Four U.S. Water Ski Teams Earn Medals At 2024 IWWF Pan American Water Ski Championships
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by Scott N. Atkinson
Four U.S. Water Ski Teams earned overall team medals and 15 U.S. athletes combined to earn 35 individual medals, including 12 gold, at the 2024 IWWF Pan American Water Ski Championships, Oct. 8-12, in Bogota, Colombia. The teams – Elite, U21, U17 and U14 – were selected based on a pre-determined selection criteria approved by the American Water Ski Association’s International Activities Committee and board of directors.
The U.S. Elite Water Ski Team earned the overall team gold medal, scoring 8,465.86 points. Chile earned the silver medal (7,837.65 points) and Canada the bronze (6,410.47 points) in the nine-team field. Members of the U.S. Elite Water Ski Team were: Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Kennedy Hansen (Milton, Fla.), Anna Hunter (Winter Garden, Fla.), Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.), Lauren Morgan (Tampa, Fla.), and Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.). Abelson won the gold medal in men’s tricks (12,190 points) and earned the silver in overall (2,862.09 points); Hansen earned the silver in women’s overall (2,511.32 points) and the bronze in slalom (2 buoys at 38 feet off); Hunter won gold in women’s slalom (3 buoys at 38 feet off) and overall (2,642.11 points), and earned the bronze in tricks (9,550 points); Lang won the gold in women’s tricks (10,930 points); and Morgan won the gold in women’s jump (157 feet). Hunter’s win in slalom came after a runoff with Chile’s Daniela Kretschmer. After both skiers tied with 3 buoys at 38 feet off, Hunter won the runoff, scoring ½ buoy at 38 feet off to Kretschmer’s 1 buoy at 35 feet off.
The U.S. Under 21 Water Ski Team earned the overall team silver medal, scoring 6,914.79 points. Chile won the gold medal (7,684.74 points) and Canada the bronze (5,810.36 points) in the 10-team field. Members of the U.S. U21 Water Ski Team were: Alexia Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Wesley Blair (Mooresville, N.C.), and Emma Davis (Milford, Va.). Alexia Abelson won the gold medal in women’s tricks (7,250 points) and earned silver medals in slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 35 feet off) and overall (2,245.99 points); and Jake Abelson earned silver medals in men’s slalom (3 buoys at 38 feet off), tricks (11,690 points), jump (177 feet) and overall (2,915.69 points).
The U.S. Under 17 Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal, scoring 7,223.26 points. Canada earned the silver medal (6,294.82 points) and Argentina the bronze (5,448.65 points) in the nine-team field. Members of the U.S. Under 17 Water Ski Team were: Alexia Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Aaron Bartlett (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Giovanni Bloyer (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Cameron Davis (Milford, Va.), Ella Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.), and Corbin Pierce (McDonald, Tenn.). Abelson won gold in girls’ tricks (6,870 points) and overall (2,406.64 points), and earned the bronze in slalom (1/2 buoy at 35 feet off); Davis earned the silver in girls’ overall (2,046.99 points); and Pierce earned silver in boys’ jump (152 feet) and overall (1,932.51 points).
The U.S. Under 14 Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal, scoring 8,212.39 points. Colombia earned the silver (7,154.22 points) and Canada the bronze (5,667.11 points) in the eight-team field. Members of the U.S. U14 Water Ski Team were: Ries Bloyer (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Tia Byrne (Wolcott, Conn.), Freddy Davis (Milford, Va.), Ricky Davis (Milford, Va.), Grace Lohr (Orlando, Fla.), and Jaxen Stabel (Chico, Calif.). Bloyer earned the bronze in girls’ jump (46 feet) and overall (2,013.06 points); Byrne won the gold in girls’ slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 35 feet off) and jump (54 feet), and the silver in overall (2,161.37 points); Lohr won the gold in girls’ tricks (4,090 points) and overall (2,754.14 points), and the silver in jump (53 feet); Freddy Davis earned the bronze in boys’ tricks (4,020 points), jump (88 feet) and overall (2,435.77 points); and Ricky Davis earned the silver in boys’ jump (98 feet) and overall (2,527.80 points).
The team staff consisted of Rhoni Bischoff (Orlando, Fla.), coach; and Jessica Van Dyk (University Heights, Ohio), manager.
