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Welcome to the American Water Ski Association Southern Region Web Page.
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Junior Bio's Needed for 2012 Southern Region Guide
Attention Southern Region Parents.
We want your Junior Skiers featured in the 2012 Regional Guide. Click on the Jr Dev link on the left for more information.
Make Your Payments and Donations to the Southern Region with Your Credit Card or PayPal Account
The Southern Region is now able to accept Sanction fees, Regional Guide Ad payments and donations to the Junior Development fund, Southern Region Team fund and scholarship donations to the AWSEF using your PayPal account or credit and debit card.
This will save you the trouble of writing checks and sending them to the EVP via USPS and gives you the added flexibility to use your plastic for these expenses.
The payment page is setup with drop down options for each of the categories;
Sanction Fees
SR Junior Development
SR Team Fund
AWSEF Scholarships
Regional Guide Ads
Click here to go to the payments page:
2012 Southern Region Midwinter Council Meeting Dates Finalized
The Mid Winter Council meeting dates and location have been determined. The meeting will take place in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday January 07, 2012 at the Doubletree Club Hotel located near the Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. The Doubletree Club Hotel is a full service facility with all the amenities. Reservations can be made by calling 1-404-763-1600. Please use Southern Region as the code words to receive this discount.
If arriving by air, a free airport shuttle runs every 30 minutes to the hotel. Go to the shuttle area located on the west side of the baggage claim area and look for the Doubletree shuttle.
The meeting will be from 9 AM - 5 PM on Saturday only. Twenty Five rooms have been blocked under the Southern Region's name at a discounted rate of $99 + tax. Please book your rooms prior to December 18th to receive this rate. You may find additional discounted rates for hotel rooms when you book early online, so check with the hotel website.
Those arriving on Friday night will be invited to a hospitality room for refreshments and appetizers starting at 6 PM.
A continental breakfast will be served on Saturday morning in the meeting room at 8 AM and lunch will be on your own from 12 PM to 1 PM.
Our meeting will start promptly at 9 AM for those driving in on Saturday morning. The meeting will be held on the 1st floor in the meeting/conference room area.
There are numerous quality restaurants nearby for lunch and dinner.
The list includes Johnny's (awesome pizza, subs), Ruby Tuesdays, Waffle House, Schlotzsky's Deli, Steak and Ale, Red Lobster, Johnny Carino's (Italian), Willy's (Mexican), Longhorn Steakhouse, and the list goes on.
Go to the hotel website to get all of the details http://www.atlantaairportclub.doubletree.com/
Doubletree Club Hotel
3400 Norman Berry Drive
Atlanta, GA 30344
404-763-1600 main
404-765-0200 fax
The minutes of the Summer Council and Membership meeting are posted in the Minutes section of the website.
Jaquess' World Overall Record Approved
The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation's Tournament Council has approved the pending women's world overall record set by U.S. water ski athlete Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) at the XVI Pan American Games, Oct. 20-23, in Chapala, Mexico.
 Jaquess' scores in her respective events of slalom (1-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off), tricks (8,200 points) and jumping (173 feet) totaled 3,033.01 overall points. The overall score eclipses the current world overall record of 2,995.56 points set by Belarus' Natallia Berdnikava on Oct. 1.
For a list of current world records, click here.
2012 35+ Water Ski Teams Selected
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 12/16/2011 08:22:40
USA Water Ski is pleased to announce the selections of three U.S. 35+ Water Ski Teams that will compete in major international tournaments in 2012. The U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team will compete in the 35+ Water Ski World Championships (dates and location TBD), and the U.S. 35-44 Pan American Water Ski Championships Team and U.S. 45+ Pan American Water Ski Championships Team will compete in the 2012 Pan American Water Ski Championships, Sept. 12-15, in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. The American Water Ski Association's 35+ Veteran Sub-Committee selected the teams.
Selected to the U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team were: Brenda Baldwin (Windermere, Fla.), Women 35-44; Janie Fausold (Pleasant Grove, Calif.), Women 55+; Leza Harrison (Chuluota, Fla.), Women 55+; Tony Knight (Wentzville, Mo.), Men 45-54; Mary Koenig (Waterford, Mich.), Women 45-54; Lori Krueger (Gonzales, La.), Women 35-44; Stephen Miller (Marysville, Wash.), Men 55+; and Marc Shaw (Orlando, Fla.), Men 35-44.
The U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team won the overall team gold medal at the 2010 World 35+ Water Ski Championships in Segrate, Italy. Great Britain earned the silver medal and Germany earned the bronze medal at the biennial event.
Selected to the U.S. 35-44 Pan American Water Ski Championships Team were: Brenda Baldwin (Windermere, Fla.), Lori Krueger (Gonzales, La.), Brandy Nagle (Sacramento, Calif.) and Marc Shaw (Orlando, Fla.). The U.S. 35-44 Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal at the 2010 Pan American Water Ski Championships in San Bernardo, Chile. Mexico earned the silver medal and Argentina earned the bronze medal at the biennial event.
Selected to the U.S. 45+ Pan American Water Ski Championships Team were: Connie Bergmark (San Diego, Calif.), Leza Harrison (Chuluota, Fla.), Tony Knight (Wentzville, Mo.) and Mary Koenig (Waterford, Mich.). The U.S. 45+ Pan American Water Ski Championships Team won the overall team gold medal at the 2010 Pan American Water Ski Championships. Canada earned the silver medal and Brazil earned the bronze medal.
AWSA Nationals' Schedule Released
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 12/14/2011 09:32:41
The schedule of events for the 70th GOODE Water Ski National Championships is now available. The Nationals will be held Aug. 14-18 at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach, Fla. To download and view the schedule, click here (PDF). Note: The finals of the 2012 Nautique Big Dawg World Tour, presented by O'Brien, will take place on Thursday and Friday during the Nationals under a separate sanction.
To visit the official Web site of the 70th GOODE Water Ski National Championships, click here.
AWSEF Hall To Induct Cox, Slone
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 12/05/2011 10:29:07
The American Water Ski Educational Foundation's 10-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee has announced that former professional water ski athletes Wade Cox and Sherri Slone will be the 2012 AWSEF Water Ski Hall of Fame inductees. The 30th annual induction ceremony will take place April 21 at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Fla. Cox and Slone will be the 62nd and 63rd inductees into the AWSEF Hall of Fame, which is located in Polk City, Fla.
Cox was perhaps the most successful U.S. slalom skier of his time. He scored points and wins on the U.S. Pro Water Ski Tour, facing tough competition from others such as Great Britain’s Andy Mapple. He always credited the competition as incentive to improve. He has more than 30 victories in professional water skiing. He held the U.S. national slalom record at one time. In 1996 he won men's slalom titles at the Masters and U.S. Open. The high point of his career was in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He earned a bronze medal in men's slalom at the 1995 Water Ski World Championships.
Slone's skiing career had many honors and victories, even though throughout most of her career she was competing against other top women who are now in the Hall of Fame. She co-held the U.S. women's jumping record at 156 feet (47.5 meters) before the ramp for Open Women was raised to 5-½ feet. She was the world champion in jumping in 1991. She won more than 20 pro tournaments. Although noted mainly for her jumping, she also was a three-eventer in traditional skiing. She was ranked in the top-three in women's overall in the world for several years. In 1990, when there were competing pro tours, she accomplished a unique feat of winning two separate pro jumping titles on the same day. She contributed to the sport by serving on the American Water Ski Association's International Activities Committee and becoming a rated judge.
The 2012 Award of Distinction recipients, also to be honored during the AWSEF Hall of Fame inductions, are: Bob Maher, Larry Meddock, Lance Renfrow, Don Thomson and Mike Tolzmann.
Maher, a three-event water skier, started his ski company, Maherajah Skis, in 1950. Maherajah had some key skiers, such as the LaPoints, using his product. His innovations included beveled side edges, high-wrap bindings, and concave bottoms on their top quality wooden skis. Today, Maherajah Skis is mainly noted as a manufacturer of water ski racing skis.
Meddock's water ski industry career spans almost 50 years, beginning with Medalist Water Sports, later at Correct Craft, and continuing today as executive director of the Water Sports Industry Association. He served as AWSEF trustee from 1986-92 and chairman of the board from 1990-93.
Renfrow has been an AWSEF trustee since 1986 and served on the Hall of Fame Selection Committee over three terms. He was an engineer by trade and was an early designer of a private lake in Newberry Springs, Calif.
Thomson introduced back barefooting to the Cypress Gardens ski shows, was an endurance barefoot record holder and the first ever to do the doubles act (a girl riding on his shoulders) barefoot. He was instrumental in introducing the use of carbon fiber in molded skis and the “wing” to slalom ski fins."
Tolzmann was a three-event water skier and show skier, but went into the freestyle event when it was featured on the Pro Tour for a few years. He was noted for putting out huge distances while doing tricks off the ramp. Distances became so long in the freestyle event that the rules were even modified to reduce the scoring bonus.
The purpose of the Water Ski Hall of Fame is to honor and perpetuate the names and accomplishments of skiers, pioneers and officials whose dedication and competitive achievements at national and international levels have brought lasting fame to the sport of water skiing. Four categories of membership have been approved by the AWSEF's board of trustees: competitive water skiers, including participants in traditional water skiing, barefoot skiing, ski racing and any other nationally competitive individual discipline recognized by USA Water Ski and approved by the AWSEF board of trustees; water skiing pioneers; water skiing officials; and show skiing. For eligibility requirements and more information, visit the official Web site of the American Water Ski Educational Foundation at www.waterskihalloffame.com.
Jaquess' World Slalom Record Approved
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 12/02/2011 09:30:20
The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation's Tournament Council has approved the pending women's world slalom record of 2 buoys at 41 feet off set by U.S. water ski athlete Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) on Oct. 2 at the Eddie Greene Budweiser Oktoberfest in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
The score surpassed the record of 1-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off set by Jaquess at the 2010 Eddie Green Open in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
The IWWF Tournament Council also has approved three additional world records: France's Clementine Lucine's pending women'’s world tricks record of 10,040 points set on Oct. 18 at the Alexis Pickos Open in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.; and Belarus' Natallia Berdnikava's pending women's world overall record of 2,994.56 points and pending women's world jumping record of 188 feet (57.4 meters). Berdnikava set the overall record on Oct. 1 at the Sunset Lakes Fall Classic in Groveland, Fla., and the jumping record on Oct. 26 at the Pooch and Tays Jumpaween in Polk City, Fla.
Two records are still pending approval by the IWWF. Canada's Whitney McClintock set a pending women's world overall record of 2,951.95 points on Aug. 14 at the Canadian Water Ski Championships in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Jaquess set a pending women's world overall record of 3,033.01 points on Oct. 23 at the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The pending world overall record of 2,971.86 points set by Lucine at the Alexis Pickos Open was denied due to the slalom path deviation being out of tolerance.
Nell Drake 1939-2011
Dear Water Ski Family,
Most of you may know, but Nell Drake passed away last night. She was diagnosed with lung cancer very recently and was at East Alabama Regional Hospital in Opelika. Nell was 72. We are told she did not respond to chemo or radiation. She went home and was back in hospital last Thursday with pneumonia and passed away there. Nell was 72. Please keep Nell and her family in your prayers.
We do not know if there will be arrangements, we are told her body will be cremated. If we find otherwise, we will advise.
I loved Nell Drake as you all did, and will miss her very much. Her years of dedication to the Auburn Water Ski Team and our sport in general will not be forgotten. Remember she was the "Ski Queen". God bless you all.
J. R. and Anne Henley
For those of you that don't know, Nell Drake is from Dadeville (Lake Martin). We will truly miss her. I skied with her a couple of times a week and she was a special lady. She was certainly a spirited pistol. She is the Women 6 & 7 Alabama State Record Holder in Slalom.
Bob Schouten
Vic Varallo 1922-2011
Vic Varallo passed away on November 25, 2011. Vic was a long time water ski competitor, driver and judge. He was a past National Sr. Men’s jump champion (1966) and was 6 times Southern Region Sr. Men’s Jump champion. Vic was known for his signature “Yell” when coming off the ramp. He competed in tournaments from the early 1960’s through the early 1980’s in everything from mixed doubles to ski racing. Upon retiring from competition after a hip replacement, Vic continued to judge at tournaments around the south. He was the first inductee into the Tennessee Water Ski Hall of Fame in 1995. In 1992 the Tennessee State Water Ski Association implemented a “Vic Varallo Award”, which reads; “In Appreciation for Unselfishness and Dedicated Services to the Tennessee Water Ski Association”. It has been given each year to a deserving individual.
Vic taught, coached and mentored countless young people throughout the years and made positive, long lasting impressions on their lives. He always called you “Sonny” whether he was yelling at you, coaching you or teaching you.
Vic attended the University of Mississippi where he excelled in football and basketball. His college career was interrupted by WW II, where he was a tail gunner in the Pacific. He returned to Middle Tennessee State University where he was captain of the football team and named MVP All-Conference.
Vic was a coach at East High in Nashville, Tennessee where he coached football, basketball and track. He had several State Champion Track teams. He continued to referee basketball and track for many years after his retirement in 1974.
Later in life, Vic enjoyed farming and raising cattle and goats.
Vic ran for Metro Councilman at Large in Nashville and was elected two terms. Vic was a champion. He will be missed by all that knew him.
Ham Wallace
Gary Eugene Pressley 1949-2011
Gary Eugene Pressley, 62, passed away peacefully into the hands of his loving Heavenly Father at his home on November 19, 2011, after battling Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). Gary was born in Asheville on April 6, 1949 to G.B. and the late Thelma Higgins Pressley. He was a loving and devoted husband to his wife of 43 years, Rebecca (Becky) and beloved father to Meredith and Melissa.
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca Sutton Pressley; his father, G.B.; two brothers, Richard (Debbie) and Kevin (partner Mike) of Asheville; two daughters, Meredith Pressley (fiancé Ryan) of Black Mountain and Melissa Pressley Woodard (Shawn) of Gray, TN; brother and sister-in-law, Jerry and Carol Sutton; and several nieces and nephews.
Gary was a graduate of Lee Edwards High School, A-B Tech, and Montreat College. Gary was a longtime employee of the Square D Company for 38 years where he last served as a Project Manager. He was a member of Biltmore Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon, member of the SPAN (Servants Paying Attention to Needs) ministry, and an AWANA leader. He loved to serve the Lord by helping others, especially by helping remodel houses for those in need. He was an avid competitive water skier and served USA Water Ski as a senior and Pan-Am judge and scorer, as well as head of the seeding committee. Gary served our country in the Navy for four years.
A celebration of life service will be held at Groce Funeral Home on Long Shoals Rd., Arden, NC at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 22, 2011 with Pastors Sam McLamb and Kelvin Moseley presiding. Burial will follow at Pisgah View Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Groce Funeral Home on Long Shoals Rd. in Arden.
Flowers are appreciated but donations in his memory to the Biltmore Baptist Church SPAN ministry or the Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter of the ALS Association, www.catfishchapter.org, would also be appreciated.
The family would also like to thank the staff of the Veteran's Administration Hospital, CarePartners Hospice, his CNA Adam Gresham, Biltmore Baptist Church, and all of the friends and family who took such good care of Gary during the past five months.
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The Gary Pressley Family
19 Auburndale Drive
Asheville, NC 28806
November 6, 2011
To: All regional EVP’S, Regional and National Junior Development Chairpersons:
For 35 years we have been involved with junior development in the states either by offering private scholarships to juniors, donating clinics for the state of Florida or the Southern Region. When there was a 12 member camp Sunset Lakes hosted all but two. Jack and now Christopher have given their time as coaches on an international level to U.S. teams. We feel very fortunate to have a proven program that has produced many regional, national and world level competitors. The last several years we have been disappointed in the numbers of juniors in the states who were not reaching the desired level of competency to be competitive at the world level. (Just look at the iwsf-ranking list over a 10-year period) We prefer to try and be proactive on our end to help find a solution.
We have decided to offer scholarships over a two year period to the 24-member team of $500.00 a week for two weeks each year. (A very generous donor who has watched our program and knows of our success rate has made this possible!) Training over several weeks each year will offer juniors consistent training, with follow through by someone who understands a long-term plan that builds on basic skills. The families would have to pay the balance, which is $495.00 a week. That $495.00 would include 5 days of skiing Monday through Friday 4 sets each day, with room and board as well as one workout with Shelly Wagner. Shelly is our personal trainer who works with our skiers on site and understands how important stretching and a strong core is to skiing. . A personal logbook will go home with each skier so they can track skiing conditions, coaching tips, and fin and wing settings. Skiers would arrive on a Sunday and depart on Saturday so they would receive a full 5 days of skiing.
The weeks that are available for 2012 are as follows:
January 22- March 31
April 22-May 12
June 3-June 16
July 29-August 25
September 16-November 15
Anyone on the 12-member team can petition for the same scholarship.
For more information about the programs available at Sunset please go to www.jacktravers.com or call Lelani at 1-800-732-2755.
All our best, The Travers family
World Record Jump for Natallia Berdnikava Approved
Natallia Berdnikava has set a world record jump of 57.4m 188’ at the Pooch & Tay Jumpaween tournament in Polk City. The old record was 57.1m 187’, held by June Fladborg.
The complete scorebook is posted in the scorebook 2012 section.
AWSA Nationals Perpetual Awards and Scholarship Awards Announced
Gene Davis, AWSA President has announced the annual perpetual awards and scholarships that are awarded each year to the participants in the National Water Ski Championships. Congratulations to all of these great young skiers on their performances throughout the 2011 skiing season and during the Nationals.
Click here to read all of the awards summary
U.S. Wins 7 Medals At Pan Am Games
Four U.S. Water Ski Team members combined to win seven medals in respective events at the XVI Pan American Games, Oct. 20-23, at Boca Laguna in Chapala, Mexico. The U.S. Water Ski Team finished with six gold medals and one bronze medal during the four-day competition.
Members of the 2011 U.S. Pan American Games Water Ski Team were: Andrew Adkison (Orlando, Fla.), Russell Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.), Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Jon Travers (Groveland, Fla.). Mike Meek (Albany, Ohio) and Dave Briscoe (Winter Haven, Fla.) served as the water skiing and wakeboarding coaches, respectively. Frank Harrison (Rancho Mirage, Calif.) was the team leader.
 Jaquess led the way for the U.S. Team, winning four medals. She also set four Pan American Games' records and one pending world record. She has now won 10 medals in three Pan American Games' appearances, the most of any U.S. water ski athlete. She won gold medals in women's overall (2,955.71 points), slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off) and jumping (166 feet/50.6 meters). She earned the bronze medal in women's tricks (6,090 points).
 Krueger won the gold medal in men's jumping with a distance of 212 feet/64.9 meters. Chile's Rodrigo Miranda (212 feet/64.5 meters) and Felipe Miranda (206 feet/62.7 meters) earned the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Krueger earned the top seed for the finals of men's jumping with a Pan American Games-record distance of 221 feet (67.4 meters) in the preliminary round. The distance surpassed the record of 220 feet (67.0 meters) co-held by Krueger (2003) and Canada’s Jaret Llewellyn (2003).
 Travers won the gold medal in men's slalom, setting a new Pan American Games' record of 2 buoys at 41 feet off. Canada's Jason McClintock earned the silver medal with 4-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off and Mexico's Carlos LaMadrid earned the bronze medal with 3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off.
 Adkison won the gold medal in men's wakeboarding, scoring 80.00 points. Canada's Aaron Rathy earned the silver medal with 72.67 points and Brazil's Marcelo Giardi earned the silver medal with 65.90 points.
Jaquess earned the top seed for the finals of women's slalom by scoring a Pan American Games' record of 1 buoy at 41 feet off to earn the top seed. The score shattered the mark of 4 buoys at 38 feet off set by Canada's Susi Graham at the 1999 Games. Jaquess upped the record to 1-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off in the overall final. Jaquess won the gold medal in women's overall, setting a Pan American Games water ski overall record of 2,955.71 points. Her scores in her respective events of slalom (1-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off), tricks (8,200 points) and jumping (173 feet/Pan American Games' record) also will be a pending world overall record of 3,033.01 points. The overall figure is calculated differently for each record. The Pan American Games' record is calculated based on her performance against her competitors. The world record is calculated against a baseline figure. Canada's Whitney McClintock earned the silver medal in overall with 2,809.6 points and Canada's Karen Stevens earned the bronzed medal with 1,862.8 points. If approved by the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation's Technical Committee, Jaquess' overall score will surpass her own world-record mark of 2,945.85 points set in 2010. McClintock (2,951.95 points), Belarus' Natallia Berdnikava (2,994.56 points) and France's Clementine Lucine (2,971.86 points) also have pending world records currently under review by the IWWF.
 Argentina's Javier Julio won the gold medal in men's overall with 2,870.7 points. Chile's Felipe Miranda (2,800.8 points) and Rodrigo Miranda (2,591.1 points) earned the silver medal and bronze medal, respectively. Julio also won the gold medal in men's tricks, scoring 10,140 points. Canada's Jason McClintock earned the silver medal with 9,880 points and Chile's Felipe Miranda earned the bronze medal with 9,430 points. Gay finished fourth with 9,040 points.
Canada's Whitney McClintock won the gold medal in women's tricks, setting a Pan American Games' record 8,390 points. Colombia's Maria Camila Linares earned the silver medal with 7,400 points. McClintock also earned silver medals in women's slalom (2-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off) and jumping (166 feet/50.5 meters). Canada's Karen Stevens earned bronze medals in women's slalom (1-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off) and jumping (135 feet/41.1 meters).
For results, click here.
Record Setting Weekend In Florida Tournaments
Hank Longo was able to accomplish a lifelong pursuit of a National Jump record. He was able to set pending records in the Men 6 jump event at the Jacks’ Sunset Fall Classic tournament in Groveland, FL. In round 1 he set a pending record of 119’/36.4m with the sun setting and then on Sunday was able to push the distance up to 129’/39.4m. While they still need the approval of the AWSA Technical Committee, John Worden, the tournament Technical Controller, was comfortable that all of the technical requirements for the jumps would be approved. Dreams can come true!
Also Natalia Berdnikava had performances of 1.5 buoys in slalom, 9240 points in tricks and a jump of 186’/56.7m to post a new pending world overall record of 2994 points. This would exceed Clementine Lucines’ pending overall record of 2971.86.
Regina Jaquess set a pending women's world slalom record of 2 buoys at 41 feet off on Saturday at the Eddie Green Budweiser Oktoberfest in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
Many other personal bests were recorded by all of the skiers in these tournaments and you can read all of the results in the posted scorebooks for the tournaments.
Read newspaper article in Ledger by Lisa Coffey for Hank Longo
Read newspaper article in Ledger by Lisa Coffey for Natalia Berdikava & Regina Jaquess
2012 Southern Regional Dates Have Been Confirmed!
The 2012 Southern Regional Championships will be held in Paducah Kentucky on July 25-28 (Wednesday - Saturday). We had to wait for the National dates to be finalized before we could proceed. Just in case, the National dates are August 14-18 (Tuesday - Saturday) and will be held at Okeeheelee Park – West Palm Beach, FL.
Dates Set For 2012 AWSA Nationals
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 09/27/2011 16:12:40
USA Water Ski and the American Water Ski Association are pleased to announce that the 2012 GOODE Water Ski National Championships will be held Aug. 14-18 at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Ski Club of the Palm Beaches will host the 70th Nationals.
The American Water Ski Association, one of nine sport discipline organizations of USA Water Ski, approved the bid from the Ski Club of The Palm Beaches at its mid-winter board of directors' meeting in January 2011. The bid approval also includes an option for the Ski Club of The Palm Beaches to host the 2013 Nationals.
The Ski Club of The Palm Beaches has hosted 11 Water Ski National Championships, five Southern Regional Water Ski Championships, two Florida State Water Ski Championships and the 1989 Water Ski World Championships – in addition to a handful of professional cash-prize tournaments and hundreds of other amateur water ski tournaments – over the past 25 years. It most recently hosted the 2008 and 2009 GOODE Water Ski National Championships. For more information on the Ski Club of The Palm Beaches, visit www.okeeski.com.
Tate Wins Big Dawg Championship
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 09/24/2011 22:31:52
U.S. water ski athlete Kyle Tate (Winter Garden, Fla.) won the 6th O'Brien Big Dawg Slalom Series Championship, presented by Nautique, on Saturday night at Okeeheelee Park in West Palm Beach, Fla. Tate defeated fellow U.S. athlete Jay Leach (Meridian, Miss.) in the head-to-head finale, scoring 5 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off to Leach’s 3-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off. For complete results, visit www.skibigdawg.com.
The series championship included two rounds of 34 mph record-capability slalom action, followed by a bracketed 16-skier head-to-head finale. In the head-to-head format, the top seed had the option of skiing first or second, but whoever went out second had to beat the first skier's score (ties went to the skier who opts to ski first).
The sweet 16 finalists from each of the series' two qualifying tournaments automatically earned berths in the championship. Qualifier No. 1 was held June 25-26 in Cypress, Texas, and was won by Chad Scott of Covington, La., while Qualifier No. 2 was held Aug. 27-28 in Gaines, Mich., and was won by Scott Larson of Canyon Lake, Calif. Skiers age 35 and older who have not placed in the top 10 of a professional slalom tournament in the past three years or any skier over the age of 50 were eligible to compete in the series.
Worden Wins World Cup Event
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 09/25/2011 10:46:59
U.S. water ski athlete Zack Worden (Deltona, Fla.) won the men's jumping title on Sunday at the IWWF Water Ski & Wakeboard World Cup event in Linyi City, China. Some of the world's top water ski jumpers and wakeboard riders competed in the tournament.
Worden won with a distance of 217 feet (66.0 meters) over fellow U.S. athletes Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Scot Ellis (Auburndale, Fla.). Krueger jumped 216 feet (65.9 meters) in the finals and Ellis jumped 208 feet (63.5 meters).
Belarus' Natallia Berdnikava won the women's jumping title with a distance of 171 feet. Australia's Jacinta Carroll (166 feet) and Greece's Marie Vympranietsova (159 feet) finished second and third, respectively.
Australia's Harley Clifford won men's wakeboarding, scoring 88.57 points. U.S. athletes Andrew Adkison (Orlando, Fla.) and Daniel Powers (Orlando, Fla.) finished second and third, respectively, scoring 85.78 points and 70.12 points.
Australia's Amber Wing won the women's wakeboarding title, scoring 65.34 points. U.S. athlete Raimi Merritt (Orlando, Fla.) finished second with 57.57 points.
For more complete results and more information, visit www.waterskiandwakeboardworldcup.com.
2012 Southern Regionals Site Announced By Bob Archambeau, EVP
The votes are in and it was a close one! The 2012 Southern Region
Championships has been awarded to the Kentucky Lake Ski Nuts in Paducah, KY. Congratulations to all the Ski Nuts. Many of us have participated at this site in previous years and are familiar with that "Kentucky Hospitality" that we've all enjoyed. We are looking forward to visiting your site next year.
It takes a lot of effort and volunteers for any Club to host a Regionals and
I would bet that a list is now forming to help them out. If you would like
to sign up, please contact Pat Coomes or Bobby Hill (Tournament Directors).
The actual dates of the Tournament are still being finalized and as details unfold we will publish updates on the Southern Region Web Site.
I would also like to thank and congratulate everyone at Ski Paradise for the
great job you did on this years Regionals. We enjoyed your hospitality and
the tremendous efforts that your group put forward in making it a successful
event. You stepped up when we did not have a site and we appreciate that.
As last reminder if anyone wants to look at their pictures from the 2011 Southern Regionals, they can go to www.action-snapshot.photoreflect.com.
Clementine Lucine First Woman To Score Over 10,000 Points In Tricks
Clementine Lucine scored 10,040 in the Open Women’s Trick event at the Alexis Pickos Open in Santa Rosa Beach, FL over the weekend. She is the first woman to post a score over 10,000 points in a tournament in the history of the sport. This is a potential record for the event and has been forwarded to the IWWF for review and consideration. In addition to this great performance, she had a score of 5.5 @ 11.25/55kph (59.5 buoys) in slalom, the 10,040 points in trick and a jump of 49.7 meters and this also set a potential IWWF Overall record of 2971.86 points.
U.S. Teams Sweep Can Am Challenge
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 09/18/2011 20:41:01
The U.S. Under 17 and Under 13 Water Ski Teams each won titles at the 4th Can Am Challenge, Sept. 17-18, at the Lake of Dreams in Jerseyville, Ill. The two-day, world-record capability event featured team competition between Canada and the United States. A six-member Under 17 Team and a six-member Under 13 Team represented both countries.
Members of the U.S. Under 17 Water Ski Team were: Ellie Horton (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.), Nicholas Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.), Dane Mechler (Loveland, Ohio), Jaye Morris (San Diego, Calif.) and Julia Waitt (Clermont, Fla.).
The U.S. Under 17 Water Ski Team tallied 7,693.2 points to Canada’s 7,548.3 points. Team scores were based on the top-three team members’ overall scores for each of the three events (slalom, tricks and jumping).
Members of the U.S. Under 13 Water Ski Team were: Bailey Austin (Buda, Texas), Brooke Baldwin (Windermere, Fla.), Krista Butterfield (Sherman, Texas), Ryan Canepa (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Anna Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Quinn Haines (Avon, Conn.).
The U.S. Under 13 Water Ski Team tallied 8,188.1 points to Canada’s 7,064.0 points. Team scores were based on the top-three team members’ overall scores for each of the three events (slalom, tricks and jumping).
For complete results, click here.
Q&Ps Posted For 35+ Water Ski Teams
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 09/20/2011 08:29:24
Any water ski athlete age 35+ desiring to be considered as a 2012 water ski team member for the 35+ Water Ski World Championships or the Pan American Water Ski Championships must notify the Competition Department at USA Water Ski no later than Oct. 1, 2011.
The notification should be by e-mail or letter to Brandon Wolf at bwolf@usawaterski.org. Details of the selection process (Qualification and Procedures) may be found below or under the Athletes' Resources section on the USA Water Ski Web Site. The dates and location of the 35+ Water Ski World Championships have not been determined yet. The Pan American Water Ski Championships will be held Sept. 10-16 in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.
To view the Q&Ps for the Pan American Water Ski Championships, click here (PDF).
To view the Q&Ps for the 35+ Water Ski World Championships, click here (PDF).
To view the list of athletes who have expressed an interest in competing in the respective championships (as of 9/20/11), click here (PDF).
2012 World University Team Selected
- Posted by: usaws
- On: 09/08/2011 07:45:40
The National Collegiate Water Ski Association has selected six athletes to represent the U.S. World University Water Ski Team at the 2012 FISU World University Water Ski Championships, Jan. 12-15, 2012, in San Bernardo, Chile.
Athletes selected to the team were: Brian Detrick (Elk Grove, Calif.), Caroline Hensley (Hixson, Tenn.), Alex Lauretano (Windermere, Fla.), Lauren Morgan (Odessa, Fla.), Adam Pickos (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) and Storm Selsor (Fremont, Calif.). Selected as alternates were (alphabetical order): Tyler Lorenz (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Dylan Schaffer (Owens Cross Roads, Ala.), Nikki Waitt (Clermont, Fla.) and Tyler Yager (Shell Beach, Calif.).
Robert Rhyne (Harrisburg, N.C.) is the coach and Harley Wallace (San Diego, Calif.) is the team manager.
The U.S. Team has won every University Worlds (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2009) to date. AMERICAN WATER SKI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
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