Performing better than anyone in the history of sport is typically a rarity, something that so few have the privilege to achieve, yet when waterskiing comes to Jack Travers Sunset Lakes, the chances of witnessing a World Record increase dramatically.
Looking back to the 2021 World Championships at Sunset Lakes, Joel Poland, and Dorien Llewellyn were both pushing the boundaries of the Overall World Record during the preliminary round, with Joel taking over the top seed and setting a new World Record in the process. Fast forward 3 years and throughout the WWS Travers Cup, 3 World Records were broken again here at Sunset Lakes, yet this time both in the Open and U17 category within the Pro event.
Enjoy the excitement of this stop, and make sure to catch all four stops of the season! Up next, Polk City, Florida, for the final stop on October 18-19. Stay tuned and follow the journey to the Pro Tour Championship!
Joel Poland isn’t just having a good run of form; he’s redefining what is possible in the sport of water skiing. The 25-year-old Englishman had as close to a flawless weekend of water skiing as perhaps anyone in the sport has ever had, breaking the overall world record in both the preliminary and final rounds, taking home yet another professional victory and the season championship on the WWS Overall Tour to cap things off.
Last year, during the final stop of the WWS Overall Tour, Poland broke the world overall record, his first in two years, and the first time a world record had been broken in a professional tournament since 2005. Since that fateful day, it’s been as if a floodgate has opened. He broke the record again two weeks later at the Malibu Open, again in the spring at Fluid, and then, in one of the most remarkable runs ever in the sport, he exceeded the current record over three consecutive rounds—including in both the preliminary and final rounds of the WWS Travers Cup last weekend.
To be clear, not all of these performances will be recorded as official records. Poland’s scores from the Fluid Fall Record are marginally higher than his two pending records from Sunset Lakes, which will only be considered if the first performance is denied upon review. But all three exceed the current world record, set by Poland back in April.
Spare a thought for his competitors. While Louis Duplan-Fribourg, Dorien Llewellyn, and Martin Kolman have all been in incredible form this season, they are tasked with competing against a guy who is breaking world records at a consistency and pace unheard of in the history of the sport.
To put it in context, the entire podium from the finals of the WWS Travers Cup—Joel, Louis, and Dorien—recorded scores higher than Jaret Llewellyn’s “unbreakable” overall record, which stood from 2002 to 2017. Even Martin Kolman, who finished in fourth place, wasn’t far off the pace. The former World Champion recorded a personal best in jump and one of his best-ever overall scores, yet still couldn’t make the podium.
The level of skiing was off the charts all weekend. Highlights included a pending under-17 world record from Jake Abelson, a new French national jump record from Duplan-Fribourg, and countless personal and season bests.
But none of it was enough to threaten Poland, who managed scores midway through 10.25m (41 off), over 12,000 points in tricks, and jumps in the high 60s (220s) across both rounds of the tournament—truly world-class performances in all three events.
We are witnessing something very special indeed. Don’t look away for a minute.
Joel Poland has been on an incredible hot streak over the past few seasons. The 25-year-old is currently leading the Waterski Pro Tour jump standings and the World Water Skiers Overall Tour, taking home more prize money than any other water skier so far in 2024. He has officially broken the world overall record five times, with a sixth record pending as of last weekend. His versatility across all three events—slalom, trick, and jump—is unparalleled in the modern era, consistently competing with the best in the world in each discipline.
This raises the question: Has anyone ever been this good across all three events? While numerous factors contribute to any GOAT debate—such as longevity, consistency, world titles, and professional victories—Poland, still in the early stages of his career, has a long way to go before reaching the heights of legends like Sammy Duvall, Jaret Llewellyn, and Patrice Martin. However, over the past four decades, since systematic record-keeping began, has any skier ever been as close to the top scores in all three events as Poland? Below, we rank the top five streaks in men’s overall:
Dorien’s achievements often get overshadowed by Joel Poland’s rise to world dominance, but the second-generation Llewellyn is the best in his storied family by some metrics. At the 2021 World Championships, his scores across the prelims and finals would have broken his own world overall record—had they been performed in the same round. Unfortunately for him, Poland’s scores were even better, snatching Llewellyn’s world record on his way to the title.
During this period, Dorien posted scores into 10.25m (41′ off), tricked just shy of 12,000 points, and jumped 70 meters (230 feet), placing him within 90% of the top specialist scores in each event. Only Dorien and Joel have achieved this since world rankings began in 1979. Sidelined with injury in 2023, Llewellyn has shown promising signs of a return to form across the first two stops of the WWS Overall Tour.
Image: Yvon le Gall
4. Mike Hazelwood (1979-1981)
92% of Individual Top Scores
92% of Individual World Records
Hazelwood’s dominance in overall skiing is unmatched in many ways. From the late 1970s through the early ’80s, the British skier won five consecutive Moomba Masters and four consecutive US Masters overall titles. At the height of his powers in 1980, Hazelwood held the world jump record, was less than 1,000 points short of the world trick record, and within a pass of the world slalom record.
He remains the only man in the past half-century to win professional titles in all three events, including victories in slalom and tricks at the Moomba Masters, alongside his string of jump and overall titles across the globe. Hazelwood might have ranked even higher on this list if records had extended further back, as they only began near the end of his dominant run.
Carl Roberge, known for his imposing athleticism, holds a strong claim as the greatest skier never to win an individual gold at the World Championships. He was ranked either first or second in the world for overall from 1980 to 1990, helping Team USA to five consecutive victories.
In 1982, Roberge was just one buoy shy of the LaPoint brothers’ jointly held world slalom record, less than two meters short of Hazelwood’s world jump record, and still ranked fourth in the world for tricks despite it being his weakest event. To this day, Roberge is the only man to simultaneously hold top-five world rankings in all three events and the only man to win a season championship on the Pro Tour in both slalom and jump.
Patrice Martin is best remembered for his six consecutive world overall titles from 1989 to 1999, including a nail-biting victory over Kreg Llewellyn by just 0.2 overall points—the smallest margin of victory ever recorded.
Martin’s performances in 1996 remain the closest anyone has come to the world record marks in all three events over the past four decades. He held the world trick record, was less than three buoys shy of the slalom record, and trailed Bruce Neville’s jump record by only 20 feet. At his peak, Martin was awarded the IWWF’s first-ever overall record, which he went on to break three times through the twilight of his career.
In an era where specialization reigns supreme, Joel Poland’s prowess across all three events is astonishing. In 2023, Poland ran 10.25m (41’ off), getting within 2.5 buoys of Nate Smith’s decade-old world slalom record. He tricked within 500 points of Patricio Font’s world record and jumped 71.7 meters (235 feet), just half a meter shy of the highest score that year.
While Patrice Martin’s golden run in the years leading up to Poland’s birth was technically closer to world record marks, the context is different. In the 1990s, scores were steadily climbing, whereas today, Poland is competing in an era where jump scores, at least at the highest level, have been declining. In the past five years, only one 240-foot jump has been recorded, and the world jump record hasn’t been seriously challenged in nearly a decade.
In 2023, Poland’s scores were within 95% of the top specialist scores in all three events, a feat previously unheard of in the sport’s recorded history. Statistically speaking, no one has ever been this good at water skiing.
Honorable Mentions:
Jaret Llewellyn (2002-2004)
93% of Individual Top Scores
90% of Individual World Records
Jaret famously held the “unbreakable” world overall record for 15 years, but his slalom performances fall short in this purely score-driven analysis. While undoubtedly one of the greatest overall skiers of all time, Jaret’s success stemmed more from longevity, consistency, and clutch performances than raw talent.
Sammy Duvall (1984-1988)
92% of Individual Top Scores
89% of Individual World Records
The most dominant skier of the 1980s, Duvall won four consecutive world overall titles despite fierce competition. A legendary jumper and consistent slalom and trick skier, Duvall’s era saw specialists like Andy Mapple and Cory Pickos pushing the envelope in slalom and tricks, leaving overall skiers like Duvall playing catch-up.
Pre-1979 Skiers
Early greats like Mike Suyderhoud, Ricky McCormick, George Athans, and Chuck Stearns may well have had periods rivaling Poland, but without systematic tracking of scores, we will never know for sure.
The recently concluded Fluid Fall Record tournament in Central Florida lived up to its reputation, with several impressive performances and records broken. Although the event is an amateur competition, the shores of the lake were lined with professional water skiers, all vying for big scores at one of the world’s premier ski sites.
Among the standout performances was Joel Poland, who potentially set his sixth world overall record. The British skier delivered a remarkable round that included 1.5 buoys at 10.25 meters (41’ off) in slalom, a trick score of 12,160 points, and a jump distance of 69.8 meters (229 feet). This marks Poland’s fourth world record in the past 12 months. Leading the Waterski Pro Tour in jump and remaining undefeated in the WWS Overall Tour, Poland appears unstoppable.
Poland shared on Instagram that he almost didn’t compete in the tournament, saying “This was a real last minute event, I signed up on Thursday, i just had a feeling this weekend could be the one. 3 days later, another pending world record and legs that feel like stone. No regrets 🤘 I’ll take every opportunity I can get!”
In the tricks category, Nelly Ross of Canada set a pending national trick record with a score of 11,230 points, just 130 points shy of the current world record held by Erika Lang. While there are no major trick events remaining for the 2024 season, Ross’s performance signals that the level of competition in women’s tricks is continually rising.
Meanwhile, Hanna Straltsova set a new personal best with a leap of 58.7 meters (193 feet), further solidifying her status as the best jumper in the world right now. Straltsova, who already leads the Waterski Pro Tour, is now outright the second-farthest female jumper of all time, behind Jacinta Carroll. Previously, Straltsova shared the second position with Natallia Berdnikava, but her latest achievement sets her apart in a class of her own.
Another rising star, Martin Labra, the 2024 Masters trick champion, demonstrated his growing potential with a pending Chilean overall record. Labra posted scores of 5 buoys at 11.25 meters (38’ off) in slalom, 12,190 points in tricks, and a jump of 63.1 meters (207 feet). The performance marks a significant milestone for Labra, as he overtakes his uncle, two-time world overall champion Felipe Miranda. Labra is shaping up to be a strong contender in men’s overall in the coming seasons.
Though not breaking any records, Regina Jaquess delivered another remarkable performance, setting only the second score in 2024 past two buoys at 10.25 meters (41’ off)—both scores belonging to Jaquess. The American skier is still in pursuit of becoming the first woman to run the full pass, with her current best standing at 5 buoys.
With six professional events remaining in 2024, including slalom, jump, and overall, the competition is heating up for what promises to be an exciting finish to the season.
Note: the original version of this article incorrectly listed Straltsova’s jump as a pending European record.
Welcome to the 2nd stop of the 2024 World Water Skiers Tour – the WWS Canada Cup in Saskatoon, Canada! This event was a true rollercoaster ride, with unexpected twists and turns for the athletes battling challenging weather conditions. The competition came down to the very last jump in a nail-biting finale!
Watch as the world’s top water skiers push their limits in the Slalom, Trick, and Jump disciplines, fighting for crucial Tour Points and the chance to become the 2024 Pro Tour Champions. The action was intense and the performances were spectacular.
Enjoy the excitement of this stop, and make sure to catch all four stops of the season! Up next, Groveland, Florida, for the 3rd stop on September 28-29. Stay tuned and follow the journey to the Pro Tour Championship!
Welcome to the 1st stop of the 2024 World Water Skier Overall Tour: the WWS Salmsee Cup in Linz, Austria, on July 27-28. Watch as the world’s top water skiers compete in the Slalom, Trick, and Jump disciplines, kicking off the tour with intense action and spectacular performances. Athletes will earn crucial Tour Points, setting the stage for the journey to become the 2024 WWS Overall Tour Champions. Next, join us in Saskatoon, Canada, for the second exciting stop on August 28-29. Enjoy the excitement and be inspired by these incredible competitors!
Joel Poland’s world overall record, set at the Ski Fluid Classic in April 2024, was officially ratified by the IWWF yesterday, marking his fifth world overall record in three years. The three-event superstar now has the distinction of breaking the most world overall records since official records began in the mid-1990s. He overtakes Regina Jaquess (four) and Patrice Martin, Elena Milakova, and Natallia Berdnikava (three each) with his five world records set between April 2021 and 2024.
His latest mark – 1 @ 10.25m (41’ off), 11,680 points, and 70.3 meters (231 feet) – was just three overall points higher than his previous record set at the 2023 Malibu Open and is still significantly below Poland’s personal bests in both slalom and trick, where he has previously run 10.25m and tricked over 12,000 points.
If the Brit can pull off the perfect round while he is in his current form across all three events, he will have the opportunity to set a generational record, one that will stand the test of time – similar to Jaret Llewellyn’s mark from 2002 which took 15 years for any man to best, or Berdnikava’s mark from 2012 which still stands to this day.
Arguably the hardest record in the sport to break, requiring near perfection in a single round of competition, Poland’s achievements are already historic. With four professional overall events, four jump events, and plenty more slalom events (if he chooses to attend), Poland will look to add more professional titles to his already impressive resume through the second half of 2024.
The 2024 WorldWaterSkiers (WWS) Overall Tour launches next weekend with its first stop in Salmsee, Austria. The Tour, which pits the world’s best water skiers against each other in the traditional overall format, has provided a window into the world of overall competition, which previously was only contested every other year at the World Championships.
Over the first two seasons, we have witnessed incredible competition, from cementing the legacies of superstars such as Joel Poland and Giannina Bonemann Mechler to introducing us to future stars like the Duplan-Fribourg brothers, Kennedy Hansen, and Paige Rini.
Unfortunately, the women’s portion of the 2024 tour had to be canceled due to a lack of participation. However, the best male overall skiers in the world will once again compete across a series of four international events.
Here are six skiers to watch during the 2024 WWS Overall Tour:
Joel Poland
The hottest commodity in world water skiing over the past two seasons, the world record holder needs no introduction. Poland went undefeated on the 2023 Tour, culminating in a world record to win the Tour final, and will look to replicate that feat again in 2024.
In a recent interview on the TWBC Podcast, Poland referred to himself as a “three-event skier” rather than an “overall skier,” highlighting his ambition to compete with the best across all three events. As the only man to hold residence in the sport’s three most exclusive clubs (41’/10.25m, 12,000 points, and 70m/230′), he will be tough to beat throughout the tour.
Louis Duplan-Fribourg
The Frenchman had to play second fiddle to Poland throughout the 2023 Tour, placing second at all four stops, but he applied serious pressure throughout the season. He set a French national jump record at the opening tour stop to finish within 3 overall points of Poland, a margin smaller than a quarter buoy or a side slide.
Duplan-Fribourg capped off his 2023 season with a victory at the World Championships and will be determined to show the world that it was not a one-off. The strongest tricker on the Tour, and pushing up close to 70m (230 feet), Louis will be looking to challenge Poland for the crown of the world’s best skier.
Dorien Llewellyn
The dark horse of the field, Llewellyn has competed in just two tournaments so far this year—the U.S. Masters (tricks only) and the Masters Qualifier at Sunset Lakes. At his best, he is the second highest-scoring overall skier of all time, only narrowly short of Poland’s world record, but fitness remains a major concern for the Canadian after a serious ankle injury last season.
If Llewellyn is able to recapture his pre-injury form, the former world record holder will be a formidable challenger throughout the Tour. He picked up a World Championships bronze and Pan Am Games gold skiing on one leg last fall and, after spending most of the past 12 months on the sidelines, he will be hungry to return to high-level competition.
Martin Kolman
The veteran of the field, remarkably at only 32 years of age, Kolman has quietly returned to world-class form in all three events. After moving to Utah and starting a career with Goode Skis, the Czech athlete appeared to put his skiing on the back burner for a couple of seasons, particularly in jump, where he managed only a handful of 200-foot scores from 2020-2022. However, last year he was in arguably the best form of his career, recording a personal best in tricks and some of his best-ever jump scores.
To challenge for the lead, the 2019 world overall champion will need to unlock the last piece of the puzzle, his slalom form, where he has struggled to consistently run 10.75m (39.5′ off) in recent years. If he finds form in slalom, he will put serious pressure on the likes of Joel, Louis, and Dorien.
Danylo Filchenko
The Cinderella story of world water skiing, Filchenko lives and trains in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. Despite the constant threat of shelling in his hometown, just 60 miles from the front, the Ukrainian has continued to perform at world-class levels. He participated in the Monaco Slalom Cup last month, and despite doing the majority of his training in the leadup behind a boat without speed control, he managed to trick a personal best of 11,990 in both rounds to clinch a podium finish.
Combine that tricking form with jump distances in the mid to high 60s (220′) and the potential to run 11.25m (38′ off), and we could see the Ukrainian challenge for the podium, or more, throughout the 2024 Tour stops he is able to attend.
Edoardo Marenzi
No skier has competed in more professional events so far in 2024 than the Italian, who has been traveling the world trying to make it as a professional water skier. It has not been his year so far, with a handful of top-eight placements, but no podiums yet.
However, the Overall Tour may be the change of fortune needed for Marenzi, who really comes into his own in the overall event. Capable of running deep 10.75m, tricking close to 11,000 points, and jumping over 200 feet, the Italian does not have a weak event. He will be a strong contender to add to his four podium finishes across the WWS Tour over the past two seasons.
WWS Overall Tour: Cancellations Highlight Ongoing Issues in Women’s Professional Water Skiing
Giannina Bonnemann Mechler, 2023 WWS Overall Tour champion, will not be competing in 2024 as she and her husband Dane expect their first child in August (image: @world.water.skiers)
Last September, the world’s best female overall skiers, past and present, gathered in Central Florida for the WWS Overall Tour final. Regina Jaquess, widely considered the GOAT of women’s slalom and overall, competed alongside Hanna Straltsova, who would go on to win dual World Championship golds a month later, and Giannina Bonnemann Mechler, who had swept the previous three tour stops. In a fiercely contested final with less than 60 overall points separating the top three (roughly three buoys in slalom), Bonnemann Mechler emerged victorious, going undefeated on the Tour. Sadly, we will not witness the women battle it out again in 2024.
Despite months of planning and communication with the athletes, World Water Skiers has made the difficult decision to cancel the women’s event due to an insufficient number of entries across the four-stop Tour in 2024. “Just really disappointed,” shared Tour organizer Jaret Llewellyn. “We continue to get great support from the men, but, unfortunately, the state of the sport makes being a professional athlete unattainable [for most].”
Instead, the Tour will move forward in 2024 as a male-only competition, where a core group of six of the best overall skiers in the world will travel to three countries alongside a rotating cast of local challengers. The cancellation of the women’s event is a significant blow and speaks to larger issues around participation and gender equity in the sport.
Water skiing, much like other professional sports, has made significant strides toward achieving gender equity in recent years. This year, an impressive 13 out of 15 slalom events and all five professional trick events offered equal prize money for men and women. This commitment to equality has resulted in the largest total prize purse for women’s slalom in the past 20 years, potentially the highest ever recorded.
Despite these positive developments, there remains a notable disparity in participation rates between male and female athletes in professional competition. Across the first nine professional slalom tournaments of 2024, all of which featured equal prize money, male participants have outnumbered female participants by almost two to one.
Professional events rely on athlete participation, whether directly through entry fees, or in the case of the WWS Overall Tour, to justify their value proposition to sponsors. If the women’s side of the field is consistently light, more tournament organizers might follow suit, jeopardizing the recent gains in gender equity.
So how do we increase female participation at professional events? The ‘host it and they will come’ strategy appears to be failing.
A simple answer could be that pay equity in professional water skiing is still a relatively new development. It may take time for this change to encourage more female athletes to pursue water skiing at the highest level. The visibility of equal prize money could gradually attract more women to stay in the sport past the junior ranks as they see professional water skiing as a viable career option.
Beyond prize money, other financial factors come into play. Industry support and sponsorship opportunities skew heavily male. Boat manufacturers sponsor over 40% more male water skiers than female, and among major ski manufacturers, the ratio of ‘team’ skiers is four-to-one male. These disparities illustrate the challenges faced by female athletes wanting to join the professional circuit.
The larger challenge may have to do with female participation across all levels of the sport. Amateur tournament participation is heavily male-dominated, although most of this is driven by the senior divisions. Women make up approximately 40% of tournament participants under 30, which is significantly better than many sports, particularly outdoor sports, which are notoriously seen as ‘boys’ clubs.’
This is encouraging, but there is clearly room for improvement. Water skiing is championed as a family sport and, at its best, is a beautiful way to bring mothers, sons, fathers, and daughters together on the water. But to meet this goal, we must foster a culture that encourages female participation.
Some of this is circular too. Having visible role models and mentors on the professional circuit can inspire more young girls to pursue water skiing. Successful female athletes can play a crucial role in mentoring and motivating the next generation.
Sadly, there will be no platform for the world’s best female overall skiers in 2024. A confluence of injuries, work commitments, major life events, scheduling conflicts, and financial pressures have coincided to deprive us of showcasing these important role models. Without greater support for women’s skiing across all levels of the sport, this could be the start of a worrying trend. Hopefully, it turns out to be just a speed bump on the road to success.
Anyone tuning into the Pan American Games last October witnessed one of the most farcical scenes in the history of our sport when American slalom specialist Nate Smith took to the water in the trick event, scoring only side slides. The reason behind this spectacle was the Games’ selection criteria, mandating each country to send both a male and female overall competitor. Rather than taking a chance on emerging talents like Jake Abelson or Blaze Grubbs, the U.S. selection committee opted for Smith to attempt beginner tricks and pass a jump live on television. The decision was just the latest in a long history of neglect for the overall event in the U.S.
Since Jimmy Siemers’ last World Championships in 2009, the U.S. has not selected a single male overall skier to compete at the World Championships. Freddy Krueger is the only other male to represent the U.S. in overall this century. No American male competed in overall, even as an independent, for a decade between 2011 and 2021.
Relying on specialists on the men’s side has proven costly for the U.S. Team over the last three decades. After an undefeated streak through the first 40 years of the World Championships, the U.S. Team has won only 7 out of 17 since 1991. Men’s overall has been a crucial factor, with only four victories occurring without Siemers on the team.
For a nation that produced three-event water skiing legends like Duvall, Roberge, and Suyderhoud, the disappearance of overall skiers raises questions. Mastering all three events is incredibly difficult, is this just a pipeline issue? Unlikely. Since 2010, the U.S. has had 10 different skiers ranked within the top 20 for men’s overall performances, no other country had more during this period. Four of these skiers have been within the top 10, with only Australia and Great Britain having more, with five each.
However, a closer look at U.S. Team selection reveals consistent neglect of emerging overall talent. In 2011, without Siemers for the first time in a decade, the U.S. overlooked Storm Selsor, who finished the previous season as the 5th ranked overall skier in the world. Instead, they selected a team of three single-event specialists, including a 15-year-old Erika Lang. Had they included Selsor, who skied as an independent and placed 8th in overall, they would have finished within striking distance of Belarus, the winners, rather than the distant third they achieved.
The issue seems to be a lack of support and encouragement for young talent. Zack Worden, simultaneously ranked in the top 3 for men’s jump and top 10 for men’s overall as a teenager, never made a U.S. Team and effectively retired from overall at 19 to focus on jump. The list of such talents denied the opportunity to represent the USA is extensive, including Mike McCormick, Scott Smith, Ryan Fitts, Dylan Schaffer, and Nick Lang.
While the U.S. has shown more support on the women’s side, selecting three overall skiers for the most recent World Championships, the absence of Regina Jaquess, arguably the greatest skier of all time, leaves a void. Beyond Jaquess, the U.S. has won only three women’s overall medals this century, and just one since 2003. With Jaquess approaching 40, supporting young talents like Brooke Baldwin, Kennedy Hansen, and Anna Gay becomes critical for the future.
The most challenging discipline in water skiing requires encouragement and support to thrive. While the U.S. may lack the government funding of some other federations, it can still nurture young athletes, providing them with the recognition and opportunities to represent their country. Without overall talent, America will continue to fall behind countries like Canada and France on the world stage. One thing is certain: putting a novice on the water to trick and jump on a major platform for the sport does no good for anyone.
Independent perspectives on tournament water skiing
