U.S. Earns Silver Medal At Worlds

The U.S. Elite Water Ski Team earned the silver medal and U.S. athletes Freddy Krueger (gold) and Chris Rossi (bronze) won individual medals in respective events at the 31st Water Ski World Championships, Aug. 4-9, at the Lakes of Kastynstone in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Canada won the gold medal with 8,372.73 points and the United States tallied 7,877.53 points. France earned the bronze medal with 7,857.45 points. The six-member U.S. Elite Water Ski Team was seeking to win its fifth consecutive world team title at the biennial event.

Members of the 2009 U.S. Elite Water Ski Team were: Rhoni Barton-Bischoff (Orlando, Fla.), April Coble-Eller (Lillington, N.C.), Regina Jaquess (Suwanee, Ga.), Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.), Alex Lauretano (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Jimmy Siemers (Round Rock, Texas). The American Water Ski Association's International Activities Committee selected the team based on performances at the team trials.

In addition to the members of the U.S. Elite Water Ski Team, several U.S. athletes competed for individual titles as independents.

Krueger won the gold medal in men's jumping, leaping 230 feet. Canada's Jaret Llewellyn earned the silver medal with a 225-foot jump and Canada's Ryan Dodd earned the bronze medal with a 223-foot jump. U.S. athlete Zack Worden, competing in his first world championships, finished fifth with a 216-foot jump.

Great Britain's Will Asher won the gold medal in men's slalom. Asher scored 3 buoys at 41 feet off to win the gold in men’s slalom. Italy's Thomas Degasperi earned the silver medal with 1 buoy at 41 feet off and Rossi earned the bronze medal with 5-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off. U.S. athletes Chris Parrish (4 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off), Terry Winter (2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off and Nick Parsons (1-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off) finished fourth, eighth and 10th, respectively.

Belarus' Aliaksei Zharnasek won the gold medal in men’s tricks, scoring 11,850 points. Belarus' Herman Beliakou Berman earned the silver medal with 11,490 points and Belarus' Oleg Deviatovski earned the bronze medal with 11,220 points. Siemers placed sixth with 10,390 points. U.S. independents Adam Pickos (9,780 points), Cory Pickos (9,630 points) and Russell Gay (7,980 points) placed ninth, 10th and 12th, respectively.

Argentina's Javier Julio won the men's overall gold medal with 2,772.60 points. The Czech Republic's Adam Sedlmajer earned the silver medal with 2,757.57 points and Llewellyn earned the bronze medal with 2,738.93. Siemers placed fifth with 2,559.92 points and Worden placed eighth with 2,435.72 points.

Canada's Whitney McClintock won gold medals in women's slalom, tricks and overall. McClintock scored 1-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off to win the gold medal in slalom. France's Anais Amade earned the silver medal with 1-1/4 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off and Australia's Karina Nowlan earned the bronze medal with a ½-buoy at 39-1/2 feet off. U.S. athletes Karen Truelove (1/2 at 39-1/2), Regina Jaquess (5-1/2 at 38), Jill Knutson (3 at 38), Natalie Hamrick-Halt (2-1/2 at 38) and Rhoni Barton-Bischoff (1-1/2 at 38 off) finished fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth (tie) and 11th, respectively.

McClintock scored 8,740 points to secure the gold in women's tricks. France's Iris Cambray earned the silver medal with 8,400 points and Colombia's Maria Camila Linares earned the bronze medal with 8,290 points. U.S. independent Mandy Nightingale finished eighth with 7,920 points and Lauretano finished 10th with 6,960 points.

In overall, McClintock tallied 2,861.04 points to win the gold medal. France's Clementine Lucine earned the silver medal with 2,701.14 points and France's Marion Mathieu earned the bronze medal with 2,654.60 points. Lauretano (2,358.79 points) and Jaquess (2,289.54 points) finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

Greece's Angeliki Andriopoulou won the gold medal in women's jumping. Andriopoulou leaped 176 feet to win the gold medal in women's jumping. Denmark's June Fladborg (168 feet) and Jepsen Maj (167 feet) earned the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Jaquess placed fourth with a 166-foot effort.

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Mike Meek (Albany, Ohio) was the coach of the U.S. Elite Team and Frank Harrison (Rancho Mirage, Calif.) was the captain. Dr. Marc Aiken (Johnson City, Tenn.) was the physician.