Over the past two months, we have witnessed some of our sports’ top trick skiers submitting videos of their three-trick lines for a wacky-sounding event in the Midwest. What is this corn-based social media phenomenon? And why are renowned athletes like Joel Poland, Adam Pickos, Jake Abelson, and Giannina Bonnemann Mechler jumping on the bandwagon?
The answer is the Twin Lakes CornFest, hosted on Lake Mary at Lance Park in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Scheduled from August 17-19, 2023, this marks the 4th edition of the exciting and innovative event. This year’s festival is set to be the grandest yet, with over 200 water skiers ranging in age from 4 to 67 years old, representing various disciplines within towed water sports, including collegiate and three-event athletes, show skiers, wakeboarders, and more.
CornFest spans three action-packed days and offers a diverse range of towed water sports competitions. Events include Feet on Fire, Trick Ski Showdown, Freestyle Jumping, Ramp Master Superstar LD Jump, Legends of Wake, Swivel Showcase, Lowrider Rumble, and the TL Cornfest Kids Rising Stars.
This year’s competitors include world record holder Erika Lang, 200+ foot jumper Brandon Schipper, and wakeboarding legend “Dirty” Mike Dowdy – just to name a few.
In a sport that often seems stale and regimented, the CornFest is a breath of fresh air. The format is incredibly innovative, showcasing all facets of towed water sports. The Trick Ski Showdown follows the popular three-trick line format that has taken over social media platforms, encouraging skiers to compete on any apparatus or discipline, from trick skis to wake skates, with judges subjectively evaluating creativity, flow, difficulty, authenticity, and, most importantly, stoke!
The Ramp Master Superstar LD Jump event is distance jumping with a twist. Skiers earn points not only for distance but also for style. Rather than measuring the jumps, the goal is to hit or land as close as possible to a target 100-125 feet from the jump. The judges will also evaluate skiers based on categories such as style, aerial maneuvers, body position, and hangtime.
If traditional three-event purists aren’t offended enough already, the entire event will be towed behind a Centurion wake boat, with no switch for jumping.
The Twin Lakes CornFest lineup includes every towed water sports discipline imaginable, except thankfully wake surfing, fostering a sense of camaraderie between athletes and spectators alike. Where else do barefooters, show skiers, wakeboarders, and three-event water skiers rub shoulders and compete together? This big tent approach to towed water sports promises something for everyone, and the variety is fantastic for spectator engagement.
Everything about the event, from the all-you-can-eat-corn gimmick to the infectious exuberance for summer days at the lake, is so quintessentially Midwest, you can’t resist calling it corny. Bad puns aside, this event is exactly the kind of spectacle we need to bring water skiing back into the public eye. So, if you’re anywhere near Wisconsin on August 17-19, you should check out this fantastic event. It’s a celebration of athleticism, community, and the love for the water that unites us all.
This Saturday, during the Ski Nautique Ski Pickos record tournament in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, Patricio Font achieved an astounding score of 12,770, surpassing his own world record of 12,690. This is potentially Font’s third world record in less than twelve months after breaking Aliaksei Zharnasek’s mark, which had stood unbroken for over eleven years. The speed at which Font is increasing the record, following years of stagnation, leaves us pondering the potential ceiling on trick performances in the sport. As we examine the current field of trick skiers, it becomes evident that the answer could be over 13,000 points.
Font’s success in trick skiing is founded on his incredible speed and efficiency in hand tricking. His ability to incorporate eleven big-ticket tricks into his hand run sets him apart from most top-level trickers, who typically base their runs around ten tricks. While other skiers have showcased comparable speed in the past, they did not perform the caliber of tricks that Font does. In his latest record-breaking run, Font executed six flips, each worth 750 points or more, along with five ski lines, including the 750-point ski-line-seven-back.
However, when it comes to toe tricking, Font is relatively weaker compared to some of his contemporaries. His top scoring toe run is valued at 5,130 points, which is undeniably world-class. Yet, there are at least six current trickers who can outscore Font in this particular discipline. For instance, Matias Gonzalez recently scored 12,440 points, contained a toe run worth 5,500, potentially setting the highest ever score on toes. The standard of toe tricking underwent a decline in the early 2000s as focus shifted towards fast-evolving flip sequences. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, toe runs were generally worth more than hand runs. For example, in the finals of the 1994 U.S. Masters, both Cory Pickos and Tori Baggiano executed toe runs worth 5,450 points, with only one less scoring trick than Gonzalez’s recent run.
A skier who can combine Font’s exceptional hand tricking with Gonzalez’s (or Pickos’) outstanding toe run would score in excess of 13,000 points. Whether this feat will be achieved by Font himself or any of the other young skiers who have broken into the exclusive 12,000 point club in recent years remains uncertain. However, one thing is clear—the future of trick skiing is undoubtedly bright and promises to showcase even more incredible performances.
Update: Font’s score of 12,770 was reduced to 12,510 upon review by the IWWF TC.
When it comes to slalom skiing, ‘righties’ dominate. Whether it’s because they have an inherent advantage or simply a larger pool of skiers to pull from, that remains an open question. Nevertheless, the world of slalom skiing has seen its fair share of exceptional ‘lefties’ over the years.
From late starters who defied the odds to consistent big-match players, these skiers have consistently displayed their skill and precision on the water. In this article, we take a closer look at the ten greatest male left-foot-forward slalom skiers of all time. Their impressive achievements and contributions to the sport have earned them a well-deserved place in the annals of water skiing history.
‘Greatest Of’ lists in any sport are inherently subjective and water skiing is no exception. There’s no definitive checklist to crown someone as the absolute best. Every fan out there has their own opinion. But decisions had to be made. We proudly present our picks for the 10 best male left-foot-forward slalomers in the history of competitive water skiing. So sit back, enjoy, and maybe even debate a little over our choices—after all, that’s the fun of it!
From the legendary McClintock family, which has an impressive tally of eight open world titles to their name, “JMAC” was no exception. The Canadian’s talent shone brightly early on, securing the junior world slalom championship in 2004. Throughout the following decade, from 2008 to 2018, he was a regular on the professional circuit. Not only did his talent in slalom and trick contribute to Canada’s triumphs in team titles in 2009 and 2015, but he also earned himself a silver medal in slalom at the 2017 world championships held in Paris, France.
Raised under the tutelage of his father, the world renowned coach Jack Travers, at their Central Florida ski school, Jon Travers was always destined to be a star. Establishing himself as a prominent figure on the professional circuit since his teenage years, he achieved victory at the Under-21 World Championships in 2009 and claimed the U.S. Masters title in 2011. Notably, Travers is a member of the exclusive club of skiers who have successfully run the 10.25m (41’ off) during a tournament.
The eccentric Australian was a late starter in the sport, not competing in his first tournament until the age of 18. Despite this, his unconventional training methods proved to be effective. Howley won the 2019 world championships in Malaysia, beating Will Asher and Freddie Winter in an exciting three-way runoff. Skiing in challenging conditions, Howley threw himself (unsuccessfully) outside of two for the quarter buoy on his 10.25m (41’ off) pass. The resulting fall broke his ankle, but with Asher still to come he kept the injury a secret to ensure his competitor remained unaware of his inability to participate in any subsequent runoff. Howley was a regular on the professional circuit pre-Covid, frequently finishing in the top 5 at major events but has kept a relatively low profile in recent years. We hope to see him back on the tour in the future!
Initially known for his prowess in jumping, Lowe achieved remarkable success with jump wins at the U.S. Masters, multiple pro tour stops, and a silver medal at the 1985 World Championships. However, it was in the slalom event where he blossomed later in his career. Striving to make the U.S. Elite Water Ski Team, Lowe honed his slalom and tricks skills, contributing significantly to the team’s four consecutive titles from 1979 to 1985. Notably, at the 1991 World Championships in Austria, he participated in a three-way run off for the gold medal against Andy Mapple and Mike Kjellander, resulting in one of the most exhilarating slalom battles in history. Lowe emerged victorious in 1991 and followed it up with a bronze medal in 1993.
Brett Thurley, the plucky Australian red-head, thrived in adverse conditions. Hailing from Tasmania, Thurley’s tenacity and competitive spirit set him apart as a scrappy competitor. Remembered primarily for his victory at the 1993 world championships held in Singapore, Thurley became the first Australian to win a world slalom title. During the late eighties and early nineties, he became a familiar face on the U.S. Pro Tour, leaving his mark with a tour stop victory in Madison, WI in 1988. Additionally, he earned the Moomba Masters champion title twice, in 1986 and 1995.
The loud and boisterous kiwi was a formidable competitor, renowned for his ability to perform under pressure. Despite well-known struggles with turning his off-side at 10.25m (41′ off), his remarkable consistency in reaching two-ball, regardless of the conditions, always kept him in the running. Particularly dominant on the Yarra, he secured top-three finishes at the Moomba Masters six times between 2007 and 2014, achieving back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2011. Larkin’s exceptional performance throughout 2011, which included a second-place finish at the World Championships, earned him the prestigious top spot on the elite ranking list for that year.
Larkin has since run the 10.25m (41′ off)pass at 55kph (34mph) after his retirement from professional skiing.
The ‘Cinderella Story’ of water skiing, Jeff Rodgers, a working-class well-driller from South Carolina will forever be etched in the record books as the first man to run 10.25m (41’ off). Rodgers prioritized his career and family over water skiing, rarely traveling outside of the U.S. in an era where professional water skiing expanded into a global circuit of events. He achieved modest success in the early nineties on the Budwesier Water Ski Tour, securing two tour stop titles. However, it was in 1997 that Rodgers truly made waves, snatching the world record from Andy Mapple’s grasp for the first time since 1988 with an impressive score of 5 @ 10.25m (41’ off) in his home state of South Carolina. The very next round he followed up with his historic 1 @ 9.75m (43’ off). Then, when the world championships came to Florida in 2003, he clinched the gold. A true master when the conditions aligned, Rodgers’ potential dominance will always remain an intriguing “what if” in the sport’s history.
Image: Todd Ristorcelli (via Waterski Journal)
3. Jamie Beauchesne
The elusive American who soared to the pinnacle of the sport only to step away, remains a figure of intrigue. Renowned for his exceptional talent, he showcased ability both on powder and water, often taking extended breaks from water skiing to hit the slopes during winter, sometimes up to 6 months. Bursting onto the scene in the mid-nineties, he claimed the title of junior world slalom champion in 1994 and followed it up the next year with a victory in his debut professional tournament. A meticulous technician, Beauchesne was a trailblazer in numerous technical innovations during the early 2000’s. In 2003, he further cemented his legacy, tying the world record and becoming the third skier ever to run 10.25m (41’ off). His impressive track record includes two U.S. Masters championships in 2004 and 2007, and a remarkable winning percentage of nearly 25% in the final decade of his career. Yet, right at the peak of his dominance, midway through the 2012 season, he made the abrupt decision to bid farewell to water skiing—for good.
The big strapping Swede was known for his distinctive slalom style. A mainstay on the U.S. pro tour, he entertained audiences with his characteristic slam dunk on-side turns. Kjellander’s dominance was evident as he clinched the season championships three times on the U.S Pro Tour in 1985, 1988, and 1990, securing a remarkable 15 tour stop victories amidst fierce competition from renowned skiers like Andy Mapple, Bob, and Kris LaPoint. He was two-time U.S. Masters champion (in 1989 and 1993) and Moomba Masters champion (in 1988 and 1992). Kjellander was the first skier to run the 10.75m (39.5’ off) pass, holding the world record outright for less than 24 hours until Andy Mapple tied him in the 2nd round. Despite his stellar achievements, world championship gold eluded him, with Kjellander finishing agonizingly close as a runner-up in 1991 and 1995.
Chris Parrish USA makes it look easy (Image: IWWF)
1. Chris Parrish
Nicknamed ‘The Tower’ for his imposing six-foot-five stature and extraordinary wingspan, Parrish could have been built in a laboratory for slalom skiing. He burst onto the scene in 1996, claiming victory at the junior world championships, setting the stage for a remarkable career. Over two decades of professional skiing, Parrish’s prowess earned him numerous accolades, including four Moomba Masters titles (in 2000, 2008, 2009, and 2013) and two U.S. Masters championships (in 2002 and 2005). For an impressive eight years, he held the world record, surpassing it three times between 2005 and 2010. In 2002, he unseated the legendary Andy Mapple to become the top elite skier in the world, a distinction he held for three seasons, notably dominating in 2005 with six out of nine pro event wins. Despite occasional battles with consistency, Parrish remained a formidable force, securing a spot in the top 10 elite rankings for over a decade. Perhaps the one blemish on his otherwise illustrious record, Parrish never won a world championships, losing to Mapple by just one buoy in 2001.
In 2022, USA Water Ski and Wake Sports (USAWS) implemented mandatory SafeSport training for all its members. This decision sparked controversy and heated debates among members (see the 36 pages of bickering on BallOfSpray). However, USAWS had little choice in the matter as the U.S Olympic Committee (USOC) imposed the requirement via Congressional mandate. Even if they were to break away from the USOC, any alternative organizing body would still face the challenge of obtaining exorbitantly priced or unattainable insurance coverage without a similar program in place. As we reflect on the past year, it becomes crucial to evaluate the impact of this mandate on tournament participation within the water skiing community.
The training aims to enhance awareness and prevent the sexual exploitation of minors in the sport, thereby ensuring a safer environment for young athletes. The initial course takes approximately one hour, followed by a brief 15-minute refresher annually, and is required for all members, including those unlikely to directly supervise youth activities. The concern lies not in the quality of the training—no one disagrees with its goals—but rather in the potential for adding another requirement for USAWS membership to further diminish the perceived shrinking membership base.
So, what does the data say? Tournament participation did indeed decline in 2022. However, this decline is part of a longer-term trend. Determining the specific impact of the SafeSport Mandate and whether it accelerated this decline is more challenging. In 2022, there were 220 fewer tournament participants compared to 2021—a decline of 7%. While significant, it pales in comparison to the 440 participants lost in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, of whom only about half returned in 2021.
Total rounds skied by class 2019-2022 (Source: USA Waterski)
Notably, there has been a consistent decrease in Class C tournament participation over the years. Conversely, record tournament participation has remained relatively stable over the past four years. This aligns with the notion that skiers who are more invested in the sport are more likely to undertake a one-hour training course or continue skiing despite a pandemic. Fluctuations in participation primarily occur among casual skiers who only compete in a few Class C tournaments per year, as they assess whether a $90 USAWS membership, a one-hour course, and tournament entry fees are worthwhile for the upcoming season.
Delving deeper into the trends of 2022, we observe clear patterns. Tournament participation at all levels experienced a setback in 2020, followed by a rebound in 2021. However, while record tournament participation remained unchanged from 2021 to 2022, Class C participation declined by 10%. Similarly, among skiers who enter five or fewer tournament rounds per year, membership declined by 15%, despite remaining relatively stable from 2019 to 2021.
For those concerned about the future of our sport, particularly at the grassroots level, these trends are alarming. Without a robust base of casual skiers, we lack a stable foundation for the expanding infrastructure of high-level competitive water skiing. The professional water skiing scene, thanks to TWBC, Waterski Pro Tour, and the WWS Overall Tour, is currently the strongest and most exciting it has been in the past 15 years.
Of course, declining tournament participation can be attributed to other factors, with affordability and accessibility being chief among them. Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a vicious cycle: as the market for big-ticket items like ski boats shrinks, manufacturers continue to reduce production and position their boats as luxury items, further exacerbating the issue.
This is not to place the blame on SafeSport either. As noted at the outset, USAWS was compelled to act, and our sport is not immune to issues of sexual exploitation of minors. It is difficult to quantify the value of preventing another Larry Nassar.
The unfortunate reality is that SafeSport presents yet another barrier to the sport’s growth, and it is not going away. To attract more casual skiers, who make up a substantial portion of potential tournament participants, we need to find ways to increase the value proposition of tournaments. This may involve innovative formats, social activities, or lower entry fees. It is an uphill battle, but for the dedicated members of our community, it is a battle worth fighting.
On a beautiful sunny afternoon in the south of France, Frenchman Louis Duplan-Fribourg set a new national jump record, igniting the local crowd and taking the lead in the overall competition. Announcer Glen Williams acknowledged Duplan-Fribourg’s achievement, stating, “We’ve talked for a long time about Joel Poland and Dorien Llewellyn, and now there are three names in that category.” Duplan-Fribourg’s performance positioned him among the world’s top overall skiers. “I was a little stressed after Louis’ big jump, when someone goes out and jumps that far it’s intimidating,” said Poland in his post-jump interview. Poland had just won the event by less than 3 overall points, a margin smaller than a quarter buoy or a side slide. The event, a professional overall tournament, is part of the WorldWaterSkiers Overall Tour.
In recent years, the topic of competing tours and leagues has sparked controversy in various sports, such as the PGA’s standoff with Saudi-owned LIV Golf and football’s proposed Super League. This raises the question of whether fragmenting an already small sport is a wise decision. The Waterski Pro Tour has revitalized professional water skiing, encouraging and promoting numerous events across the United States and Europe. It is important to consider whether we have the necessary resources to support two professional tours.
Comparing the work of the non-profit foundation WWS to the elitist and ethically questionable LIV Golf or European Super League Company would be unfair. Established in 2018 by seven-time world champion Jaret Llewellyn, along with Tom and David Grey, WWS aims to promote the sport of water skiing through technology. Their website, worldwaterskiers.com, serves as a news hub and social media platform. They describe their foundation as setup to counteract “the fragmented nature of waterskiing” and actively promote the Waterski Pro Tour on their website. This year, two of their stops are being run in conjunction with Pro Tour slalom events. Instead of competing for a share of the pie, they have secured sponsorship from outside the industry and actively work towards expanding it.
Cataloguing WWS’ initiatives and achievements reads almost like a sitcom trope with Llewellyn as the bumbling but likeable main character, always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fed up with the difficultly finding schedules, live scores, and webcast links for tournaments, WWS provides a repository for all major tournaments – a key function of the Waterski Pro Tour website. Their Water Sports Connect software created a competitively-priced and slick event management system (EMS) to create consistency across an archaic variety of systems used around the world – meanwhile the IWWF launched a free-to-use international EMS funded through their mandatory license fees. Their tournament promotion packages include webcast services – as The Waterski Broadcasting Company (TWBC) was evolving from a lo-fi one-man-band to the industry leader it is today. They launched a professional water ski tour during the Waterski Pro Tour’s inaugural season – you get the picture.
On the surface they’re Betamax. They’re New Coke. They’re Homer Simpson keeping his Enron stock and giving away his Microsoft stock in the nineties. But this simple caricature is just that – a caricature. The fact is that WWS have anticipated some of the most important developments in the sport in the five years since it was founded. They clearly have their finger on the technology pulse. Despite constantly being eclipsed, seeing their ideas succeed in others’ hands, they continue to work tirelessly to push the boundaries and promote competitive water skiing.
The WWS Overall Tour is a contrasting and, in many ways, superior product to the Waterski Pro Tour. Overall is not recognized as an event by the Pro Tour, which has primarily focused on promoting slalom tournaments. Operationally, WWS closely resembles the “pro tours” of the 1980s and 1990s, with a single organizing body securing tour sponsors, host sites, and encouraging skier participation by offering a meaningful year-end bonus ($14,000 in 2023). WWS has real skin in the game, whereas the Pro Tour operates with a much lighter touch, offering a brand name and publicity but little else.
In a world where attention spans are decreasing, water skiing is competing not just with other sports, but Netflix, video games, TikTok, and Instagram. Eight hours of slalom skiing, with endless warm up passes and video reviews, is a tough value proposition for prospective viewers. These live streams, taken to new levels in recent years through the excellent work of TWBC, often struggle to engage many beyond the die-hard water ski fans. In short, they’re preaching to the converted.
On the other hand, a fast-paced three-hour broadcast is highly accessible and could serve as an excellent introduction to our sport for casual viewers. The overall format showcases all three events with a consistent group of skiers, allowing fans to become more invested.
At present, the broadcasts feel more like experiments rather than finished products. However, with each tournament, they continue to improve. WWS is unafraid to be early adopters of new technology, such as SplashEye’s eyeTrick program. Their ambition is plain to see.
I don’t know if the WWS Overall Tour will succeed in the long run. Breathing new life into three-event water skiing may be a sisyphean task. In our nostalgia for the ‘good ol’ days’ of professional water skiing we often forget that the Coors Light Water Ski Tour changed ownership four times in its first three years, including a period of insolvency where skiers’ prize money checks bounced mid-season.
Like all of WWS’ projects, the vision is there. You could picture this tour as a pilot, to be picked up by TWBC, or even Red Bull TV, and executed as a polished product. A future where overall is recognized as an event and included in the Waterski Pro Tour. One thing is certain: without innovators, disruptors, and risk-takers, our sport has no chance to grow. We should commend Llewellyn and the WWS team and, most importantly, tune in for more thrilling action!
The new season of the Waterski Pro Tour, launched last year, is about to begin. The tour attempts to unify a hodgepodge of global events into one overarching narrative. I, for one, am stoked. The name conjures up images of a bygone era. My mind immediately jumps to ESPN’s Hot Summer Nights, to Channel Seven’s live coverage of Moomba Monday. Like Mark Beretta or Wayne Grimdich’s voice, it sends chills down my spine. But is this anything more than just empty nostalgia?
In many ways, the new tour is just a rebranding of the IWWF Elite Ranking. A system that once held significance but has faded into obscurity as the tournament waterskiing world shifted its focus from a dwindling supply of major tournaments toward performances and world records. By 2020 the only significant purpose of the Elite Rankings was U.S. Masters qualification. With 2021’s revised criteria, they no longer held any tangible value.
Looking only at the nuts and bolts of the Pro Tour, it is clear no one has reinvented the wheel. The new points system and calculations are only a minor tweak from what already existed. A slick new website, coordinated social media presence, and transparent point calculations are all improvements. Maybe that’s reason enough to celebrate. A ranking list buried deep in an archaic website did nobody any good.
However, if we scratch below the surface, the Pro Tour is much more than a simple marketing effort. The genesis, proposal, and implementation were led by the elite athletes themselves. Rather than relying on the cumbersome bureaucracy of the IWWF for administration, a Pro Tour Council made up of current professional athletes will run the initiative. Athlete empowerment is a great reason for optimism. Who else has a larger incentive to promote and grow professional waterski events?
The IWWF deserves credit here too. After years of complaints they have made significant strides toward engaging the top skiers. Athlete representation has been increased on the World Tournament Council, which controls the rules of our sport. The well intentioned but poorly executed attempts to bring the World Championships to spectator friendly venues have been abandoned. Instead, all of 2021’s title events were held on man-made lakes in Florida – with little to no on-site spectators but broadcast quality webcasts. The athletes have created a paradigm shift in the sport.
Unfortunately, cracks are already starting to appear. The glaring omission of both the Moomba Masters and the U.S. Masters from the Pro Tour raises serious concerns. That the most prestigious and highest prize purse events of the season would be excluded stinks of dirty politics. Moomba organizers face an enormous amount of pressure operating on a busy downtown river during a major festival. It is hard to imagine them altering their format to meet the qualification criteria. Without the two largest events in our sport what claim to legitimacy does the Pro Tour even have?
To a certain extent the elite skiers flexing their muscle and pressuring event organizers into standard formats creates valuable consistency. Conversely, diversity and creativity are essential ingredients in the effort to attract a larger audience. Ironically, the Pro Tour suffers many of the same pitfalls the IWWF has been criticized over for years.
Ultimately, a unified calendar of events, high quality streaming, and fresh perspectives are all great steps toward making waterskiing accessible. Anyone working to grow our sport should be applauded and I remain optimistic that this effort will not stall out like the many that have come before it. The tragic waterski fan in me can’t help but pine for the good old days, but a new world requires new perspectives and new solutions.
Independent perspectives on tournament water skiing
