Tricker of the month Hannah Stopnicki

WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

HS - I was 2 years old when I first rode skis and I grew up on a slalom ski. When I was 9 years old, I started competing and began tricking for the first time

WJ - Where do you ski now?

HS - Matt Rini’s Waterski School in Orlando, Florida

WJ - How many set per week?

HS - I ski about 18 sets per week (3 sets/day, 6 days/week) depending on the week Leading up to a big tournament, I’ll ski less to keep my body and mind fresh

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

HS - I’ve skied on beautiful lakes all over the world While Matt Rini’s lake may be a shorter setup and can sometimes get windy, it is my favourite because of the unmatched energy and good vibe that Matt and the rest of his crew create every single day

WJ - Best waterski memory?

HS - I’ve made a lot of wonderful memories with my friends, idols, and coaches over the year I would say that the bonds I’ve made in the sport is my best memory of all However, if I had to choose one day, it would be when I won the Junior Worlds last January in Chile So much went into that win, including the extremely draining experience of recovering from my back injury that occurred only 2 months before the Worlds, training in the middle of the winter in difficult conditions, sacrificing a lot of fun times, and the stress of knowing that in order to take the gold, I’d have to trick a personal best score So when it all finally came together, I was exploding with joy!

WJ - Favorite tournament?

HS - The US Waterski Masters is the most exciting tournament of the year for me.

WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!

HS - I think my worst waterski memory was about three years into learning my first backflip and about thirty attempts into the set mid-December While skiing down the lake, I had a horrible feeling that I wouldn’t ever be able to land it, and just started balling my eyes out behind the boat

WJ - Favorite training partner?

HS - It would be hard to choose just one, as every day I have a whole group of amazing skiing partners, who have all achieved incredible things in the sport, who I look up to and who support me I am grateful to Whitney Mcclintock Rini, Paige Rini, Joel Poland, and Robert Pigozzi

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

HS - I would love to trick 11k points one day, but the ultimate goal for me is to continue to make amazing memories within the waterski community and achieve as many smaller goals in my skiing as possible along the way.

WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski)

HS - My regular training day early in the morning at Matt Rini’s Waterski School, with Matt Rini driving, along with either Whitney McClintock Rini, Paige Rini, Joel Poland or Cole Grant in the beautiful Nautique boat

WJ - What is your objectif for this season ?

HS - As the season comes to an end, I will be skiing in my first elite world championships this Fall I would like to achieve a personal best score and learn to compete amongst the older and more experienced girls