By Jack Burden

The 2024 Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament is finally here! Official invitations were finalized this weekend at the second Masters Qualifying event held at Sunset Lakes in Groveland, Florida.

The qualified skiers include defending Masters champions from 2023, current world champions, and winners of three other Nautique-sponsored tournaments from the past 12 months. Most of the field was selected based on performances in two qualifying events held in Central Florida over the past two weekends.

A total of 40 athletes qualified to ski in the open ranks, including a number of young first-time competitors such as Charlie Ross, Luca Rauchenwald, Florian Parth, Aaliyah Yoong Hannifah, and Lili Steiner. Other notable qualifiers include Joel Poland, who will be the first man to compete in three events since overall was last contested 24 years ago, and Brittany Greenwood Wharton and Lauren Morgan, both making comebacks from injury to contest the women’s jump title.

Here are all those who have qualified, with the qualifying criteria listed below.

Masters Athletes

Men’s Slalom

• Frederick Winter (World Champion, Botaski ProAm, & Moomba Masters)
• Nate Smith (Defending Masters Champion & CA ProAm)
• Charlie Ross (Qualifier #1)
• Joel Poland (Qualifier #1)
• William Asher (Qualifier #1)
• Cole McCormick (Qualifier #2)
• Stephen Neveu (Qualifier #2)
• Adam Sedlmajer (Qualifier #2)

Women’s Slalom

• Regina Jaquess (Defending Masters Champion, CA ProAm, & Moomba Masters)
• Jaimee Bull (World Champion & Botaski ProAm)
• Whitney McClinctock Rini (Qualifier #1)
• Allie Nicholson (Qualifier #1)
• Neilly Ross (Qualifier #1)
• Venessa Leopold Vieke (Qualifier #2)
• Paige Rini (Qualifier #2)
• Luisa Jaramillo (Qualifier #2)

Men’s Trick*

• Patricio Font (Defending Masters Champion, World Champion, Botaski ProAm, & Moomba Masters)
• Martin Labra (Qualifier #1)
• Joel Poland (Qualifier #1)
• Louis Duplan-Fribourg (Qualifier #1)
• Matias Gonzalez (Qualifier #2)
• Adam Pickos (Qualifier #2)
• Dorien Llewellyn (Qualifier #2)
• Pablo Font (Qualifier #2)

* Jake Abelson achieved the highest score at the first qualifier, but has opted to ski in the Junior Masters instead.

Women’s Trick

• Erika Lang (Defending Masters Champion, World Champion, & Moomba Masters)
• Anna Gay Hunter (Botaski ProAm)
• Neilly Ross (Qualifier #1)
• Natalia Cuglievan (Qualifier #1)
• Paige Rini (Qualifier #1)
• Kennedy Hansen (Qualifier #2)
• Hanna Straltsova (Qualifier #2)
• Aliaksandra Danisheuskaya (Qualifier #2)

Men’s Jump

• Ryan Dodd (Defending Masters Champion, World Champion, CA ProAm, & Moomba Masters)
• Joel Poland (Qualifier #1)
• Tobias Giorgis (Qualifier #1)
• Louis Duplan-Fribourg (Qualifier #1)
• Freddy Krueger (Qualifier #2)
• Taylor Garcia (Qualifier #2)
• Luca Rauchenwald (Qualifier #2)
• Florian Parth (Qualifier #2)

Women’s Jump*

• Hanna Straltsova (Defending Masters Champion, World Champion, & CA ProAm)
• Aliaksandra Danisheuskaya (Qualifier #1)
• Regina Jaquess (Qualifier #1)
• Brittany Greenwood Wharton (Qualifier #1)
• Lauren Morgan (Qualifier #2)
• Valentina Gonzalez (Qualifier #2)
• Lili Steiner (Qualifier #2)
• Aaliyah Yoong Hannifah (Qualifier #2)

* Jacinta Carroll Weeks also qualified for winning the 2024 Moomba Masters, but has retired from professional competition.

Junior Masters Athletes

Boy’s Slalom

• Tim Wild (Botaski ProAm)
• Damien Eade (Qualifier #1)
• Jaeden Eade (Qualifier #1)
• Bautista Ahumada (Qualifier #2)
• Andrea Pigozzi (Qualifier #2)
• Tristan Duplan-Fribourg (Overall – Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Jake Abelson (Overall – Qualifier #1)
• George Malinovski (Overall – Qualifier #2)

Girl’s Slalom

• Trinidad Espinal (Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Christiana De Osma (Botaski ProAm & Jr. Moomba Masters)
• Daniela Kretschmer (Qualifier #1)
• Solie Stenger (Qualifier #2)
• Megan Pelkey (Overall – Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Kristy Appleton (Overall – Qualifier #1)
• Leona Berner (Overall – Qualifier #2)
• Alexia Abelson (Qualifier #2)

Boy’s Trick*

• Jake Abelson (Defending Jr. Masters Champion & Botaski ProAm)
• Tristan Duplan-Fribourg (Overall – Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Bautista Ahumada (Qualifier #1)
• Tim Wild (Qualifier #1)
• Francisco Giorgis (Qualifier #2)
• Adrian Elias (Qualifier #2)
• George Malinovski (Overall – Qualifier #2)
• BG Bickley (Qualifier #2)

* Matias Gonzalez and Martin Labra both qualified, but have opted to ski in the senior Masters instead.

Girl’s Trick

• Hannah Stopnicki (Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Alexia Abelson (Botaski ProAm & Jr. Moomba Masters)
• Megan Pelkey (Overall – Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Marie Lou Duverger (Qualifier #1)
• Kristy Appleton (Overall – Qualifier #1)
• Christiana De Osma (Qualifier #2)
• Ella Gay (Qualifier #2)
• Leona Berner (Overall – Qualifier #2)

Boy’s Jump

• Tristan Duplan-Fribourg (Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Tim Wild (Botaski ProAm)
• Chase Sparks (Qualifier #1)
• Jake Abelson (Overall – Qualifier #1)
• George Malinovski (Overall – Qualifier #2)
• Jo Nakamura (Qualifier #2)
• Siarhei Danisheuski (Qualifier #2)
• Francisco Giorgis (Qualifier #2)

Girl’s Jump

• Kristy Appleton (Defending Jr. Masters Champion & Jr. Moomba Masters)
• Leona Berner (Botaski ProAm)
• Camryn Waters (Qualifier #1)
• Kate Pinsonneault (Qualifier #1)
• Megan Pelkey (Overall – Defending Jr. Masters Champion)
• Marie Lou Duverger (Qualifier #2)
• Cameron Davis (Qualifier #2)
• Alexia Abelson (Qualifier #2)