U.S. Team, Athletes Strike Gold At IWWF 35+ World Waterski Championships
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by Scott N. Atkinson
The U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team won the gold medal and 36 U.S. water ski athletes combined to earn 43 individual medals, including 19 gold medals, in respective events at the 7th IWWF 35+ World Waterski Championships, Sept. 4-8, at BOTASKI in Sesena, Toledo, Spain. The United States tallied 13,355.67 points in winning the gold medal. Australia earned the silver (10,939.86 points) and France the bronze (10,778.28 points). Athletes and teams from 27 countries competed in the five-day event as the world team title and world individual titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall were at stake.
Members of the U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team were: Patricia Burt (Greenacres, Fla.), Christopher Eller (Lillington, N.C.) and Jeff Surdej (Wilmington, Ill.), 45+; Mitch Grau (Carrollton, Texas), Lori Krueger (Martindale, Texas), Sally Montavon (Lake Worth, Fla.), and Randy Sterba (San Diego, Calif.), 55+; and Janie Fausold (Pleasant Grove, Calif.), Joy Kelley (Loudon, Tenn.), and Eric Lee (San Diego, Calif.), 65+.
U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team members combined to win 20 medals – nine gold, three silver and eight bronze. Kelley swept gold medals in 65+ women’s slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off), tricks (3,170 points), jump (82 feet) and overall (3,000.0 points); Montavon won the gold medal in 55+ Women’s tricks (4,810 points); Krueger won gold medals in 55+ women’s slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off), jump (97 feet) and overall (3,000.0 points), and earned the silver in tricks (2,940 points); Sterba won the gold medal in 55+ Men’s jump (137 feet) and earned the bronze in overall (2,315.76 points); Grau earned the bronze in 55+ Men’s jump (125 feet); Surdej earned the silver in 45+ Men’s overall (2,285.85 points) and bronze medals tricks (3,320 points) and jump (146 feet); Fausold earned the silver in 65+ Women’s slalom (3 buoys at 32 feet off) and bronze medals in tricks (1,790 points), jump (0 feet) and overall (1,969.69 points); and Eller earned the bronze in 45+ Men’s overall (1,819.36 points).
Twenty-eight U.S. athletes also combined to earn 35 medals (10 gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze) competing as independents. Greg Badal (Clermont, Fla.) won the gold in 55+ Men’s slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Marc Bedsole (Orlando, Fla.) won the gold in 55+ Men’s tricks (4,130 points); Brenda Cavenaugh (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) won gold medals in 75+ Women’s tricks (1,130 points) and jump (37 feet), and the bronze in slalom (3 buoys at 75 feet/long line); Leza Harrison (Chuluota, Fla.) won gold in 70+ Women’s tricks (1,760 points); Nancy Congleton (Richland, Wash.) won the gold in 75+ Women’s slalom (2 buoys at 22 feet off); Jack Mills (Jacksonville, Fla.) won the gold in 65+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Stephen Nelson (Arden Hills, Minn.) won the gold in 75+ Men’s tricks (1,100 points); Seth Stisher (Johns Island, S.C.) won the gold in 45+ Men’s slalom (5-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Daniel Wamhoff (Hope, Mich.) won the gold in 70+ Men’s slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off); John Able (Houston, Texas) earned the silver in 70+ Men’s overall (2,399.43 points) and the bronze in jump (71 feet); Becky Bartlett (Wolfeboro, N.H.) earned the silver in 45+ Women’s jump (92 feet) and the bronze in overall (1,886.40 points); Anne Bennett (Zachary, La.) earned silver medals in 65+ Women’s tricks (2,550 points), jump (42 feet) and overall (1,988.34 points); Skip Dunlap (Lake Wales, Fla.) earned the silver in 80+ Men’s slalom (4 buoys at 75 feet/long line); Jay Eidem (Martindale, Texas) earned the silver in 55+ Men’s jump (126 feet); Patrick Hill (Roswell, Ga.) earned the silver medal in 55+ Men’s tricks (2,780 points); Janet Karr (Akron, Mich.) earned the silver in 75+ Women’s tricks (630 points); Tristina Lindsey (Martindale, Texas) earned the silver in 55+ Women’s jump (76 feet) and the bronze in overall (1,993.77 points); Shann Mills (Jacksonville, Fla.) earned the silver in 70+ Women’s slalom (5 buoys at 22 feet off); Jason Peckham (Cato, N.Y.) earned the silver in 35+ Men’s slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Jill Smith (New Carlisle, Ind.) earned the silver medal in 45+ Women’s tricks (3,130 points); Tim Baker (Brighton, Mich.) earned the bronze in 35+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Paul Chapin (White Bear Lake, Minn.) earned the bronze in 70+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 35 feet off); Sandra Cummings (Lapeer, Mich.) earned the bronze in 70+ Women’s tricks (320 points); Jazmine Gagner (Pelham, Ala.) earned the bronze in 35+ Women’s tricks (3,010 points); Denise Goldman (Elk Grove, Calif.) earned the bronze medal in 65+ Women’s slalom (2 buoys at 28 feet off); Kelli Kerns (Dublin, Ohio) earned the bronze in 55+ Women’s slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 32 feet off); Casey Mommer (Rivers, Manitoba, Canada) earned the bronze in 35+ Men’s jump (172 feet); and Richard Storelee (Fremont, Calif.) earned the bronze in 65+ Men’s slalom (1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off).
The Ski Nautique was the exclusive towboat of the 7th 35+ Water Ski World Championships. Nautique is a National Sponsor of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports.
