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N 10. NOVEMBER - JANUARY 2023
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www.radarskis.com
Edito
Chris Parrish, skiing on Pro Tour for 28 years
Did you enjoy the season? Did you get enough? We certainly had one of the best shows waterski could bring us! The Waterski Pro Tour is rising, providing battles that we could only have dreamed of a few years ago! Young guns, like Charlie Ross, are now playing with the big boys. Some lesser-known skiers, like Steven Island, made the show here and there. Timeless stars, like Will Asher or Thomas Degasperi, are still running the game and winning events. The GOAT, Nate Smith, remains undefeated for a year now, although recently out of the water due to an ankle injury. But he will be back for the season-ending tournament in Miami. Meanwhile, the women are joining the headlines. Ali Garcia and Allie Nicholson are fresh tournament winners. Jamie Bull, Regina Jaquess, and Whitney McClintock-Rini are pushing the limits of waterskiing further than ever. Running 10,75m (39off) is no longer a feat, it is mandatory. If you are in the United States, you are probably still enjoying some nice last sets. If you are stuck in Europe, welcome to the club; the ski is back in the closet. The great thing is, the TWBC YouTube channel has all of the Pro tournaments available to watch again! Now get some rest over the winter; next season is only a few months away.
Cover : Will Asher Photographer : John Waldron for TWBC
Grégoire Desfond Editor
Waterski Journal N°10
6 Happy Birthday Waterski
48 HO - Works 01
Ralph Samuelson inventer our sport 100 years ago this years.
It is always nice to see a brand new ski from a brand. Works 01 definitely is new and already proved the world it can turn buoys!
8 World Records Looking at our champions record in every event 11 TWBC Entertaining us throughout all the season, TWBC has been a game changer for the Waterski Pro Tour.
18 European Championships This is one of the most prestigious title for athletes coming from Europe. This year, Thomas Degasperi won his 9th title. Unstoppable.
51 Ola Pedro! Sebastien Cans walk us through Pierre Carmin waterski history.
55 Waterski Nation Trick contest The only trick event you can play in!
56 Portraits of the month Slalom: Jaime Palomino Jump: Taylor Garcia Trick: Mati Gonzalez
62 Waterski Pro Tour standings Season is over, champions are crowned.
24 Travers Grand Prix Fierce skiing between Freddie Winter and Tour winer, Will Asher
66 Contact
28 Lookbook
66 Thank you
Some badass picture of our favorite sport
You guys are awesome!
Keep in touch.
44 In the boat Jamin Nautique Center has opened up and is now the place to go in Europe to get yourself the official IWWF towboat.
Waterski Nation Awards For the first time, Waterski Nation is going to award skiers and people involved in the waterski industry. Nominees and Categories will be revealed soon on Instagram @waterski_nation If you want to vote, go on www.waterskination.com and register to be part of the Jury !
Happy Birthday
WATERSKI! As Clint Stadlbaur reminded us during his speech at the Swiss Pro Slalom: Happy 100th Birthday to our sport! One hundred years ago, on July 2, 1922, Ralph Samuelson became the first person in the world to successfully water ski. It happened during the summer in Minnesota. Samuelson had already experienced some tow-boat activities, but he wanted to try something closer to snow skiing. According to Wikipedia, Samuelson used a pair of boards as skis and a clothesline as a tow rope on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota. Samuelson experimented with different positions on the skis for several days until July 2, 1922. Samuelson discovered that leaning backwards in the water with ski tips up and poking out of the water at the tip was the optimal method. His brother, Ben, towed him and they reached a speed of 32 kilometers per hour (20 mph). Samuelson spent 15 years performing shows and teaching water skiing to people in the United States. The sport of water skiing remained an obscure activity for several years after 1922, until Samuelson performed water ski shows from Michigan to Florida. The American Water Ski Association formally acknowledged Samuelson in 1966 as the first-recorded water skier in history. Samuelson was also the first ski racer, slalom skier, and organizer of a water ski show.
Men Slalom Nate Smith USA Score : 2,5@9,75m (43off) Place : Ski Ranch Covington, La September 7th, 2013
Men Tricks Aliaksei Zharnasek Score : 12 570 points Place : Isles of Hancock, FL April 29th, 2011
Women Tricks Erika Lang USA Score : 4,5@10,25m (41off) Place : Sunset Lake, Groveland, FL October 5th, 2019
World Men Jump Ryan Dodd CAN Score : 77,4m Place : Stillwater Lakes Palm Bay, Fl July 1st, 2017
Men Overall Joel Poland GBR Score : 2@10,25m 11620pts 69m 2660.12 overall pts Place : Sunset Lake, Groveland, FL October 14th, 2021
Women Slalom Regina Jaquess USA Score : 4,5@10,25m (41off) Place : Duncanville, Al July 6th, 2019
records Women Jump Jacinta Carroll AUS Score 61,3m Place : Lake Grew, Polk City, FL October 31st, 2021
Women Overall Natalia Berdnikova BLR Score : 3@11,75m (38off) 9740pts 58m 3177.26 overall pts Place : Sunset Lake, Groveland, FL May 19th, 2012
Every water skier on the planet should know those four letters by now! You don’t know it yet? Well, hurry up and get on YouTube! The Waterski Broadcasting Company is giving us the most entertaining show that a camera can bring to a waterski tournament. Every weekend or so during the season, you can watch the very best skiers on earth thanks to the TWBC team. It started with just one man and a camera. Well, it is a little more complicated than that today. The mind behind the show, TWBC’s CEO Vincent Stadlbaur, agreed to walk us through their journey.
Jack Travers waterski school
breaking news 2023 World Championships site October 10-15th 20225 COUNTY RD 33, GROVELAND, FL 34736, U.S.A. +1 352.429.9027 H2OSKIJACKS@AOL.COM
GD - Vince, I know you never doubted that you could achieve such a great product, but are you enjoying where you are right now? VS - Since day one, we strove to deliver the best possible product. It takes a long time to be knowledgeable enough to be at the point we are right now. This season has been very good for TWBC for two reasons: first, the fact that we had a lot of events to webcast; and second, the one that I am the most proud of, is that we consistently delivered a good quality product. I am satisfied with the product we delivered this year, but we continuously strive to improve the quality of our webcast. GD - The standards you set when you entered the business a few years ago have been pushed constantly ever since; do you still see some details to improve upon in order to bring a better show? VS - Our goal at TWBC is to constantly improve. For next year, we would like to add new features with more graphics and camera angles for the audience to have a better viewing experience.
GD - I already know the answer, but the figures are so impressive that I want you to tell the world: the show runs so smoothly on our screen; it is not hard to imagine the amount of gear you have to travel with all the time. Give us some data. VS - In order to have a smooth-running show during the weekend, a lot of pieces need to come together, such as equipment, crew, transportation, lodging, etc. The TWBC crew traveled a total of 200,000km, split between planes and cars. When we fly, we carry an excess of 500kgs of gear, spread over 17 checked bags and 10 carry-ons. In the United States, we drive our broadcast trailer throughout the country in excess of 22,000kgs. The number-one expense for TWBC is the traveling costs for both crew and gear.
GD - Amongst all the features around the actual broadcast (Skier of the day, Podium prediction to win a ski etc.) one of my favorite features is now the pre-show. This looks so professional; I wonder if you already have something new in mind for next year? VS - We try to connect more with our audience by creating ways for them to interact with the webcast. Last year we added the TOYOU Skier of the Day and the Audience Prize, which allows the viewers to be involved in the event. We also added a pre-show before the broadcast starts in order to give a feel for what to expect from the tournament. For next year, we are currently working on having more additions outside the webcast. These will be revealed at the 2023 Swiss Pro Slalom.
Winter Garden Water Ski Home of Drew Ross Ski Academy
Insta: @wintergardenwaterski drewrosski@gmail.com (407) 383-6497
GD - TWBC has been a game changer in the industry with the rise of the Waterski Pro Tour, the engagement of skiers on social media, the will of the IWWF to bring World titles to sites we can expect for such an event, and all the tournaments growing across the world. Do you see an increased interest for the sport, maybe with the number of viewers rising? VS - Tournament waterskiing is at a very healthy place, with the establishment of the Waterski Pro Tour, the will of tournament organizers to put on events, and TWBC covering all of these events, we can see the viewership rising. Having Pro Tour stops every weekend webcasted by TWBC creates excitement for the waterski fans and allows them to follow the sport in a more organized manner. Over the past five years, our viewership has almost tripled. Industry partners are more excited to support or even organize Pro Tour stops, knowing that it will reach a larger audience worldwide.
GD - I noticed that the show, hosted by Tony Lightfoot, has had more co-hosts lately (Matt Rini, Aaron Larkin, Kyle Eade, Freddie Winter, Matteo Ianni, Robert Hazelwood and more), as well as Wade’s World (Wade Cox in the USA) and Lorenzo’s Land (Lorenzo d’Alberto in Europe). I believe this gave another dimension to the show and I loved it. Notwithstanding that Tony is the best waterski speaker of all time, it just adds to his performance. Did you feel that it was well received by the audience? Do you think this will continue next year? VS - Aside from our main announcer, Tony Lightfoot, we are grateful to have skiers or former champions helping us announce during the webcast. Their perspective adds a lot of insight and a better harmony to the webcast. We are grateful to have legends like Wade Cox doing dockside interviews. Having Wade at the dock allows us to get better insights from the skiers. Multiple announcers and dockside interviews have been well received by the audience and added to the webcast, so it will definitely be part of it next year as well. We are happy with what we achieved, but it would have not been possible without the support of skiers, event organizers, webcast sponsors, and mostly the crew. To webcast an event takes a lot of people and a lot of effort and we are grateful that TWBC can bring all this together. Keep on watching!
Tony Lightfoot - announcer of TWBC
IWWF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS Pictures credit : Valentina Aureli
This competition, as its name indicates, brings together only the best European athletes. The title is precious for European citizens and, as always, the battle to reign on Recetto was fierce this year. Although many talented skiers were competing, it was difficult to guess who would take the top step of the podium.
Manon Costard, the defending European champion and a great favorite for this competition, fell early (1,5@11,25m 38off) during prelims and the crowd started to believe that the door was wide open for her opponents, Sandra Bottas or Beatrice Ianni. But Manon’s intensity to win was too strong. And, because she was the only woman to run 11,25m (38off) in Saturday's finals, Manon remained the champion.
Sandra skied well, ensuring a silver medal with 5@11,25m (38off). Alice Bagnoli completed the podium, an amazing result which enhanced her position on the overall leaderboard, and gave her confidence going into the trick event. Alice beautifully executed her hand and toe passes, and took her first win in a European Championship, pushing her onto the overall winning step. What a great week for the Italian in front of her crowd.
Manon Costard - Slalom Champion
One of the most amazing wins of this tournament came all the way from Greece. Marie Vympranietsova, 42 years old, took the win in front of two serious competitors, 5-time European junior champion, Ines Anguenot, and Alice Bagnoli. Beatrice Ianni
On the men's side, the battle was fierce on every level! Tricks - Danylo Filchenko and Louis Duplan Fribourg both scored above 11,000 points in the finals. But Louis absolutely killed it with 11,900 total points. Nicholas Benatti completed the podium with a solid 10,260 points.
Sandra Bottas
Alice Bagnoli
Jump - Different event, same opponents, Danylo and Louis. The Ukrainian was first out and landed a 67,7m jump … insane! The crowd held their breath while Louis was in the air on his last jump. Everyone could tell it was close . . . 67,2m! Half a meter shy of the win. Danylo is Jump Champion! Special mention goes to Louis’s brother, Pol. Although he took a brutal crash on his first jump, he decided to go back on the ramp and completed a 63,8m jump. Determination.
Slalom - The story is too good to be true. In the prelims, the only non-Italian to join the show was Sacha Descuns, 3@10,25m (41off), which tied him for the lead with Matteo Luzzeri, the sentimental favorite from San Gervasio. Next up, Brando Caruso and the all-time legend, Thomas Degasperi. Emotions rose higher in finals. Tgas was experiencing the hardest test of his life because his beloved father passed away a few weeks prior to the event. But a champion remains a champion. Tgas skied with all his heart and turned 3@10,25m (41off), leaving his teammates with a tough score to reach. Brando (2nd) went a little deep at 2 and couldn't reach 3. Sacha (3rd) skied poorly (as he said afterward), and went over the 2nd buoy without getting around it. Unfortunately, Matteo blew out his fin too early in the pass to take part in the winning fight. This is how Thomas Degasperi won his 9th title in Slalom at the European Championship.
Brando Caruso Thomas Degasperi Sacha Descuns
Louis Duplan-Fribourg
Pol Duplan-Fribourg
Mario Pigozzi
Thomas Degasperi
Overall - While close in trick and jump, slalom helped Louis win the title outright over Danylo. Pol was right to go back on the water after his crash, managing to fly far enough to gather some important points that helped him take the bronze medal in the Overall battle.
Gregoire Desfond
Matteo Luzzeri
Kim Helen Niederbaumer
Ines Anguenot
Manon Costard
Chiara Bonnemann
Danylo Filchenko
Matteo Luzzeri
Brando Caruso
Thomas Degasperi
Ricardo Bottas Sandra Bottas
Pictures by John Waldron
Travers Grand Prix fierce skiing When the news broke in mid-September that Nate Smith was out with an ankle injury for at least a few events, many would have imagined that the level of competition in men’s slalom skiing would go down a touch. This prediction was, to say the least, wide of the mark. Over three weeks and as many tournaments at the start of October, we saw a back-and-forth battle between Will Asher and Freddie Winter that will live long in our memory, especially the last event at the Travers Grand Prix. Asher started the weekend with the best score ever in a pro tournament - 2@43off (notwithstanding Smith’s 3@43 from Swiss Pro in 2017 - subsequently ruled out for boat-path issues) and setting a new European Record in the process. Following him in qualifying was fellow Brit Freddie Winter, whose record Asher had just surpassed, with two 41offs in a row (scoring 0.5@43off). This was the first time back-to-back 41 offs had been run in a pro event since 2015 and the second time ever. It would not be a long wait for a repeat. With Asher and Winter remaining to ski in the finals, Jon Travers, Thomas Degasperi, and Brando Caruso were all tied at 4@41off - a score that would have won the MasterCraft Pro and Malibu Open. Winter ran his third 41off pass of the event, taking the lead with 1@43off, leaving Asher with a huge task. As Asher came in, everyone on site knew that a piece of history was in the offing: a pro title had never been decided at 43off. As Asher rounded 6 ball, it became clear that this barrier would be broken and, after Asher took no chances securing 1@43, a new milestone was set with the first ever run-off starting at 41off.
Freddie Winter
will asher
vs.
Ph. John Waldron
Winter, who went out first due to his lesser backup score from the qualifying rounds, was the first skier ever to start at 41off. He attacked, but blew the tail. This provided Asher the relatively easy task of taking 1 full buoy for the title, which he managed easily. Asher, perhaps one of the only athletes in recent memory, in any sport, to have his best season during the same year that he turned 40, won his fourth title of the season and his second title eight days after the Malibu Open. Winter, in 2nd place, will lick his wounds as the highest-scoring loser ever. Notably, however, he won first place two weeks later at the MasterCraft Pro. The level in the women’s field was equally impressive. The second round of qualifying was the highest scoring in history as three women scored 2@41off. Going into the final, the recently unassailable triumvirate of Regina Jaquess, Jaimee Bull, and Whitney McClintock-Rini, each winning a title in the last three events, were set to battle it out for the win. Allie Nicholson, however, achieved her highest scoring event with a 4@39off, a score McClintock-Rini, atypically, could not match after a strange tail slide at 3@39off. Bull, on her home lake and the venue for her World Championship win 51 weeks prior, narrowly missed 2@41off, leaving the door slightly open for Jaquess. Jaquess made up for uncharacteristic mistakes at the MasterCraft Pro and California Pro-Am by winning her second title in a week with a dominant 2@41off.
Regina Jaquess
Jaimee Bull
Swiss Waterski Resort Pleasure and Performance SKI LAKES - GOLF COURSE LAKEFRONT VILLAS - EXPERT COACHING
Clermont, Florida +1 407 968 3481
ski@swisswaterskiresort.com www.swisswaterskiresort.com
Alexandra Garcia / Ph. John Waldron
Sacha Descuns / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
Allie Nicholson / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
Alice Bagnoli / Ph. John Waldron
Dane Mechler / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
Pato Font / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
Neilly Ross / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
Dorien Llewellyn & Freddie Winter / Ph. John Waldron
Benjamin Stadlbaur / Ph. John Waldron
Giannina Bonnemann / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
Jaimee Bull / Ph. Gregoire Desfond
IN THE BOAT with Rolland Jamin Rolland Jamin comes from a great waterski family. Their lake in Lacanau, which hosts the French Malibu Open, is one of the most premier ski sites in France and probably Europe. It’s the perfect combination of skiing and leisure. For the last three years, Rolland and his sister Geraldine (World Medalist in Slalom) have operated the family’s business. They forged a great partnership in pursuing the common goal of growing the sport. Geraldine focuses on the ski school and pro shop, which is now the reference on this side of the Atlantic. They closed a deal with Goode this year to complete their references in the shop. Meanwhile, Rolland has increased his expertise in the boating business.
Jamin Nautique Center’s journey began last winter. Discussions with the Nautique factory in Orlando led to a contract in April to start commercialization in July. Jamin Nautique Center is now the official Nautique dealer for France, with an exclusive in Nouvel Aquitaine.
Nautique - Ski Nautique
What can you buy there? Everything! The whole Nautique collection is for sale and everything can be personalized. To give you some figures, a brand new Nautique 200 will cost 135 000 € and you can expect delivery within six months. The longer you wait to order, the longer you will have to wait for the delivery. So better go now guys! The Nautique Carbon, the latest innovation from the manufacturer, retails for 185 000 € and is expected to be delivered within ten months. The good news is that the Jamin Nautique Center also has used boats in stock for a much quicker delivery.
Geraldine Jamin - 2004 - World Cup in Thorpe,UK
Ski Nautique 200
G23 PARAGON
How can you buy a boat? The Jamin Nautique Center has dealers spread across France, so you can find the closest one to your location or you can visit Lacanau to enjoy the benefits of the full experience: check the boat by yourself and test it. You can then configure your boat with a computer, confirm your order, and pay a deposit to reserve it. You’re good to go. Jamin Nautique Center also provides the maintenance, keeps it safe during the winter season, and has plenty of spare parts.
Contact : jaminnautiquecenter@gmail.com Jamin Nautique Center Located in Lacanau, France
HO - Works 01
the new weapon
All season long we saw Team Syndicate with funny colored skis. These were prototypes of the upcoming Works 01 and Works 02. HO released two new skis over the summer and one thing is already certain, the skis are good! Obviously, a skier like Will Asher could ski on a piece of raw wood and still run 10,75m (39off). Well, for the rest of us, it takes something else to run 10,25m (41off)! Asher had a great season with consistent scores above 4@10,25m (41off) in almost every tournament. Now that he is used to his Works 01, he showed the world that he still has magic. The new Syndicate worked during the opening round of Travers Grand Prix, where Asher set a new European record of 2@9,75m (43off). No doubt a lot of skiers now want to try that piece of carbon!
Beny Stadlbaur rocking the "green machine", HO prototype, early in the season
4 victories on WATERSKI PRO tour already this season for Will Asher skiing the works 01
According to the HO website, Asher wanted a ski which allowed him to harness energy efficiently for a controlled up-swing into the buoy, attack without hesitation, and stay connected over his ski. The Syndicate Works 01 evolved from his favorite Omega and A1 shapes. “Whoever gets the highest on the boat runs the most buoys” -Will Asher. Syndicate Works is a factory-run, competition ski program. Works skis are 100% performancedriven, employing classic ski construction, but with modern materials. Syndicate Works begins a new era of ski customization for competitive water skiers. The Works program gives competitors access to tailored Syndicate skis previously reserved for Syndicate athletes. All Syndicate Works skis are engineered and handcrafted outside Seattle, Washington.
Key Features • Medium Width Profile: Rolls onto high edge angles • Low Tip Rocker design: More stability at speed • Medium Volume Concave: Appropriate Downforce for a balance of stability and maneuverability
More Features: • Works Construction: Bio Resin: 35% Natural Glycerin Resin, a byproduct of biodiesel production Syndicate Core: Cross-linked structural foam for high responsiveness NO PLASTIC LAYERS! We've removed the traditional plastic top & base materials, reducing this ski's plastic footprint to virtually zero! 100% Carbon Fiber Laminates: Highest stiffness to weight ratio • Syndicate Adjustable Fin • Made in Seattle, WA USA Bob Hazelwood on Works 01 prototype at San Gervasio Pro Am
Ola Pedro Pierre Carmin, who passed away in October, will always remain one of the most charismatic and talented skiers and coaches in our sport. As a skier, the Frenchman will be remembered as a three-time European champion, the only person to do so in each event: 1986 trick, 1987 slalom, and 1988 jump. Let’s take a look back and remember his incredible achievements Pierre, at 17 years old, led the overall competition of the French championships in Saint Pardoux, ahead of Gilles Cambray, despite Cambray jumping two meters further to win the jump event. Pierre placed second in tricks behind Patrice Martin. In 1978, Pierre competed as a Junior in the European Championships, which took place in Jyvaskyla, Finland, a rough site dominated by rain and wind. Thanks to three bronze medals in all three events, and the top performance in the slalom finals with a score of 2@13m, Pierre won the overall title. Young, fearless, and confident, he finished his season perfectly by winning two medals during Open Europeans in Temple-sur-Lot.
In 1979, Pierre gave solid performances in Toronto, allowing him to finish in 4th place in two events. Holding onto gold medals is a heavy burden, but in this world-ranking context, this simply demonstrates the skier’s potential. Pierre was a young skier with strong skills, holding his spot right behind World Dominators: Jeff McClintock (Canada), Carlos Suarez (Venezuela) and Mike Hazelwood (UK). In the 1980's, Pierre was part of the French Team, which included another skilled and combative skier: Tanguy Benet. The two young men embraced life with no restrictions. Hottempered, ambitious, and solid, Pierre was above all, a competitor. This time, he equaled the French slalom record belonging to Jean Michel Jamin with 5@11,25m (38off), scored 8130 points in tricks, and jumped to a French record with 53,30m. His ambition to join the world elite was justified.
Despite his talent, things were not as easy as they looked. Through fractures, injuries, and periods of doubt, Pierre remained confident, as if a good slap from time to time sparked him to resume training even more seriously. In 1984 Milan, Pierre won the bronze medal in front of Battleday and directly behind Mapple and Kjellander. That same year, he took the French Title in slalom against Patrice Martin. Although during this year, the world record was broken three times in a row during the McCormick Cup (Bob LaPoint 3,5@10,75m, Mapple 4@10,75m and Kris LaPoint 4,5@10,75m), everybody waited for Pierre on this rope length, along with his competitor and friend, American Carl Roberge. In England, Pierre took home many medals! He became the European champion in tricks with massive risk-taking in terrible weather conditions. He earned the silver medal in jump and overall, behind the local champion, Mike Hazelwood. Pierre missed the overall medal by only 30cm. He earned the bronze medal in slalom to complete his portfolio. Pierre was on fire! Pierre repeated in 1987 with a second European title: this time in slalom! He was the only skier in the tournament to reach 11,25m (3buoys), ahead of Bettosini (Switzerland), Cavanna (Italy) and Martin (France). Pierre earned the bronze medal in jump and silver medal in overall, behind Andrea Alessi (AKA Bubu). The two skiers would become close friends and training partners.
“When you feel you’re not going down, that’s when you fly far!” In London, 1988, Pierre became the first European Jump Champion, 23 years after Jean Marie Muller in 1959 in Milan. Pierre was at the top of his game: 10 medals in 3 years, with 3 gold medals in 3 different events. Ladies and gentlemen, only you can imagine who might be the next french skier who can reach that performance… At the end of his professional career, Pierre endured many jump crashes. The physical wear and tear slowly pushed him towards slalom specialization. He remained successful on the Continental Waterski Tour. His image slightly changed over the years and his coaching status becomes indisputable. Young talents and rising stars trained with Pierre, including Anthony Ahnine, Mathieu Boucher, Dimitri Gamzukoff, and Nancy Chardin, not to mention the first pro wakeboarder, Rodolphe Win-Thung, and his great friend Eric Bacos. Pierre launched his own ski school next to Paris: Ski West. On the water with Pierre, you were never bored!
Sebastien Cans authored this tribute; Gregoire Desfond translated it into English. It was edited with permission for publication in the Journal.
tes o v + 30k 1 d n u in Ro
Super flips? Crazy mobes and flips off the ramp? It’s all in the Waterski Nation trick contest. Another year, another contest! Sixteen skiers accepted the challenge and brought some creativity. This year, we kept the audience vote for every battle, which we believe is the most important part of the contest. We called two all-time trick champions, Aliaksei Zharnasek and Natalia Berdikova, to complete the jury panel. Some of the greatest names in business shared their videos and matched up. The Waterski Nation trick contest has always been supported by Radar. Its goal is to bring fun and different experiences to trick skiing. The jury is mainly the audience, who can vote on every match on the @waterski_nation instagram. This contest was born during the first Covid lockdown. It's been going on every year since. Previous winners are Natalia Cuglievan, Thibaut Dailland, and Joel Poland. Tune in to vote for your favorite tricker!
Slalom skier of the month
Thomas Degasperi WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?
WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!
TD - I started skiing when I was 5 years old
TD - Masters finals my back so hurting that I went straight through the gate on my opener and home didn’t even try
WJ - Where do you ski now? TD - Tgas ski club, Windermere, Florida and Trento, Italy
WJ - Favorite training partner?
WJ - How many set per week?
TD - I ski sometimes with Nate in usa and also Taylor Garcia and Marco Bettosini
JP - I do like 5-6 sets per week.
WJ - Your ultimate goal?
WJ - Do you have a favorite course?
TD - Keep pushing myself to be better.
TD - Trento, where I grew up
WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski)
WJ - Best waterski memory? TD - Trento mid July is the best at 10 am TD - Winning my first world title in Austria with my parents next to me. in 2022, winning my 9th European title 2 weeks after my dad passing was pretty special for me, definitely the most important. WJ - Favorite tournament ? TD - World Championships and Malibu Open
WJ - What is your objectif for this season ? TD - It has been a difficult year for me after my dad passing but I’ll continue to ski and push hard to be better and ski good in Miami and give my best to be on top with the other guys.
@this_is_tgas
Jumper of the month
Danylo Filchenko WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?
WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!
DF - I was 9 years old when I got into waterskiing.
DF - The worst memory in waterskiing is getting seriously injured, bicep tear was a tough pill to swallow.
WJ - Where do you ski now? WJ - Favorite training partner? DF - Currently in Dnipro, Ukraine. WJ - How many set per week? DF - During normal season when I’m training I try to do no less than 18 sets per week. WJ - Best waterski memory? DF - All of my championship wins are my best waterski memories but one of the recent ones was gold medal in jump at 2022 World Games, it was a goal of mine since many years ago and to do it during War times was something more than just special. WJ - Favorite tournament? DF - Favorite tournament is without a doubt World Games, I’ve been twice and it always has been a blast.
DF - I can’t really name just one as I’ve had a few great training partners in my career. If I was to name one it would be my current coach Yurrii. WJ - Favorite place to ski? DF - My favorite place to be skiing is in Dnipro, due to possible work/ski balance and because it’s home. WJ - Your ultimate goal? DF - Ultimate goal is to enjoy skiing and competing as long as I can/want. WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski) DF - Dnipro, 8 am, Nautique, Stepan driving, Yurrii coaching, slalom ski (D3) WJ - What is your objective for next season ? DF - Objective for next season is to win worlds
@danylofilchenko
Tricker of the month
Alice Bagnoli WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?
WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!
AB - I was 4 years old when I started skiing and I started thanks to my dad which at the time owned a ski school so he passed along his passion to me
AB - My worst memory was in 2017 when I lost the podium in slalom at the U21 World Championship by half a buoy, I didn’t know the score to get on the podium when I skied but it still feel harsh to have missed it but so little
WJ - Where do you ski now?
WJ - Favorite training partner? AB - I ski at Swiss waterski resort FL and Recetto Italy in the summer WJ - How many set per week? AB - I usually do two trick sets a day and about 10 per week WJ - Do you have a favorite course? AB - Honestly my two favorite lakes are the one that I am skiing at, Swiss waterski resort and Recetto are simply incredible WJ - Best waterski memory? AB - my best waterski memory was in 2021 when I scored a PB of 2@10.75m in slalom in the prelims and got into the finals at the Open World Championships, having my team with me and my parents watching the tournaments was definitely a memory to remember WJ - Favorite tournament? AB -My favorite tournament is Europeans, I get to stay with my Italian team, have fun on the water, travel to different countries and compete against competitors which are also my friends
AB - My favorite training partner is Vincent Stadlbaur, he is always with me, supporting, coaching and just making sure that I m having fun on the water WJ - Your ultimate goal? AB - My ultimate goal is a podium at the open world championships either in Overall or Slalom. I also have the minor goal of having the Italian open National record in tricks which it is still from Silvia Caruso with 7850 points WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski) AB - My best set up is in Recetto Italy or Swiss waterski resort, I like skiing around lunch time and the afternoon when everything is more quite and I have more time to train for as long as I need, with Vincent stadlbaur or Tito Sonzogni at the wheel on the new ski nautique and definitely on my Goode ski! WJ - What is your objectif for this season ? AB - my objective for this season is to be able to improve my trick run in both hands and toes by learning new tricks, some flips in hands and toe lines in toes. I am currently on the MK1 GOODE trick ski which I changed at the beginning of the season and I love how it feels and how easy it is to improve my technique on it. I need to spend time on the water to get ready for all the big tournaments next year like worlds, Europeans and possibly the Moomba and US masters
@alicebagnoli
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SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PHOTOGRAPHER
Valentina Aureli
Eudes Metivier
John Waldron
Editor Gregoire Desfond Corrector Karen Melnik Contributors Vincent Stadlbaur / Eudes Metivier / Joel Poland / Matteo Luzzeri / Danylo Filchenko / Brooks Wilson / John Waldron / Pato Font / Neilly Ross / Alice Bagnoli/ Lelani Travers / Valentina Aureli / Thomas Degasperi Jon Travers / Marion Ellis / Scot Ellis / Drew Ross / Olivia Merieux / Matt Rini Paige Rini / Nate Smith / Freddie Winter / Manon Costard / Chelsea Mills / Clint Stadlbaur / Jay Humphreys Waterski Journal is edited by Amber Lake Management 42B avenue de Suffren 75015 Paris France +33 6 78 26 38 21 Printed by Printoclock 229 Rte de Seysses, 31100 Toulouse, France
Thanks to everybody that took part one way or another to make this Waterski Journal #10 edition. To name a few My wife Ambre Franc Karen Melnik Brooks Wilson and Radar Aide crew Edge D3 Will Bush Matt Rini Paige Rini Vincent Stadlbaur and the whole Stadlbaur family TWBC Freddie Winter Eric Franc Matteo Luzzeri Neilly Ross Drew Ross Dane Mechler Nate Smith les coureurs Valentin Lucas Olivia Merieux Pato Font Aline & Sergio Font ToYou Will Asher Robert Hazelwood Jon Travers Natalia Berdnikava Joel Poland Robert Hazelwood Louis Duplan-Fribourg Giannina Bonnemann Lauren "poochie" Morgan Eude Metivier Jay Humphreys Keusseoglou family Whitney McClintock Rini Robert Pigozzi Marion Mathieu Ellis Scot Ellis Flowpoint Method FFSNW IWWF Vincent Soubiron Boris Likatchev Gilles Cambray John Horton & BallofSpray Swiss Waterski Resort Jack Travers sunset lakes and the whole Travers family Monaco ski nautique Julien and Kelly Dassault my beloved parents and brothers
Cale Burdick - Swiss Pro Slalom 2022
