It’s not just a four-buckle vest—it’s a statement. And for Danny Amir, known to the watersports world as Dano the Mano, it’s a matter of life and death.
On a recent episode of the Grab Matters podcast, Amir didn’t just stir the pot; he kicked it over, launching a full-throated takedown of trick skiing’s culture of vestless riding. With a blend of passion and pragmatism, Amir made his position clear: wear a life vest, or prepare to shoulder the blame when tragedy strikes.
The tipping point? A moment burned into Amir’s memory since 2000. Corey Kraut—pioneer of West Coast spins, master of off-axis tricks, and member of the DoubleUp wakeboard team—went for a casual 180 with a grab during a documentary shoot and never surfaced. Kraut, who reportedly only rode without a life vest during photo ops, had the kind of physique that popped on camera. Amir still sees it. “Riding without a vest looks awesome,” he says. “Your abs glisten, you look rad. But then some 10-year-old copies you, and what happens if they don’t come back up?”
To Amir, the argument for mobility—common among trick skiers—is laughable. “If I can land a 540 in a four-buckle vest at 42 years old, fat and out of shape, then why can’t you?” he asks, his voice dripping with incredulity. “You think your sport is so big it can’t adapt? Mary Morgan Howell is out here doing KGBs in a Coast Guard-approved vest. No excuses.”
But it’s not just about individual skiers—it’s about the culture. Trick skiing, Amir argues, has allowed a reckless tradition to fester. Riders cling to a vestless aesthetic, ignoring the risks. For Amir, the solution is simple: leaders like Joel Poland, one of the sport’s biggest stars, need to step up. “Joel wears the vest, Joel makes it cool. You want to grow your sport? Sell a thousand trick ski vests. Market it, profit from it, and save lives.”
Amir doesn’t stop there. He calls out the trick skiing rulebook, which doesn’t require a vest, and the complacency of event organizers. He shares a chilling anecdote about spotting downed riders during competitions, eyes locked on the waterline in case someone doesn’t resurface. “Drowning is real,” he warns. “Nobody thinks about it until it happens.”
The frustration in Amir’s voice isn’t just about safety—it’s about leadership. He’s tired of the excuses, tired of seeing an industry he loves ignore a problem he believes is inevitable. “It’s gonna happen,” he says. “And when it does, everyone’s gonna blame the rulebook. But they’ll have blood on their hands.”
Some might call Amir dramatic, but his message is clear: if trick skiing doesn’t change, it’s courting disaster. His solution? A cultural shift, led by athletes willing to make safety look cool. Until then, Amir isn’t backing down. On his lake, his events, and his terms, there’s only one rule: wear the vest—or don’t bother showing up.
If 2024 goes down in the annals of waterski history, it will likely be remembered as the year when everything that was supposed to be stable turned upside down. Down was up, men’s slalom was a coin toss, and the podium was filled with new faces—high schoolers, middle-aged men, you name it. Yet, as chaotic as the men’s field was, the women’s side was almost eerily predictable. In fact, it may have been the least surprising year since the condensed 2020 season, with fewer fresh faces than an IWWF board meeting.
The men’s side, though? That’s where things got interesting. Nine different men claimed their first professional victories this season—an all-time record. Nine! That’s not just unprecedented; it’s a complete game-changer. From seasoned pros finally putting it all together to newcomers who seemed like they’d been training in secret since birth, the sport had never seen such a diverse group of first-time winners. Sure, Nate’s decision to get a “real job” and Freddie’s little misunderstanding with a dock opened a few doors in slalom, but still—this is a sign of the sport’s growing depth. New blood has arrived, and they’re coming for the top spots.
Brash. Arrogant. French. Pol Duplan-Fribourg is like the second coming of Aussie folk hero Timothy Bradstreet, and not just because of his impressive bodybuilder physique. This year, the 21-year-old Frenchman made his debut at the Moomba Masters—his first-ever professional jump event. Yes, you read that right. His first. And in true Duplan-Fribourg style, he went full throttle, falling short in the daylight final to the experienced Ryan Dodd and Jack Critchley but turning up the heat when the lights came on, taking down Dodd in a one-jump shootout to clinch the win.
It was a pivotal moment: he became the youngest jumper to win a pro event since 2017. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the immense talent of the Duplan-Fribourg family. His older brother Louis holds the world overall crown, while his younger brother Tristan was leading the charge in junior jumping before the Robin Lake ramp literally cut him in half. Unfortunately, Pol’s season was also cut short by injury—a herniated disc and a fractured ankle sidelined him by late spring.
But that Moomba win? It set the tone for what would become the year of the first-time champion.
If you’re looking for the polar opposite of the muscled, stocky trick skiers who dominate the sport, look no further than Matias Gonzalez. Small, rakish, and soft-spoken, he somehow manages to look younger than his already juvenile 16 years. He’s a featherweight in a field of heavyweights—more Manny Pacquiao than Mike Tyson. Coming into the first event of the Waterski Pro Tour as the Under-17 World Record Holder, Gonzalez wasn’t exactly a dark horse, but in a field that included world champion Pato Font (who was eyeing records before the final even started), few expected him to clinch the win.
But that’s exactly what he did. In the final, Gonzalez scored 12,440, matching his personal best and junior world record to claim his first professional victory. The rest of the season saw him finish on the podium at every trick event, culminating in the Waterski Pro Tour season championship.
The lineup for the Swiss Pro Tricks final was striking, with 25-year-old Joel Poland standing out like a sore thumb among a group mostly too young to order a drink—a clear reminder that Trix are for kids. Gonzalez proved the point.
The build-up to the men’s tricks at the Masters was all about the big names—Abelson’s new world record, Joel Poland’s insane form, and Pato Font’s imminent comeback. But quietly, another teenage Chilean phenom was working his way into the conversation: Martin Labra. After grinding relentlessly through the Chilean summer, Labra—already the most decorated skier in Under-17 World Championship history—stepped onto the professional circuit with a vengeance.
He’s the poster child for ‘nurture over nature.’ The stepson of a professional jumper, Labra was raised across Pan-American ski schools with access to the world’s best coaches. A perfect blend of brawn and finesse, he looks equally at home muscling through a scrappy ski-line sequence as he does executing complex toe tricks with speed and precision. Labra stormed the Masters’ tricks event, securing the win with a standout performance in a final where several seasoned competitors faltered.
And he didn’t stop there. Labra followed up with another victory at the Botaski ProAm. In the coming years, he’s set to become a serious force in tricks and overall. Don’t be surprised if he starts cropping up on even more podiums.
Forget the last name. Forget the Hall of Fame parents. Forget the legacy. Strip it all away, and what do you get? Cole McCormick, 28, a software engineer who looks more at home on a Discord server than on a slalom course. Hell, he even toe-tricked in college.
But here’s the twist: you’d be wrong.
The McCormick of 2024 is a late-blooming slalom maestro. Shredded, laser-focused, and a true student of the sport. This Memorial Day weekend, he made history as the first second-generation winner of the prestigious Masters title, following in the footsteps of his multiple Masters-winning parents, Susi and Ricky McCormick.
His win didn’t come easy. Conditions were tough, but McCormick was the only skier to run the 10.75m (39.5’) pass in the preliminary round. As the top seed, he secured five-and-a-half buoys in the final to clinch the win. And even after a high-speed faceplant out of six, that grin didn’t leave his face.
Before Robert Hazelwood was the YouTube vlogger we all secretly watch when we should be working, he was just a kid from Northern England with the unenviable task of trying to keep Joel Poland humble. Whether he succeeded? Well, that’s up for debate.
Snubbed by the Masters, Hazelwood came out swinging the next weekend at the Lake 38 ProAm. At 24, he had been lurking in the shadows for years—always there, always a threat, but never quite crossing the line. Until now. This time, he was all business. In a final that could’ve been an intense poker match—coming down to a three-way runoff with McCormick and Winter—it was Hazelwood who kept his cool and showed the most skill. His win was a moment he’d dreamed of since he was old enough to tie his own ski boots.
Hazelwood’s victory seemed to signal a changing of the guard. He became the youngest men’s slalom champion since 2019, and suddenly, the balance of power in the sport didn’t seem so solid.
Perennially inconsistent, however, Hazelwood’s form yo-yoed between triumph and missing finals throughout the rest of the season. He found the top step again at the Botaski ProAm, but with plenty left to work on, don’t be surprised if Hazelwood’s climb up the standings is a bit of a rollercoaster.
Among the fresh-faced talents and rising stars stood Corey Vaughn, the veteran journeyman. For over a decade, he has been a fixture on the professional circuit—solid and dependable but never quite a threat. Until now. At 38, Vaughn finally broke through at the Oxfordshire ProAm, becoming the oldest skier to claim his first professional slalom title.
Yes, this is the same Vaughn who once donned a cape and cap as “Buoy Wonder,” only to mellow into the barefoot philosopher affectionately known as “Mr. Peace, Love, and Waterskiing.” For years, we’ve watched him grind it out on the pro circuit, collecting more life lessons than titles.
But under the Oxfordshire lights, Vaughn rose to the occasion in challenging nighttime conditions. A career of near-misses, sweat-soaked toil, and unwavering belief finally bore fruit. At 38 years and 9 months, he reminded the world that persistence can be the ultimate trump card.
Far from a one-off triumph, Vaughn backed it up throughout the season. Finishing fourth on the Pro Tour, he delivered the season of his life, even running the elusive 10.25m pass—one of only three skiers to achieve it this year.
Dane Mechler’s victory at the MasterCraft Pro felt like the culmination of a long, hard-fought journey. For years, Mechler had been the “nearly man” of pro slalom—always consistent, always in the mix, but never quite able to claim the top step. This time, the story ended differently.
His season had been anything but smooth. A broken foot, courtesy of an ill-fated leap through a CorrectCraft hoop and the challenges of balancing family responsibilities could have derailed him. Yet, when it mattered most, Mechler delivered. Skiing early in the final, he laid down a 4.5 at 10.25m—a score that stood tall against a stacked field, including favorites Nate Smith and Will Asher.
The celebration that followed was a moment to savor. With his picture-perfect family cheering from the sidelines, it was a victory that felt as personal as it was professional.
For Mechler, this wasn’t just another tournament; it was the tournament. A skier often labeled “the best never to win” finally got his moment, and the emotions at the finish said it all—relief, pride, and the satisfaction of proving that perseverance pays off.
In a sport often mired in safe, predictable skiing, Cornale is pure adrenaline. He doesn’t seem to know—or care—what an S-turn is. While others might have played it cautiously for a full five, Cornale went for broke, gunning to run the 10.25m (41′ off) pass. His 4.5 held up, delivering not just a win but a statement: fearless beats conservative.
And this wasn’t a one-off. Earlier in the season, Cornale had already turned heads with standout performances at Moomba and the Lake 38 ProAm. His Travers triumph wasn’t luck; it was inevitable.
With a mix of audacity and raw skill that makes veterans sweat, Cornale isn’t just a rising star—he’s the future. Get used to his name. This is only the beginning.
I’ve got mixed feelings about Italians. Part of me leans toward distrust—after all, history reminds us which side they fought on. But if I’m honest, it’s probably jealousy. No nation exudes cool quite like Italy, the land of the Corleones, Ferrari, and Sophia Loren. When I think Italian, I picture the tall, dark, cigarette-smoking guy who effortlessly steals your girl.
No slalom skier embodies that aura of effortless cool better than Brando Caruso. He’s the anti-hero of water skiing, unapologetically marching to his own beat. Feigned courtesy isn’t his style—he’s the guy throwing a death glare while reluctantly posing on the lower steps of a podium. Smooth, elegant, and unmistakably Italian, his skiing is a perfect reflection of who he is.
In the season’s finale, with the biggest cash prize up for grabs, Caruso took down a stacked field—Smith, Asher, Travers, and the rest of slalom royalty. This wasn’t just another win; it was a mic drop moment in a season that saw a record-breaking 10 different winners in men’s slalom.
His triumph was the perfect conclusion to a season full of surprises. It was a showcase of timing, perseverance, and talent, and for Caruso, it was a breakthrough that felt both satisfying and long overdue. Some moments in life are worth the wait—and this was one of them.
2024 was a year that flipped the script on everything we thought we knew about pro waterskiing. It was chaos, unpredictability, and opportunity all wrapped into one, especially in the men’s field, where a record number of first-time winners emerged. Old names faded, and new ones stepped up with the audacity to take it all. From teenagers defying expectations to veteran journeymen finally getting their due, the sport showed that it’s more open than ever to fresh faces. Meanwhile, the women’s field remained more stable, but even that seemed like the calm before the storm. This season didn’t just change the standings; it changed the very tone of the sport. We’ve entered an era where anything is possible, and it’s only going to get more interesting from here. Strap in—2025 might just be the year we see everything we thought was impossible, come true.
The final stages of the 2024 season have featured a marathon sprint of professional tournaments, all located in Florida, the epicenter of world water skiing. Six tournaments over seven weeks at some of the world’s best sites showcasing incredible performances, with both new and familiar winners and season-long storylines coming to a thrilling resolution. But one thing has been noticeably absent: crowds.
That is, until the recently concluded MasterCraft King of Darkness (KoD), a night jump event with a festival atmosphere that harkens back to the days when water skiing was in the public eye and professional water skiing was a viable career for more than a dominant few.
This isn’t to say there was anything lacking in the events that preceded KoD. The Waterski Pro Tour events at Fluid and Travers featured excellent TWBC broadcasts and captivated waterski fans, especially with two first-time winners in the slalom event. The Travers Grand Prix is a unique and hugely popular event for both pro and amateur participants. Likewise, the WWS Overall Tour finale showcased the highest level of overall skiing our sport has ever seen, and the recap videos, although not widely viewed, have reintroduced a format with potential to engage the casual viewer.
But call me old-fashioned—nothing beats the energy of an in-person crowd. There’s a reason so many skiers name the Moomba Masters as their favorite event, and why the U.S. Masters has such an enduring legacy: the enthusiastic, knowledgeable on-site audience.
Professional water skiing at its core is a show, and KoD exemplified this with perfect choreography. There was no downtime, with adorable juniors, barefooters, show skiers, and even some Joel Poland theatrics keeping the energy high from start to finish.
The level of skiing at KoD will likely be what sticks in water ski fans’ minds: the highest slalom cut of all time, a women’s head-to-head with a 100% success rate at 10.75m (39.5’), and personal bests from Hanna Straltsova, Luca Rauchenwald, and Poland in jump. But to the casual spectator, it’s the competition itself that draws attention.
For perhaps the first time in 2024, women’s jump was a close battle, with Straltsova needing her final jump to surpass a resurgent Brittany Wharton. The men’s jump was equally intense, with Taylor Garcia and Luca Rauchenwald nearly forcing a second runoff of 2024 for their maiden pro wins, before Poland reasserted his dominance. Meanwhile, Freddy Krueger missed the podium for the first time in Waterski Pro Tour history, and even Dorien Llewellyn’s impressive 67m (220’) jump was only enough for fifth under the lights.
Credit is due to the organizers, who put extraordinary effort—and investment—into attracting such a fantastic crowd. Free attractions, a live band, food trucks, and a beer garden enticed the local community, and the event was prominently featured in local media throughout the lead-up. Once again, KoD was well attended.
This stands in stark contrast to the preceding four events, which were attended by few outside the competitors themselves. Live webcasts attracted several hundred more dedicated waterski fans, but it’s hard to imagine these events broadening the fan base like KoD did this weekend. Countless families and young children were exposed to the sport, perhaps inspired to give water skiing a try themselves.
It’s beautiful, suspenseful, uplifting—water skiing at its finest. And the sport needs more of it. King of Darkness, take a bow.
WWS Overall Tour: Cancellations Highlight Ongoing Issues in Women’s Professional Water Skiing
Giannina Bonnemann Mechler, 2023 WWS Overall Tour champion, will not be competing in 2024 as she and her husband Dane expect their first child in August (image: @world.water.skiers)
Last September, the world’s best female overall skiers, past and present, gathered in Central Florida for the WWS Overall Tour final. Regina Jaquess, widely considered the GOAT of women’s slalom and overall, competed alongside Hanna Straltsova, who would go on to win dual World Championship golds a month later, and Giannina Bonnemann Mechler, who had swept the previous three tour stops. In a fiercely contested final with less than 60 overall points separating the top three (roughly three buoys in slalom), Bonnemann Mechler emerged victorious, going undefeated on the Tour. Sadly, we will not witness the women battle it out again in 2024.
Despite months of planning and communication with the athletes, World Water Skiers has made the difficult decision to cancel the women’s event due to an insufficient number of entries across the four-stop Tour in 2024. “Just really disappointed,” shared Tour organizer Jaret Llewellyn. “We continue to get great support from the men, but, unfortunately, the state of the sport makes being a professional athlete unattainable [for most].”
Instead, the Tour will move forward in 2024 as a male-only competition, where a core group of six of the best overall skiers in the world will travel to three countries alongside a rotating cast of local challengers. The cancellation of the women’s event is a significant blow and speaks to larger issues around participation and gender equity in the sport.
Water skiing, much like other professional sports, has made significant strides toward achieving gender equity in recent years. This year, an impressive 13 out of 15 slalom events and all five professional trick events offered equal prize money for men and women. This commitment to equality has resulted in the largest total prize purse for women’s slalom in the past 20 years, potentially the highest ever recorded.
Despite these positive developments, there remains a notable disparity in participation rates between male and female athletes in professional competition. Across the first nine professional slalom tournaments of 2024, all of which featured equal prize money, male participants have outnumbered female participants by almost two to one.
Professional events rely on athlete participation, whether directly through entry fees, or in the case of the WWS Overall Tour, to justify their value proposition to sponsors. If the women’s side of the field is consistently light, more tournament organizers might follow suit, jeopardizing the recent gains in gender equity.
So how do we increase female participation at professional events? The ‘host it and they will come’ strategy appears to be failing.
A simple answer could be that pay equity in professional water skiing is still a relatively new development. It may take time for this change to encourage more female athletes to pursue water skiing at the highest level. The visibility of equal prize money could gradually attract more women to stay in the sport past the junior ranks as they see professional water skiing as a viable career option.
Beyond prize money, other financial factors come into play. Industry support and sponsorship opportunities skew heavily male. Boat manufacturers sponsor over 40% more male water skiers than female, and among major ski manufacturers, the ratio of ‘team’ skiers is four-to-one male. These disparities illustrate the challenges faced by female athletes wanting to join the professional circuit.
The larger challenge may have to do with female participation across all levels of the sport. Amateur tournament participation is heavily male-dominated, although most of this is driven by the senior divisions. Women make up approximately 40% of tournament participants under 30, which is significantly better than many sports, particularly outdoor sports, which are notoriously seen as ‘boys’ clubs.’
This is encouraging, but there is clearly room for improvement. Water skiing is championed as a family sport and, at its best, is a beautiful way to bring mothers, sons, fathers, and daughters together on the water. But to meet this goal, we must foster a culture that encourages female participation.
Some of this is circular too. Having visible role models and mentors on the professional circuit can inspire more young girls to pursue water skiing. Successful female athletes can play a crucial role in mentoring and motivating the next generation.
Sadly, there will be no platform for the world’s best female overall skiers in 2024. A confluence of injuries, work commitments, major life events, scheduling conflicts, and financial pressures have coincided to deprive us of showcasing these important role models. Without greater support for women’s skiing across all levels of the sport, this could be the start of a worrying trend. Hopefully, it turns out to be just a speed bump on the road to success.
Anyone tuning into the Pan American Games last October witnessed one of the most farcical scenes in the history of our sport when American slalom specialist Nate Smith took to the water in the trick event, scoring only side slides. The reason behind this spectacle was the Games’ selection criteria, mandating each country to send both a male and female overall competitor. Rather than taking a chance on emerging talents like Jake Abelson or Blaze Grubbs, the U.S. selection committee opted for Smith to attempt beginner tricks and pass a jump live on television. The decision was just the latest in a long history of neglect for the overall event in the U.S.
Since Jimmy Siemers’ last World Championships in 2009, the U.S. has not selected a single male overall skier to compete at the World Championships. Freddy Krueger is the only other male to represent the U.S. in overall this century. No American male competed in overall, even as an independent, for a decade between 2011 and 2021.
Relying on specialists on the men’s side has proven costly for the U.S. Team over the last three decades. After an undefeated streak through the first 40 years of the World Championships, the U.S. Team has won only 7 out of 17 since 1991. Men’s overall has been a crucial factor, with only four victories occurring without Siemers on the team.
For a nation that produced three-event water skiing legends like Duvall, Roberge, and Suyderhoud, the disappearance of overall skiers raises questions. Mastering all three events is incredibly difficult, is this just a pipeline issue? Unlikely. Since 2010, the U.S. has had 10 different skiers ranked within the top 20 for men’s overall performances, no other country had more during this period. Four of these skiers have been within the top 10, with only Australia and Great Britain having more, with five each.
However, a closer look at U.S. Team selection reveals consistent neglect of emerging overall talent. In 2011, without Siemers for the first time in a decade, the U.S. overlooked Storm Selsor, who finished the previous season as the 5th ranked overall skier in the world. Instead, they selected a team of three single-event specialists, including a 15-year-old Erika Lang. Had they included Selsor, who skied as an independent and placed 8th in overall, they would have finished within striking distance of Belarus, the winners, rather than the distant third they achieved.
The issue seems to be a lack of support and encouragement for young talent. Zack Worden, simultaneously ranked in the top 3 for men’s jump and top 10 for men’s overall as a teenager, never made a U.S. Team and effectively retired from overall at 19 to focus on jump. The list of such talents denied the opportunity to represent the USA is extensive, including Mike McCormick, Scott Smith, Ryan Fitts, Dylan Schaffer, and Nick Lang.
While the U.S. has shown more support on the women’s side, selecting three overall skiers for the most recent World Championships, the absence of Regina Jaquess, arguably the greatest skier of all time, leaves a void. Beyond Jaquess, the U.S. has won only three women’s overall medals this century, and just one since 2003. With Jaquess approaching 40, supporting young talents like Brooke Baldwin, Kennedy Hansen, and Anna Gay becomes critical for the future.
The most challenging discipline in water skiing requires encouragement and support to thrive. While the U.S. may lack the government funding of some other federations, it can still nurture young athletes, providing them with the recognition and opportunities to represent their country. Without overall talent, America will continue to fall behind countries like Canada and France on the world stage. One thing is certain: putting a novice on the water to trick and jump on a major platform for the sport does no good for anyone.
The 2024 Masters Water Ski and Wakeboard Tournament was marked by a series of alarming crashes during the Junior Men’s jump event, prompting former world record holder and world champion Clementine Lucine to voice serious concerns about the competition’s safety.
“Every year, incidents occur that seem to disturb no one, leaving me perplexed and, frankly, terrified at the thought of getting my own children on jumpers and maybe sending them to jump there one day,” shared the 18-time Masters competitor.
The event started on a troubling note when Japan’s Jo Nakamura, the first competitor, flirted with the right corner before imploding on the ramp. A few skiers later, German Tim Wild also clipped the corner and ended up sailing upside down through the air. Despite these dramatic crashes, both Nakamura and Wild managed to recover and post competitive scores.
The tumultuous round continued with French favorite Tristan Duplan-Fribourg, who was in a tight battle with Jake Abelson for the overall crown. Duplan-Fribourg found himself under pressure after a pass on jump number one. On his second attempt, the young Frenchman failed to get his right ski onto the ramp, flying straight out the back, with his dislodged ski landing not far behind him.
Back against the wall, Duplan-Fribourg had little choice but to take his third and final attempt to salvage his tournament with a spot in the jump final. Significantly backing off from his first two approaches, the young Frenchman looked out of position as he hit the ramp, collapsing into yet another backward somersault off the ramp.
Lucine argues that such incidents have become all too common at the US Masters. “Particularly at the junior level, it’s rare to find young athletes who haven’t experienced a crash.”
Searching for reasons, Lucine speculates, “Could it be the speed, load, and pressure at the bottom of the ramp at the Masters that is overwhelming, more than at other places? The ramp? The driver? Are the boats used at the Masters more powerful than those at other events? Is it the prestige of the event that weighs heavily on the minds of young jumpers? Or is there no specific reason?”
Lucine questions whether “adequate measures are being taken to ensure the safety of our youth,” suggesting that athletes could be “examined much more thoroughly after a first crash to prevent a potentially fatal second one.”
Like many sports, water skiing faces the challenge of safeguarding athletes who are often eager to return to action after a collision or suspected concussion. The IWWF introduced concussion protocols several years ago, but these are not always consistently followed or adhered to.
Ultimately, Lucine argues that “Yes, the Masters is THE most prestigious event we have.” But “prestige and safety must go hand in hand for success.”
“This year, we narrowly avoided a tragedy, and it seems to be a recurring issue for the past 25 years,” she concluded.
What makes the best skier in the world? Is it talent, skill, and record-setting scores? Or is it the ability to perform under pressure, to excel regardless of the lake or conditions, and to beat the rest of the field when it counts?
If you were fortunate enough to be on the banks of Sunset Lakes yesterday, you were treated to an exhilarating day of slalom as many of the world’s best skiers vied for qualification into the 2024 Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament.
By the end of the day, the Canadian duo of Stephen Neveu and Cole McCormick had punched their tickets. However, an eight-way tie for the last spot forced another intense runoff. It was the European contingent of Sacha Descuns and Adam Sedlmajer that led the pack, each securing 3@10.25m (41’ off). In a second runoff, former world overall champion Sedlmajer emerged victorious to clinch the final spot.
The Masters has long billed itself as the world’s “most prestigious watersports tournament,” where “only the world’s most elite athletes compete.” However, this image is hard to reconcile with a men’s slalom field selected based on a single score at one of two amateur tournaments held this month.
In men’s slalom, only four of the top 10 finishers on the 2023 Waterski Pro Tour standings qualified for the 2024 Masters. The rest of the field, while undoubtedly talented, placed 11th, 13th, 14th, and 19th last year. Collectively, they have finished on two professional slalom podiums in the last 12 months, both courtesy of Joel Poland, and have placed in the top eight at less than half of the events they’ve entered.
Meanwhile, four men who placed in the top seven on the Waterski Pro Tour last year were not invited to the Masters. Between them, they have 11 professional slalom podiums in the last 12 months, including one victory, and have finished in the top eight at over 75% of the events they’ve entered.
In the current competitive landscape, we see logjams at 3@10.25m almost every weekend. The skier who makes it past three on any given weekend is a lottery, but over a long enough period, the cream rises to the top.
That’s why a season-long measure of consistency and performance is the most accurate way to determine the best athlete in water skiing. The Waterski Pro Tour offers this, with 12 professional slalom events in 2023. Who could argue that their year-end standings aren’t a fair reflection of the current elite?
This isn’t to take away from those who did qualify through the two ‘LCQ’ events; they had to beat the best in the world to earn their spots and at times battled challenging conditions to do so. However, it’s tough to say the current qualification criteria is truly “an acknowledgment of achievement for reaching the pinnacle in a given watersports discipline,” claims from the Masters website notwithstanding.
For over six decades, the Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament has built one of the most enduring brands in our sport. Hosted annually at Robin Lake in Callaway Gardens, Georgia, this event has been a proving ground for many of our sport’s greatest athletes. The Pavilion, built for the inaugural Masters in 1959 is iconic. The Master’s even has its own song.
However, as the saying goes, it takes decades to build a reputation and only moments to jeopardize it. The Masters was primarily a U.S. domestic competition until it turned professional in 1985. Less than 15% of titles were claimed by non-Americans in the amateur era, compared to 55% since it turned professional. Despite maintaining one of the largest prize purses in the sport, the current qualification criteria raise concerns about potentially limiting the event to a local derby once again.
The current criteria, introduced during the height of the pandemic in 2021, was a sensible response to the lack of events, both elite and amateur, in the prior year. Since the elite ranking list was effectively defunct and there had been limited opportunities to post scores to the performance based ranking list, the Master’s organizers decided to hold a series of qualifying tournaments to determine invitees. However, as we move into 2024, the continuation of this system, with only minimal adjustments, could be hindering the event’s potential.
For the upcoming 2024 Masters, reserved spots for the defending Masters champion, current world champion, and winners of three other Nautique-sponsored events are in place. However, these slots often represent only one or two individuals. The majority of invitations will be determined through two ‘Last Chance Qualifier’ (LCQ) tournaments in Florida. While having a true last chance qualifier adds excitement, allocating most invitations through amateur events in Central Florida in the month leading up to the Masters seems arbitrary and potentially exclusive.
This approach raises questions about the accessibility of the Masters for international athletes, particularly those from the Southern Hemisphere. Imagine the burden on a skier from this region, leaving their home during comfortable skiing weather, incurring expenses for accommodation and training in Florida, all for the off chance of qualifying. This situation would be akin to the Moomba Masters requiring entrants to travel to Australia in early February for two tournaments in New South Wales (a neighboring state) for the opportunity to compete on the Yarra. The expenses and risks involved would deter many.
This isn’t just an unnecessary burden for Southern Hemisphere skiers. Conditions are comfortably skiable through much of Southern Europe and North America in May. Even domestically, it seems unfair that a skier in a different part of the country is forced to spend the better part of a month in Florida, incurring significant personal expenses, to qualify for the Masters. The situation is even more challenging for juniors, who must sacrifice school time for a chance at qualification.
While there might not be a perfect solution, protecting spots for defending champions and winners of major tournaments is a good start. For slalom, considering the Waterski Pro Tour standings could be a viable option, perhaps leaving one spot open for an LCQ. The challenge for trick and, to some extent, jump is that there are far fewer professional events. Despite valid concerns with the IWWF performance-based ranking lists, they could offer an opportunity for athletes training outside Florida. The amateur performance-based ranking lists seem a logical choice for Junior Masters, an amateur competition.
While many elite athletes currently reside and train in Florida, it doesn’t have to be the exclusive norm. California once rivaled Florida’s dominance, Australia has produced many of the world’s best jumpers, and France countless top trickers. Making residency in Florida a prerequisite for elite competition risks limiting the diversity of our talent pool.
The event, Nautique’s flagship, has lost some of its sheen in recent years. Proactively revising the qualification criteria to embrace diversity and inclusivity could ensure its continued prominence. With its substantial prize purse and multi-event format, paralleled only by Moomba, the Masters will always be a major draw, but evolving with a more inclusive approach can secure its legacy as a global waterskiing spectacle. The same allure that consistently brought in the best skiers in America and further abroad for over 25 years as an amateur event still holds today, although it is perhaps in danger.
Neilly Ross is really good at water skiing. One of only three women to score over 11,000 points in trick skiing, her resume includes multiple junior world titles, professional victories, and being crowned world trick champion in 2017. In slalom, she tied Allie Nicholson for third place at last year’s World Championships, narrowly missing out on a medal based on preliminary scores.
Yet, she’s not quite as dominant as Erika Lang or Anna Gay, and the majority of her success has come in the trick event, which gets far less exposure than water skiing’s most popular discipline – slalom. However, if you were to open Instagram, you’d probably understand why the 22-year-old Canadian is, by certain metrics, the most popular water skier in the world right now.
Ross has more than 200 thousand followers on Instagram, which is more than the top 20 men’s slalom skiers from the 2023 Waterski Pro Tour combined. Across Instagram and TikTok, her videos have amassed millions of views. Most of the pictures and videos involve water skiing. But Ross, tall and athletically built with model-like features, attracts a large audience with seemingly little interest in her buoy count.
Most of her videos follow a routine formula, starting with Ross in a bikini getting ready for her set, warming up on a foam roller or getting suited up, before showing off her world-class skills on the water.
The comments section of her videos is dominated by older men, largely reminiscing about experiences on the water from decades past. But other comments reveal a darker side to her popularity. “Sexy,” “perfect body,” and graphic speculation about her performance “in bed” appear below one popular video of her slalom skiing.
Ross made headlines at the 2022 Moomba Masters, a tournament she won, but not, sadly, for her on-water achievements. A prominent tabloid drew clicks with the title “Water skier Neilly Ross does flips in a VERY skimpy bikini live on the Today show”
Ross, whose father and uncle were both professional slalom skiers, began skiing at a young age and amassed an impressive list of junior records and titles. Growing up in the water skiing Mecca of Central Florida, she dedicated her childhood to honing her skills in both slalom and tricks. Following in the footsteps of her father, Drew Ross, she proudly represents Team Canada and has contributed to multiple World Championship-winning teams.
She pursued her education at Rollins College, where she clinched back-to-back national titles in 2022 and 2023 and set the NCWSA women’s trick record. While most of her major victories occurred during a golden run from 2017 to 2018 while still in high school, Ross has continued to consistently podium at both professional trick and, more recently, slalom events.
With her increasing online popularity, Ross’s social media presence may soon evolve into a significant income source. Earlier this month, she inked a deal with talent agency Tonbara Management Group, known for their expertise in connecting athletes with top-tier brand partners such as Adidas, Amazon, and Lululemon. Both Ross and the agency’s CEO, Partik Darabont, expressed enthusiasm for their upcoming collaboration.
Ross is not the only female water skier gaining traction online; Kennedy Hansen has seen her following grow nearly sevenfold over the past year after a viral video of her toe tricking garnered over 4 million views on Instagram. However, the comments section suggests that many viewers are more interested in the 20-year-old’s anatomy than her advanced toe-line tricks. One comment, which received over 10 thousand likes, sarcastically declared, “men of culture, we meet again.” Some of the female skiers who attract a wide audience with the bikini warm-up-then-skiing video format are as young as 16 or 17.
Depending on whom you ask, the popularity of Ross and other female water skiers on social media is either a bellwether for growth in the sport or a symptom of a toxic culture. Female athletes face a paradox on their journey to success: while sex appeal can bring publicity, sponsorship, and fame, it can also undermine the athleticism of female athletes and perpetuate the notion that women’s sports are not as serious as men’s.
Beach volleyball has grappled with similar issues for decades. Like water skiing, the standard attire for women in beach volleyball is a two-piece bathing suit, ideal for the heat and sand conditions. However, this attire often attracts significant male attention. Olympic gold medalist April Ross expressed her optimistic view to the Washington Post, stating, “I have always felt that when you draw someone into beach volleyball, regardless of how you do it, they fall in love with the sport.”
Perhaps water skiing, a niche sport, could benefit from this style of exposure? Hundreds of thousands of people regularly watch these water skiing videos online, arguably the largest consistent audience since the Pro Tour aired on ESPN.
Not all of the popularity is solely due to sexualization. Many skiers, both male and female, are gaining immense popularity online with content that appeals to a different audience. Joel Poland routinely garners comparable views to Ross’s content, and Erika Lang is among the most popular female water skiers on social media, despite posting content in much more conservative attire than many of her peers.
Trick skiing, a sport where a single video frame can determine the winner, has always been a labor of love. At its elite level, tricking requires its best and brightest to dedicate countless hours of training for only a few events each year. The prize money and industry sponsorship are nowhere near enough to cover expenses, which is why many elite trickers are teenagers still supported by their parents. For these athletes, newfound online popularity offers a chance to make a living pursuing the sport they love.
Ross is focused on forging a new career path, aiming to bring water skiing to a broader audience. Fame always comes with its costs, and while she may attract some degree of toxicity, we hope that many people who discover the sport through her will stick around for the skiing.
After all, Ross is really good at water skiing. It would be nice to live in a world where that was the headline.
Finally, we wrap up the series with the overall event, honoring some of the true legends of the sport. In this domain where versatility is key, these athletes stand out from the crowd. While calling someone the “greatest athlete” is a matter of opinion, here, we explore the incredible journeys of those who haven’t just achieved excellence but have mastered three distinct disciplines—slalom, trick, and jump—earning them the title of the sport’s greatest overall skiers.
These individuals haven’t just succeeded; they’ve gone beyond what was thought possible. Our journey takes us from the early pioneers through the sport’s golden age in the 1990s to today’s modern day greats. Along the way, we dive into each skier’s successes and challenges. These overall skiers represent the pinnacle of the sport, demonstrating unmatched athleticism and skill across all aspects of water skiing.
‘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 female overall skiers 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!
Kaye Thurlow receives her Australian team blazer for the 1969 World Championships in Denmark (image: VINTAGE WATER SKI PHOTOS)
10. Kaye Thurlow Faulkner
Representing Australia in five consecutive World Championships from 1967 to 1975, she earned eight medals across trick, jump, and overall, including two bronze medals in the latter event. Additionally, Kaye competed in the water skiing demonstration at the 1972 Munich Olympics, securing runner-up finishes in trick and jump.
Virtually unbeatable at the Moomba Masters, she secured an incredible 20 titles on the Yarra River, including eight titles in her favored overall event. Kaye deservedly makes this list as the most dominant skier in the only professional event of her era.
McClintock won an incredible eight consecutive Moomba Masters slalom titles from 2011 to 2019 (image: @desburkekennedy)
9. Whitney McClintock Rini
Between 2009 and 2019, Whitney achieved remarkable success with two World Championship overall titles and two runner-up finishes. Her impressive collection at the World Championships includes 10 medals, with five of them being gold, spanning slalom, trick, and overall.
Excellent as a junior, Whitney secured multiple junior world championships, including an under-17 overall title and back-to-back under-21 overall titles. Despite her exceptional skills, she faced the unfortunate circumstance of never having the opportunity to compete in a professional overall tournament throughout her career.
Between 1977 and 1983, the Florida transplant secured an incredible seven World Championship titles spanning slalom, jump, and overall, with back-to-back victories in the overall category in 1977 and 1979.
Cindy’s dominance extended to the U.S. Masters, where she asserted herself as a four-time overall champion. Stepping into the void left by Liz Allan’s retirement, Todd claimed three consecutive titles from 1976 to 1978. Her supremacy wasn’t limited to a singular discipline; across slalom, jump, and overall, Cindy clinched a total of eight titles at the Masters, solidifying her reputation as one of the greatest skiers of her era.
Willa Worthington’s father taught her to water ski on Oswego Lake in 1942 when she was 14.
7. Willa Worthington
Water skiing’s first ever world champion, Willa came agonizingly close to sweeping a World Championships, winning slalom, jump, and overall and finishing runner-up in tricks at the inaugural event in 1949. She would go on to win a total of 14 World Championships medals, eight of them gold. At her last World Championships in 1955, she narrowly missed the clean sweep again, repeating her placements from the first event.
At the U.S. Nationals she won nine overall titles, losing only once from 1946 to 1955. Three times she clean swept the competition, winning all four gold medals. In total, she was a 29-time U.S. National women’s champion, unmatched by any skier to this day.
The only reason she is not placed higher on this list is because of the difficulty in gauging performances from this far in the past. While she was incredibly dominant, the women’s field was often thin in the 1940s and 1950s, with only three women competing at the inaugural World Championships.
Berdnikava held the world trick, jump, and overall records throughout her career (image: @natiski200)
6. Natallia Berdnikava
With an impressive tally of ten World Championship medals earned between 2007 and 2017, Natallia Berdnikava stands as one of the most formidable figures in water skiing. Her crowning achievement unfolded at the 2011 World Championships in Dubna, Russia, where she achieved an extraordinary sweep in women’s trick, jump, and overall events. This remarkable feat laid the foundation for Belarus’ team victory, securing its place as only the fourth nation to claim that prestigious title.
Despite limited opportunities to compete professionally in overall competitions throughout her career, Natallia clinched the 2018 Latrobe City International. Regarded among the greatest trickers and jumpers of all time, she has emerged as one of the dominant athletes in the 21st century.
A trailblazer in the sport, Natallia still holds the distinction of being the highest-scoring female of all time. She has broken the world overall record three times, maintaining her grip on it since 2012, making it one of the longest-standing records in the sport.
Elena Thomsen-Milakova excelled in trick, jump, and overall (image: Swiss Waterski & Wake)
5. Elena Milakova
The Russian dominated the sport at the turn of the century, clinching three consecutive world overall titles from 1997 to 2001. Throughout her career, she amassed a total of nine World Championship medals, demonstrating her skills across the trick, jump, and overall events.
Her other major achievements include overall victories at the 1999 U.S. Masters and 2001 World Games, underlining her consistent excellence on the international stage. During a remarkable run of form in 2001, Elena broke the world overall record three times. This incredible feat included setting new records in both the preliminary and final rounds of the European Championships.
Karen and her husband Mick made up one of the sport’s greatest duos through the 1980s (image: VINTAGE WATER SKI PHOTOS)
4. Karen Bowkett Neville
The standard-bearer for Australia’s golden generation, Karen graced the overall podium in four consecutive World Championships from 1985 to 1991 and claimed the top spot twice. Her instrumental role in the Australian team led to three consecutive second-place finishes from 1985 to 1989, bringing them on the cusp of dethroning the United States’ decades-long reign. Her remarkable achievements include breaking Deena Brush Mapple’s four-year winning streak in 1989 to secure the U.S. Masters overall title, and she added another feather to her cap by winning the U.S. Open in 1991.
Karen dominated the Moomba Masters throughout the late 1980s, securing eight overall titles between 1984 and her retirement in 1993. Her remarkable tally of 20 titles across all four disciplines places her on par with Kaye Thurlow Faulkner as the most successful skier in the history of the Moomba Masters. Karen’s outstanding achievements in water skiing became a source of national pride, leading to her recognition as the Australian Sportswoman of the Year in 1985.
From 1979 to 1989, the Sacramento native played a pivotal role in guiding the U.S. Team to an impressive seven consecutive World Championship team titles, showcasing her consistency by only missing the overall podium twice during this period. Following two runner-up finishes and a bronze, she solidified her legacy by claiming back-to-back world overall titles in 1987 and 1989. Her illustrious career boasts a total of 15 World Championship medals, spanning slalom, jump, and overall events, with an impressive six golds.
Renowned as one of the most dominant skiers in the history of the U.S. Masters, Deena secured a remarkable 20 titles across slalom, jump, and overall, with 14 of them earned after the Masters became professional in 1985. Her prowess in women’s overall was particularly noteworthy, experiencing only one loss between 1985 and 1993 on Robin Lake. Similarly, at the U.S. Open, she won four consecutive overall titles from 1987 to 1990, before taking the 1991 season off for the birth of her first child.
Deena stands as the sole female athlete to simultaneously hold the world slalom and jump records. Among her many accomplishments, the Grand Slam Victory in 1987 stands out, securing overall wins at the World Championships, U.S. Nationals, U.S. Masters, and the Pro Tour—a feat only matched by one other athlete. Known fondly as the ‘Queen of Water Skiing,’ Deena’s achievements place her among the greatest of all time.
Liz Allan revolutionized women’s jumping through the 1960s and 70s (image: VINTAGE WATER SKI PHOTOS)
2. Liz Allan
At just 14 years old, the American phenom announced her arrival on the global stage by becoming only the second woman to jump 100 feet. In that same remarkable year, she clinched her inaugural world titles, seizing gold in both the jump and overall events.
Liz’s dominance in water skiing is unparalleled, as evidenced by her incredible tally of 15 World Championship medals between 1965 and 1975, boasting an impressive 11 golds—the highest count by any skier in history. Notably, she stands alone as the only skier to secure World Championships in all four disciplines: slalom, trick, jump, and overall, winning the latter event three times throughout her illustrious career.
In 1969, at the age of 18, Liz showcased near invincibility, very nearly effecting a clean sweep across all three events and overall at the U.S. Masters, U.S. Nationals, and World Championships. Her sole defeat that season came in slalom at the Masters. Liz’s dominance at her peak has yet to be surpassed by any other skier.
Her legacy extends to the U.S. Masters, where she reigns as the most successful skier in its storied history. Liz secured a staggering 24 titles, including an unmatched nine overall titles, with only one loss between 1966 and 1975. Liz’s extraordinary accomplishments reached their peak before she made the decision to retire from top-level competition at the remarkably young age of 24.
Jaquess is arguably the greatest water skier of all time, male or female (image: @regina_jaquess)
1. Regina Jaquess
Displaying exceptional talent from a young age, Regina Jaquess received her inaugural invitation to the Junior Masters at the tender age of 12. At 16, she nearly achieved a clean sweep at the Under-17 World Championships, securing victories in slalom, jump, and overall, only stumbling in the trick final, despite posting the highest score of the tournament in the preliminary round.
Undeterred, Regina clinched her first open world title in the trick event the following year at 17. She continued her dominance into the first two editions of the Under-21 World Championships, amassing a total of six gold medals. Her illustrious career includes five world overall championships, with back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2005, and an impressive three consecutive titles from 2013 to 2017. In total, Regina boasts 19 World Championship medals across slalom, trick, jump, and overall, securing 10 golds. A record-breaker, she has broken the world overall record four times and holds the World Championship tournament record.
Regina’s prowess extends to the Pan American Games, where she is a three-time overall champion, triumphing in 2011, 2019, and the most recent victory in 2023. Her outstanding performance in Chile last year, clinching gold in slalom, jump, and overall, earned her a nomination as the female athlete of the games.
Despite her remarkable achievements, Regina has faced a scarcity of opportunities to compete in professional overall tournaments, her career coinciding with a two-decade drought of events. Nonetheless, she made her mark by winning tricks and overall at the 2002 U.S. Open as an 18-year-old. In recent years, she has reached the podium on the WWS Overall Tour, reaffirming her enduring excellence in water skiing.
Honorable Mentions:
Clementine Lucine
While Clem may be best remembered as the first woman to trick 10,000 points, she boasts an impressive collection of eight World Championships medals, with four earned in overall competitions from 2003 to 2013. Her crowning achievement came in 2007 when she stood atop the podium in both the trick and overall events. Notably, she held the overall world record for an impressive five years, breaking it twice in 2004 and 2006.
Rhoni Barton Bischoff
While Rhoni could never secure top honors at the World Championships, she earned four medals, including back-to-back bronzes in the overall event in 1999 and 2001. On the professional circuit she was a two-time U.S. Masters overall champion and multiple-time U.S. Open champion. Making history, Rhoni became the first-ever world record holder in the overall category when the IWWF started recording records in the late 1990s.
Judy McClintock Messer
Between 1985 and 1995, Judy featured on the World Championships overall podium five times, finally clinching the coveted gold in 1995. She emerged as the backbone of the Canadian team, playing a pivotal role in their groundbreaking victories during the 1990s.
Ana-Maria Carrasco
Despite her greatest achievements coming in tricks, Ana-Maria secured a world overall title in 1983, alongside two runner up finishes throughout the 1980s. Throughout the decade, Carrasco consistently performed at an elite level, claiming gold in overall and trick at the inaugural World Games in 1981, and earning a U.S. Masters overall title in 1984.
Karin Roberge Woodson
The first Roberge to make their mark on the world stage, Karin secured back-to-back U.S. Masters overall titles in 1979 and 1980. She then claimed the title of world overall champion in 1981, showcasing her skills with podium finishes in both the slalom and trick events. Throughout the 1980s, she continued to shine, adding three consecutive Moomba Masters overall titles to her career achievements.
Giannina Bonnemann Mechler and Hanna Straltsova
These two young stars have been at the forefront of women’s overall for the last few seasons and are beginning to post scores that could threaten Berdnikava’s longstanding world record.
Independent perspectives on tournament water skiing
