By Jack Burden

A week before the World Championships, one of the sport’s pre-event favorites has decided to step away. Lauren Morgan — better known on the pro circuit as Poochie — announced today that she is retiring from professional water skiing.

For more than a decade, Morgan has been one of the world’s top women’s jumpers, a fixture on the podium, and a competitor known for her fearless approach to the ramp. But at 32, with a PhD in Criminology & Criminal Justice and a career outside skiing gaining momentum, Morgan says it’s time.

“Seventeen years ago, I set out on the journey of professional waterskiing, and wow, am I glad I did,” Morgan wrote in her announcement. “This sport has taken me to nearly 30 countries, introduced me to lifelong friends, and given me the chance to do something [few] women have ever done: jump 180 feet… But this year, those plans changed… I realized I could no longer give my all heading into Worlds. With my career outside of skiing growing and challenging me in new ways, I knew it was time to step back.”

Morgan’s career coincided almost squarely with Jacinta Carroll, widely regarded as the greatest female jumper of all time. Carroll’s dominance — an unprecedented 12-year winning streak — might have kept Morgan from more titles, but it never diminished her standing as one of the sport’s bravest and most respected competitors.

Few jumpers, man or woman, attacked the ramp with Morgan’s aggression and fearlessness. One of only 13 women ever to fly beyond 55 meters (180 feet), she brought an edge and daring that made her a fan favorite.

Her breakout came in 2012, when the 19-year-old claimed four professional podiums and finished the season ranked third in the elite standings. A year later, she won her maiden pro event, just as Carroll began her streak.

If the early years of her career were about potential, the later stages became a story of resilience. Morgan fought through multiple knee surgeries, including a devastating ACL tear in 2022, only to return 12 months later and win a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships.

It was not the first time she proved her toughness on the world stage. She first broke through with dual junior world titles in slalom and jump at the 2010 U17 World Championships, then added two Under-21 jump medals before finally standing on consecutive Open Worlds podiums in 2021 and 2023. In 2022, she reached the pinnacle with a Masters title and World Games gold.

Morgan closes her career with three professional victories, 20 professional podiums, two World Championships medals, and the distinction of being one of the few women ever to jump 180 feet. Yet, as she wrote in her farewell, the results aren’t the part she’ll carry with her.

“It taught me discipline and perseverance. How to focus under pressure. How to love the process, not just the outcome. How to keep going even when it would’ve been easier to stop.”

Though her “5.5-foot career” is over, Morgan hasn’t left the sport behind. She plans to remain around the lake, helping at events and, as she joked, maybe even making a return in senior competition: “Let’s just say… Senior Worlds 2028, I’ve got my eye on you.”

With that, one of the sport’s fiercest competitors turns the page. Poochie may be retiring, but her legacy of bravery, perseverance, and resilience on the jump course is firmly set.