Unstoppable

UNSTOPPABLE NATE SMITH

Nate Smith. Cover of this magazine and a name that we are used to seeing on top of the leaderboard. Since he ran his first 10,25m (41off), he took the lead in the sport and never looked back. I won’t review his whole career here. It would take too many pages. Watch “A Story of a Champion” by The Waterski Broadcasting Company. The video will give you a good look at this athlete. This article is simply to point out that Nate Smith is undefeated this season. What’s more, he won the last tournament of the season last year in Miami. As always, this season started on the Yarra River in the heart of Melbourne: The Moomba Masters. With a huge crowd watching, Nate not only managed to win the event, but also set a course record on one of the most challenging courses in the world. He had one under his belt to open the 2022 season! Next up, the Swiss Pro Slalom, which is known for having one of the most competitive fields of the year. For the past eight years, the event has taken place in Clermont, Florida, during the first weekend of May. Clermont is where most of the best skiers in the world live, so the Swiss Pro Slalom is a real test for every skier to see where they stack up entering the waterski pro season. Once again, Nate won the event, but not without seriously battling to get around 5 ball at 10,25m (41off), to beat Will Asher, who posted 4.5 buoys at 10,25m.

2022 TITLES Moomba Masters Swiss Pro Slalom Lake 38 US Masters Fungliss Pro San Gervasio Pro-Am French Malibu Open

(since this article was written) World Games US Nationals America ' s Cup Invitational

At Lake 38, Nate posted the lowest score of his season, where he won the event with 4@10,25m (41off). But that does not mean the competition was not fierce! Freddie Winter gave it his all to catch him, but crashed while trying to do so. Cole McCormick almost got a tie at 4 and managed to get his first silver medal at a prestigious pro event. The winning continued at the US Masters. One of Nate’s biggest goals is to reach Andy Mapple’s 14 victories at Callaway Gardens. Well, one less to go!

Jumping on a last-minute flight to Dommartin, France to attend the Fungliss Pro Am, the American superstar tied the course record of 1@9,75m (43 off) and earned one of the highest cash prizes of the year. Before returning to the US, he stopped in beautiful Italy where the most iconic tournament in Europe took place for the 8th time in San Gervasio at Jolly Ski School. Once again, no one could catch him, not even Sacha Descuns in a head-to-head finals. Sacha got 4@10,25m (41 off), but Nate had already posted 9,75m (43 off).

Returning to France, near the Atlantic Ocean in fantastic Lacanau for the French Malibu Open, Nate ran 10,25m (41 off) in all three rounds to take first place, leaving all of his opponents at 4 buoy: Dane Mechler, Brando Caruso and Jon Travers. We are now seven wins out of seven tournaments for the world record holder. What’s next?