending injury at the Monaco Slalom Cup. Similarly, world record holder Nate Smith has only competed in three professional events in 2024, opting to focus on work commitments instead, and has not looked his best when he has competed.
This has left the field wide open for rising stars like Rob Hazelwood and Cole McCormick, as well as veterans like Jonathan Travers and Vaughan, who have each registered wins this year and sit inside the top eight. With five slalom events remaining in 2024, Asher remains the man to beat, but the competition is fierce.
Can Bull Secure Her Season Championship?
Jaimee Bull holds a commanding 76-point lead over Allie Nicholson at the top of the women’s standings. Manon Costard trails Bull by over 150 points in third place, while last year’s runner-up, Regina Jaquess, is over 200 points behind in eighth. Both Costard and Jaquess seem too far behind to mount a late-season charge.
However, with five events left and only the top six events counting toward total points, Jaquess, the world record holder, could still pose a threat now that the tour has returned to her home turf in the U.S.
Jump Battle: Can Poland Challenge the Old Guard?
There has been only one jump event on the Waterski Pro Tour in 2024, but Joel Poland leads the standings after winning under the lights in Louisiana. Adding to that his victory at the US Masters, Poland boasts a perfect record this year.
Freddy Krueger, competing in his 30th season of professional jumping, is second in the standings but still seeking his first win of the year.
With four of the five jump events still to come, young challengers like Taylor Garcia, Luca Rauchenwald, and Florian Parth have plenty of opportunities to make their mark on the tour.
Women’s Jump: Is There Any Stopping Straltsova?
Jacinta Carroll’s retirement has left a significant gap in the women’s jump field, but Hanna Straltsova is quickly filling it. Straltsova has won two out of two events this year and hasn’t lost a professional jump tournament since May 2023. She consistently outpaces the competition, making it hard to imagine anyone catching her for the rest of the year.
However, the women’s jump field is the strongest it has been in some time with the return of Brittany Wharton, Lauren Morgan, and Valentina Gonzalez from injury. There may still be more excitement to come.
What’s Next?
There are six Waterski Pro Tour events remaining, four of which are multi-discipline tournaments. The season resumes with two events in quick succession, starting with the California Pro Am, followed just three days later by a midweek event in Saskatoon, Canada.
After a month-long break, the tour continues with back-to-back events in Central Florida in late September/early October before another Florida doubleheader in late October/early November to close out the season.
Interspersed throughout will be three professional overall tournaments, part of the WWS Overall Tour, with the next event running alongside the Canada Cup next week.
The final event of the season, the Miami Pro, is a five-star event with the highest single-discipline prize purse of the season, promising additional drama and crucial points for championship battles.
The Waterski Pro Tour resumes after the summer break with the California Pro Am at Shortline Lake on August 24-25. Catch all the action live on YouTube.
The 2024 European Water Ski Championships, the world’s longest-running international water ski tournament, delivered yet another chapter of thrilling competition. Held annually since 1947, this prestigious event has a rich legacy, drawing Europe’s finest competitors, particularly from federations with strong government backing. The latest edition was no exception, featuring standout performances from past and present World Champions, including Louis Duplan-Fribourg, Manon Costard, Martin Kolman, and Elena Thomsen.
However, the highlight of the tournament was undoubtedly the men’s slalom event, which culminated in a dramatic finish between two Italian skiers. The field was stacked with Waterski Pro Tour regulars, including the formidable 41-off club member Sacha Descuns. But it was the Italian contingent, with veteran Thomas Degasperi and rising star Brando Caruso, who stole the spotlight.
In a gripping showdown, Degasperi and Caruso both scored 3@10.25m (41′ off), forcing a runoff. The two teammates navigated the 10.75m (39.5′ off) course with precision, tying again at three buoys—not just once, but twice. In a third runoff, the pair remained locked at two buoys, showcasing their incredible consistency in running their fourth 10.75m of the day. Exhausted and running out of time to conclude the event, Degasperi and Caruso agreed to share the European title, a fitting end to an inseparable battle.
Reflecting on the event, Caruso expressed his excitement: “It was a great tournament, it’s always a battle. Last year we had a huge battle, so it’s a pleasure to share the podium with my teammate and to be here and put up big scores.”
Degasperi, too, was pleased with the outcome: “It was a battle with three runoffs; it was a lot of fun and very challenging. He’s a great competitor, so I’m very happy to share the podium with him.”
For Caruso, this title marks his first European Championship, while for Degasperi, it’s his fifth consecutive win since 2019 and his 11th overall. His impressive tally places him second only to Patrice Martin, who holds the record for the most European Championships in a single discipline, with 15 trick titles.
At 43, Degasperi remains in incredible form, currently sitting in 6th place on the Waterski Pro Tour leaderboard at the halfway point of the season. His latest triumph further cements his status as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
JD Wiswall, a former junior world champion and professional jumper, has passed away at the age of 52 after a long battle with cancer. The Alabama native displayed incredible talent from a young age, breaking numerous records as he advanced through the junior ranks, and collecting a number of national, collegiate, and world titles along the way.
A U.S. national record holder in both junior slalom and jump, Wiswall was selected to represent Team USA at the inaugural Under-17 World Championships, where he became the first-ever junior world jump champion. Two years later, he would replicate that feat by defending his title at the second edition on the Yarra River, making him one of only four skiers to this day to win multiple junior world jump titles. In total, he won five medals across the two World Championships, finishing as the runner-up in overall at both tournaments.
Wiswall attended Northern Louisiana University (NLU), now the University of Louisiana Monroe, where he helped the NLU Indians reclaim the national title after they had experienced their first loss in a decade, securing individual jump and overall titles in 1990.
A brash and confident competitor, Wiswall’s performance at the 1991 NCWSA Nationals became legendary. Jumping with heavily bruised ribs from a slalom crash the previous day, “Turbo,” as his teammates called him, took to the water as the second-to-last skier of the tournament, needing an outright win to secure the team’s title. After posting the leading score on jump one, he stared down the final skier, University of Central Florida’s (UCF) John Swanson, and yelled, “I’m your worst nightmare!”
Swanson, however, was up for the challenge, winning the jump title and guiding UCF to their first ever team title. The Wiswall-Swanson rivalry would go down as one of the most epic in collegiate water ski history.
Wiswall’s best performances came at the slower speed and ramp height of junior and collegiate competitions, where his aggressive style was used to maximum advantage. However, he also had success in the elite ranks, winning the 1989 World Games, Open Men’s jump at the 1994 U.S. National Championships, and regularly competing on the Bud Water Ski Tour through the mid-1990s.
He remained engaged in the sport until the end, attending the last two World Championships as a spectator. During the 2021 World Championships, he expressed his excitement and anticipation in an interview with FlowPoint TV, hoping to see the first woman jump 200 feet.
A fierce and intense competitor on the water, but a gentle and kind soul off it, Wiswall will be greatly missed.
Turn back the clock three decades: Kyle Eade and Steffen Wild are regulars on the professional jump circuit. Russel and Jane Gay are among the best trickers in the world. Mariana Ramirez and Richard Abelson are promising juniors rising through the ranks. Now, fast forward to today, all of these world-class skiers traveled to Canada for the Under-17 World Championships, but now in very different roles.
11 of the 24 individual medals at the recently completed World Titles were taken home by these four families. Additionally, they set three world championship tournament records and, arguably, secured the team title as well, with four out of the six spots on the victorious U.S. Team filled by just two families.
Other second-generation talents included Fletcher and Daisy Green, both advancing to the trick finals; Marie-Lou Duverger, who finished fourth in girls’ overall; Samson Clunie, who narrowly missed the jump finals; and Cameron Davis, who placed fifth in girls’ overall and was part of the gold medal-winning Team USA.
The on-water action was incredible. The finals started with the Eade brothers, Jaeden and Damien, tying for the gold before having to settle things in a runoff. Training partners since day one, has there ever been a more fitting resolution to a sibling rivalry? Meanwhile, girls’ slalom was a tense battle between two South American contenders, with Peru’s Christiana De Osma narrowly edging out Chile’s Trinidad Espinal in the final.
The girls’ jump final was an incredible battle between Australia’s Kristy Appleton and Denmark’s Maise Jacobsen. Appleton threw everything she had at the ramp in one of the bravest performances of the event, willing herself further on her final attempt, which resulted in a spectacular crash upon landing. It took Jacobsen until her third and final jump and a new personal best, but ultimately, the Dane pulled ahead. Give these two fierce competitors some time to adjust to the faster boat speed and higher ramp height, and they could be the next big thing in professional jumping.
The boys’ jump final was relatively sedate after the crash reel that was the preliminary round, but it was Jake Abelson who stole the show second off the dock with a 53.3-meter (175-foot) jump to cement his overall title and set the mark for the rest of the field to chase. Tim Wild, the top seed and favorite after the withdrawal of the injured Tristan Duplan-Fribourg, tried valiantly but ultimately came up half a meter (two feet) short of Abelson’s mark.
While girls’ trick was somewhat of a foregone conclusion, with young Alexia Abelson head and shoulders above the rest of the field, boys’ tricks was a titanic struggle between the two highest-scoring trick skiers of all time, Matias Gonzalez and Jake Abelson. Both had set Under-17 World Championship records in the preliminary round and knew it would take even more in the final. The defending champion, Gonzalez, showcased his ruthless efficiency to set a score of 12,410 for Abelson to chase. A third gold medal was not to be for the American, who, despite two stand-up passes, narrowly lost his last hand trick to time and finished just behind Gonzalez.
While jump is historically the headline event to close out a World Championships, boys’ tricks was a fitting finish, coming right down to the wire. If the current crop of junior world champions is anything to go by, the future of the sport is very bright indeed.
Independent perspectives on tournament water skiing
