Author: USA Waterski

Scot Ellis Waterski Hall of Fame

Scot Ellis to be Inducted into Hall of Fame | USA-WSWS Foundation

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Scot Ellis selected as 2025 inductee into the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame

Scot Ellis Waterski Hall of Fame

Image: USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce the 2025 inductee to the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Scot Ellis will be formally enshrined at the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

Scot Ellis’ love for water skiing began as a kid in Central Florida when he happened to catch a show by the Lakeland Water Ski Club. At age 7, he was a member of that Lakeland show team, and at 8, he was skiing three events, too.

Used to playing team sports where you might get one trophy at the end of a long season, Ellis won his first three-event water ski trophy and never looked back. “I could walk away with four trophies every weekend,” he says, “and I was hooked.”

Most of those trophies eventually came in jumping, but Ellis was more than capable in slalom and was an overall skier into the 1990s. His breakout came at the 1988 Junior Water Ski World Championships. Without a major victory to his name yet, Ellis went to Australia and won gold in slalom and overall, silver in jumping and bronze in tricks.

They soon knew his name when he broke into the pro ranks in 1990, winning four events and the tour title right off the bat as a 19-year-old. During an era when pro ski tournaments were shown on ESPN and extreme sports were booming in popularity, Ellis was like a literal rock star.

Over three decades at the elite level, Ellis was a 10-time World Cup champion, 10-time Pro Tour champion, 3-time Moomba Masters champion, 3-time Australian Open champion, and 2-time Moomba Masters Night Jump champion. He also won professional jump titles at the U.S. Masters, U.S. Open, and Italian Open. Throughout his career, he set 14 U.S. national jumping records.

At the 2021 IWWF World Waterski Championships, Ellis, at age 50, made the finals and finished in a tie for 10th place. It was his final major tournament before retiring a few weeks later.

Huge Congratulations to Scott… we can’t wait to celebrate with him on May 3, 2025, at the Nora Mayo Hall in Winter Haven, Florida! Tickets go on sale on January 1, and sponsorship details will be released soon… we hope to see you there!

www.usa-wwf.org/2025-hall-of-fame

Seth Stisher wins gold at Worlds

U.S. Team, Athletes Strike Gold At IWWF 35+ World Championships | USA Water Ski

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U.S. Team, athletes strike gold at IWWF 35+ World Waterski Championships

Seth Stisher wins gold at Worlds

Image: @skihusband

By Scott N. Atkinson

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

The U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team won the gold medal and 37 U.S. water ski athletes combined to earn 44 individual medals, including 19 gold medals, in respective events at the 7th IWWF 35+ World Waterski Championships, Sept. 4-8, at BOTASKI in Sesena, Toledo, Spain.

The United States tallied 13,355.67 points in winning the gold medal. Australia earned the silver (10,939.86 points) and France the bronze (10,778.28 points). Athletes and teams from 27 countries competed in the five-day event as the world team title and world individual titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall were at stake.

Greg Badal slaloms at the US Waterski National Championships

82nd Goode Water Ski Nationals Concludes At Ski West Village | USA Water Ski

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82nd Goode Water Ski Nationals concludes at Ski West Village

Greg Badal slaloms at the US Waterski National Championships

Image: Scott N. Atkinson

By Scott N. Atkinson

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

The 82nd Goode Water Ski National Championships concluded Saturday, Aug. 17 at Ski West Village in Arvin, Calif. Nearly 500 water ski athletes competed for titles in slalom, tricks, jump and overall during the five-day tournament, held Aug. 13-17, 2024, near Bakersfield.

Perfect weather and skiing conditions for the entire week led to record-breaking performances and dozens of personal bests by the competitors.

Professional water skier Corey Vaughn

Vaughn Wins Oxfordshire ProAm; Claims First Career Victory | USA Water Ski

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Corey Vaughn Wins Oxfordshire Pro Am; Claims First Career Pro Victory

Professional water skier Corey Vaughn

Image: Michael Danchi

By Scott N. Atkinson

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

Corey Vaughn (Bumpass, Va.) won his first career pro men’s slalom title on Saturday night under the lights at the 2024 Oxfordshire Pro Am at the Oxford Waterski Club in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. Some of the world’s top professional men’s and women’s slalom skiers competed in the tournament.

Vaughn, 38, scored 2-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off to win the title over Adam Sedlmajer (Czech Republic), Thomas Degasperi (Italy) and Arron Davies (Great Britain), who each scored 2 at 39-1/2 in the finals.

“It’s a special feeling,” an emotional Vaughn said afterward in an interview with Lauren Morgan on the TWBC webcast. “I have been chasing this for a long time and I think I had some fear that maybe it was never going to come. I have to thank so many people…my wife Amelia, my training partner…I want to shout out to my granddad. I always wanted to do this when he was here with us. Right before I skied I was sitting here on the bank thinking about my childhood when I was at the lake skiing with him. I want to dedicate this to him.”

France’s Manon Costard won the women’s slalom title, scoring 2-1/2 at 39-1/2 in the finals. Canada’s Jaimee Bull finished second (3 at 38) and Allie Nicholson (Gallatin, Tenn.) placed third (1-1/2 at 38).

Amazing time skiing at night at my favorite event with @girlsthatfly

Poland, Straltsova Win Titles At LA Night Jam | USA Water Ski

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Poland, Straltsova Win Titles At Louisiana Night Jam

Amazing time skiing at night at my favorite event with @girlsthatfly

Image: @streltsova.ania

By Scott N. Atkinson

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

Joel Poland and Hanna Straltsova won the men’s and women’s jumping titles, respectively, on Saturday at the 7th Louisiana Night Jam, presented by Tides Medical, at Tri-Lakes in Zachary, La. Some of the world’s top men’s and women’s professional water ski jumpers competed in the tournament.

Poland (Great Britain) won the men’s event with a distance of 230 feet in the finals. Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.) finished second with a distance of 227 feet after earning the top seed for the finals with a distance of 235 feet in the preliminary round.

Full article at USA Water Ski.

Triple Jump World Premiere

Watch: World’s First Freestyle Triple Jump | USA Water Ski

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Watch: World’s first freestyle water ski triple jump (2024)

By USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

USA Water Ski Show Team members Pete Hegarty, Liam Klotzbach and Caleb Ross featured at Jack Travers Water Ski School on April 28 in Groveland, Florida.

Camera & Editing: Rob Hazelwood Creative
Drone: Jake Snider Films
Additional Ramp: Bemman Custom Designs
Ramp Technician: Jon Travers
Driver: George Hartmann
Photography: Darian LeBlanc, Kevin Michael, Scott Atkinson
Wetsuits: Eagle
Ropes: Masterline
Special Thanks: Visit Central Florida, Jack & Lelani Travers, Conner Pesek

Abelson Wins Tricks, Jump & Overall Titles At 31st Junior Masters

Abelson Wins Tricks, Jump & Overall Titles at Junior Masters | USA Water Ski

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Abelson wins tricks, jump & overall titles at 31st Junior Masters

Abelson Wins Tricks, Jump & Overall Titles At 31st Junior Masters

Image: Eric Steiner

By Scott N. Atkinson

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

U.S. water ski athlete Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.) won titles in Junior Men’s tricks, jump and overall on Friday at the 31st Nautique Junior Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament. Some of the world’s top junior water ski athletes (age 17 and under on Dec. 31, 2023) competed for titles in slalom, tricks, jump and overall.

Abelson scored 11,790 points in winning Junior Men’s tricks for the third consecutive year. Abelson’s score of 11,880 points was a new Junior Men’s tricks course record for Robin Lake. He set the previous record of 11,390 points at the 2023 Junior Masters.

Full article at USA Water Ski.

Abelson Sets Pending World Tricks Record At Masters Qualifier

Abelson Sets Pending World Tricks Record At Masters Qualifier | USA Water Ski

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Abelson sets pending World Tricks Record at Masters Qualifier

Abelson Sets Pending World Tricks Record At Masters Qualifier

Image: @tiaremirandaphotography

By Scott N. Atkinson

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.) set his second pending men’s world tricks record in the past two weeks on Friday at the Nautique Masters Qualifying Series 1 event at Lake Ledbetter in Winter Garden, Fla.

Abelson scored 12,970 points – the highest score among all competitors in either round of the tournament – in round 2 to earn a spot in the 2024 Nautique Masters. If approved by the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation, the score will eclipse the current world record of 12,690 points held by Mexico’s Patricio Font.

Full article at USA Water Ski.

Nautique Masters Qualifying Series 1 Results

    2024 Swiss Pro Slalom

    Asher, Bull Win Swiss Pro Slalom Titles | USA Water Ski

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    Asher, Bull win Swiss Pro Slalom titles

    2024 Swiss Pro Slalom

    Men’s slalom podium (image: Conner Pesek)

    By Scott N. Atkinson

    USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

    Great Britain’s Will Asher and Canada’s Jaimee Bull won the men’s and women’s slalom titles, respectively, on Sunday at the 10th Swiss Pro Slalom at the Swiss Waterski Resort in Clermont, Fla.

    Asher scored 3-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off to win the men’s title. It was his first victory at the Swiss Pro Slalom since 2019. Great Britan’s Robert Hazelwood (3 at 41 off) and Joel Poland (3 at 41 off) placed second and third, respectively. Canada’s Charlie Ross (2 at 41 off) and U.S. athlete Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.), who scored 2 at 41 off and was seeking his fourth consecutive Swiss Pro slalom title, rounded out the top-five placements.

    Bull won her first career Swiss Pro Slalom title after scoring 1 at 41 off in the finals. Canada’s Whitney McClintock finished second (5 at 39-1/2 off), followed by U.S. athletes Allie Nicholson (Gallatin, Tenn.) and Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), who scored 3 at 39-1/2 off and 2-1/2 at 39-1/2 off, respectively. Jaquess had won nine consecutive Swiss Pro titles.

    Erika Lang wins the 2024 Swiss Pro Tricks

    Lang Wins Swiss Pro Tricks; Abelson Sets Pending National Record | USA Water Ski

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    Lang wins Swiss Pro Tricks title; Abelson sets pending national record

    Erika Lang wins the 2024 Swiss Pro Tricks

    Image: @swissprowaterski

    USA Water Ski & Wake Sports

    U.S. athlete Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.) scored 11,030 points to win the women’s tricks event at the 2024 Swiss Pro Tricks tournament on Sunday at the Swiss Waterski Resort in Clermont, Fla. The world’s top professional men’s and women’s tricks skiers competed in the tournament, which served as the opening stop of the 2024 pro water ski tour.

    Canada’s Neilly Ross placed second (10,370 points), followed by Anna Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.), who scored 9,390 points.

    Chile’s Matias Gonzalez won men’s tricks, scoring 12,440 points. U.S. athlete Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.) placed second, scoring a pending Open Men national record score of 12,230 points. Mexico’s Patricio Font, who set a pending men’s world tricks record of 12,770 points in the first round, finished third with 11,610 points.

    Full article at USA Water Ski & Wake Sports.