Professional Waterskiing

Champions Crowned! Travers Cup

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Champions Crowned! Travers Cup – Overall Tour Finals Highlights – (S2:E4)

World Water Skiers

Epic Finish to the WWS Overall Tour — The Travers Cup Did Not Disappoint! The final stop of the 2025 World Water Skiers Overall Tour brought incredible skiing across the board — men and women going all-out for the win, shaking up the Travers Cup podium and final Tour standings for 2025!

Congrats to all the athletes who left everything on the water — true overall champions in every sense.

Travers Cup Official Event Page – https://worldwaterskiers.com/tourname…

Nautique Water Ski World Series

Nautique Announces the Launch of the Nautique Water Ski World Series

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Nautique Announces the Launch of the Nautique Water Ski World Series

Nautique Water Ski World Series

Image: @nautiqueboats

Nautique Boats

ORLANDO, FL (November 12, 2025) – Nautique introduced today the launch of a groundbreaking new chapter in the evolution of competitive waterskiing, with the Nautique Water Ski World Series presented by GM Marine. Developed by renowned leaders within the international waterski community with a shared vision to advance and promote the sport on a global scale, the Nautique Water Ski World Series will stand as the most expansive and prestigious series in the history of three-event waterskiing. Featuring one of the largest prize purses ever offered, this bold new initiative ushers in an era of unprecedented excellence and opportunity for three-event water ski athletes around the world. 

The Nautique Water Ski World Series is a five stop, three-event water ski series that awards points for placement at each individual tournament and serves as the primary qualifying series for invitation to the sport’s most illustrious event: The Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament, presented by GM Marine. Developed to showcase the world’s most elite Professional and Senior competitors while fostering the next generation through Junior development, the Series puts athletes at the center of every decision – celebrating the passion and performance that define the sport’s legacy.

Forging a new path forward, Nautique Boat Company is committed to actively shaping the future of three-event waterskiing inclusive of Junior, Pro and Senior competitors. The Junior division will now include athletes under the age of 21, allowing a wider range of young skiers to compete on the world stage. The Senior division will be exclusive to slalom in the ProAm events, with the Senior Men’s division open to athletes aged 35 and older, and the Senior Women’s division including athletes aged 45 and older. These updates provide greater access and recognition across generations, ensuring the sport’s growth for years to come.

With a total prize purse exceeding $465,000 and equal pay and prize distribution across all events, the Nautique Water Ski World Series will offer one of the largest purses in the history of three-event waterskiing, further underscoring Nautique’s commitment to advancing the sport and supporting its competitors. 

An additional $50,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to the Nautique Water Ski World Series Pro Champions, highlighting the Series’ dedication to rewarding excellence at the highest level. The Junior Series Champions will receive valuable scholarships as well as waived entry fees in the succeeding 2027 Masters to further nurture the next generation of talent, while Senior Series Champions will be honored with an exclusive VIP weekend at the 2027 Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament, providing a unique opportunity to celebrate their achievements alongside the world’s top athletes.

We are deeply grateful for our valued sponsors, GM Marine, PCM Marine Engines, Eagle Wetsuits, ZeroOff, Masterline, Syndicate Waterskis, and JL Audio, for their belief in our vision and incredible support in helping us bring this exciting new series to fruition.


“The launch of the Nautique Water Ski World Series marks a pivotal moment for three-event waterskiing,” said Nautique President, Greg Meloon. “With international reach, a format designed to elevate athletes at all levels, and a monumental prize purse structure, this series redefines expectations for the sport. In tandem with the introduction of the all-new Ski Nautique, the Nautique Water Ski World Series stands as a bold testament to our legacy of innovation, athlete support, and global leadership – underscoring Nautique’s unwavering commitment to the future of waterskiing.” 

For the full schedule of events and to learn more about the Nautique Water Ski World Series, please click here.

Regina Jaquess slaloms at the 2025 Travers Grand Prix

2025’s Unofficial Professional Water Ski Rankings

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2025’s Unofficial Professional Water Ski Rankings

Regina Jaquess slaloms at the 2025 Travers Grand Prix

Image: @bretellisphotography

By Jack Burden

Another season of the Waterski Pro Tour has drawn to a close, delivering 10 events across six countries and more than $300,000 in prize money. With its mission of weaving a season-long narrative by uniting standalone professional tournaments under one banner, the Pro Tour has largely been a resounding success. Much like the glory days of the Coors and Budweiser U.S. Pro Tours, the goal has been to elevate a season title into one of the sport’s most prestigious prizes.

But the full story is more complicated.

For the fourth straight year, the sport’s two longest-running and most lucrative tournaments—the U.S. Masters and Moomba Masters—opted to remain outside the Pro Tour. The Nautique-sponsored Botaski and California Pro Ams also sat out, as did smaller events such as the Fungliss Pro Am. That left the Pro Tour as the centerpiece of the calendar, but not the whole picture.

So we asked the question: what would the standings look like if every major event was counted, much like the old IWWF Elite Rankings once did? Using the same points system as the Pro Tour, here are the Unofficial Professional Water Ski Rankings for 2025—a more complete view of who really owned the season.

Slalom

At first glance, little changes in slalom. But the drama intensifies once the Fungliss and the California ProAm are factored in. Instead of Freddie Winter running away with the Tour title, his battle with Nate Smith would have come down to the final event at the Travers Grand Prix. Winter’s win there—sealed in one of the highest scoring finals of all time—proved the clincher, capping one of the greatest comeback seasons of all time.

Men’s

  1. Frederick Winter (382 points) –
  2. Nate Smith (360 points) –
  3. Thomas Degasperi (311 points) –
  4. Charlie Ross (270 points) +1
  5. Dane Mechler (212 points) +2

Women’s

  • Jaimee Bull (359 points) –
  • Regina Jaquess (319 points) +1
  • Allie Nicholson (306 points) -1
  • Neilly Ross (246 points) –
  • Whitney McClintock Rini (215 points) +2

Tricks

No discipline highlighted the split between circuits more clearly than tricks. The Pro Tour featured four smaller trick events, but the three biggest tournaments—all Nautique-backed—opted out. That left the season feeling fractured.

When you include the Masters and Moomba, the world record holders rise to the top. Jake Abelson and Erika Lang each dominated when the stakes were highest, winning more titles than anyone else and proving themselves as the sport’s most consistent forces. Yet both largely skipped the European Pro Tour circuit, where prize purses barely covered travel costs. The quantity of trick events is growing—but until prize money grows too, the top fields will remain scattered.

Men’s

  1. Jake Abelson (164 points) +8
  2. Matias Gonzalez (125 points) –
  3. Joel Poland (101 points) +4
  4. Patricio Font (91 points) -3
  5. Louis Duplan-Fribourg (73 points) -2

Women’s

  1. Erika Lang (154 points) +3
  2. Anna Gay Hunter (120 points) -1
  3. Neilly Ross (110 points) -1
  4. Giannina Bonnemann Mechler (59 points) +3
  5. Alexia Abelson (53 points) –

Jump

Jump is where the expanded rankings have the potential to shake things up most. Only two star level jump events—the LA Night Jam and MasterCraft Pro—made the Pro Tour calendar this year, leaving the Nautique-backed majors on the outside. Yet no matter the venue, one result held true: Joel Poland and Hanna Straltsova were untouchable, both going undefeated across the season.

The women’s leaderboard remains unchanged, with Brittany Greenwood Wharton, the only other jumper to snag a pro win in 2025, holding second. But the men’s podium sees a reshuffle when the full calendar is considered, with Ryan Dodd, Luca Rauchenwald, and Igor Morozov all climbing the ranks.

Men’s

  1. Joel Poland (198 points) –
  2. Ryan Dodd (154 points) +1
  3. Luca Rauchenwald (133 points) +2
  4. Jack Critchley (128 points) -2
  5. Igor Morozov (95 points) new entry

Women’s

  • Hanna Straltsova (188 points) –
  • Brittany Greenwood Wharton (149 points) –
  • Sasha Danisheuskaya (141 points) –
  • Lauren Morgan (119 points) –
  • Regina Jaquess (105 points) –

Overall

Finally overall skiing, which is not officially recognized as an event by the Waterski Pro Tour. The last few seasons have heralded in a resurgence for the discipline, with competition across four professional events on the WWS Overall Tour. These rankings, although using a different methodology, line up almost exactly with the final standings of the WWS Tour.

Men’s

  1. Joel Poland (158 points)
  2. Louis Duplan-Fribourg (113 points)
  3. Dorien Llewellyn (106 points)
  4. Edoardo Marenzi (70 points) +1
  5. Jake Abelson (68 points) -1

Women’s

  1. Kennedy Hansen (95 points)
  2. Giannina Bonnemann Mechler (88 points)
  3. Alexia Abelson (61 points)
  4. Hanna Straltsova (34 points)
  5. Regina Jaquess (27 points)
2025 WWS Fluid Cup

Watch: Records Shatter Again at Fluid | World Water Skiers

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Records Shatter Again at Fluid – 2025 WWS Overall Tour (S2:E3)

World Water Skiers

Fluid where legends are made! Another tight race to the top, and the tightest cut in history to make it to the finals. 16-minute action-packed recap at the Fluid Cup, of the world best men and women overall skiers in the world!

Watch the world’s best water skiers face off in a battle of skill, resilience, and determination. Every storyline, every stop, every moment has built up to this – who will claim the top spot on the podium at the 3rd Stop of the 2025 season?

🔗 Official Event Page: https://worldwaterskiers.com/tourname…

Joel Poland Keeps Breaking World Records — and Making It Look Easy

The Joel Poland Effect: When World Records Become Routine

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The Joel Poland effect: When world records become routine

Joel Poland Keeps Breaking World Records — and Making It Look Easy

Image: @bretellisphotography

By Jack Burden

POLK CITY, Fla. — At this point, Joel Poland breaking world records is starting to feel routine. It shouldn’t.

At the WWS Fluid Cup this past weekend, Poland posted 1.5 @ 10.25m (41 off), 12,160 points, and a 70.1m (230 ft) jump to set a new pending men’s world overall record—again. The scores not only secured his 11th consecutive victory on the World Water Skiers Overall Tour, but also locked up his 2025 season championship.

This is now the fifth time Poland has set a pending world record in a professional event. That detail matters. For most of the 21st century, world records and professional competition existed in separate universes. Records fell in quiet backyard settings—perfect lakes, no pressure, no crowds—while the pro circuit was left to battle under public scrutiny. Before Poland’s 2023 record at the Overall Tour Finals, no skier had broken a world record in a professional tournament in 15 years.

“I came in today with no expectations,” Poland said after the round. “Just tried to survive, and that’s usually when things click. To put that together in a pro tournament—it means a lot.”

Since that breakthrough, Poland’s dominance has helped collapse the wall between record chasing and professional competition. The sport has followed his lead. Regina Jaquess’s 5 @ 10.25m at the 2023 Malibu Open marked the first slalom record in pro competition since 2008. Pato Font has equaled or exceeded the world trick record multiple times at pro events in the past two seasons. Erika Lang and Neilly Ross traded records this summer at the Botaski ProAm.

In the early 2000s, world records at pro events were common; between 2006 and 2022, they virtually vanished. That they’re now reappearing points to something bigger—the collective level is simply that high.

And it’s not just Poland pushing it. At this year’s World Championships, both Louis Duplan-Fribourg and Dorien Llewellyn posted preliminary-round scores higher than any world record prior to Poland’s current reign. Even Tim Wild’s bronze-medal total would have won nearly any Worlds this century. The field has caught up—and in doing so, it keeps pushing Poland even higher.

That’s the Joel Poland Effect: a circular feedback loop of greatness. His world-record form forces everyone else to raise their ceiling, and their response, in turn, drives him to break through again. What began as one skier’s exceptional run has become a rising tide for the entire sport.

At the Fluid Cup, Edoardo Marenzi, Rob Hazelwood, and Jake Abelson—all ranked inside the world’s top ten—missed the finals cut entirely. Poland himself trailed both Duplan-Fribourg and Llewellyn in prelims before storming back in the final.

“It’s a challenge to stay even across all three events,” Poland said. “You have moments when jump’s good, slalom’s good, tricks good—but getting them all in one round is hard.”

The women’s side mirrored that same depth. Just days before the event, the IWWF officially approved Hanna Straltsova’s world overall record, surpassing Natallia Berdnikava’s 13-year-old mark. And at Fluid, Kennedy Hansen, Giannina Bonnemann Mechler, and Regina Jaquess delivered one of the season’s tightest title battles, with Hansen emerging victorious.

Overall records are supposed to be the hardest to break. Every variable—conditions, timing, performance—has to align perfectly. Before Poland, no skier in history had broken an overall record more than four times in their entire career. Poland now stands on the verge of his eighth in just three and a half years.

He’s 27. His best may be yet to come.

Freddie Winter sealed his Waterski Pro Tour title with a victory at the Travers Grand Prix

Seven 41s: Travers Grand Prix Shatters the Ceiling

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Seven 41s: Travers Grand Prix shatters the ceiling

Freddie Winter sealed his Waterski Pro Tour title with a victory at the Travers Grand Prix

Image: @bretellisphotography

By Jack Burden

GROVELAND, Fla. — The pass that once felt like Everest is starting to look more like a stepping stone. At last weekend’s Travers Grand Prix, four different skiers ran 10.25 meters (41 off) a combined seven times — smashing the previous record of four, set two years ago at the Kaiafas Battle ProAm.

For decades, 41 off stood as the ultimate barrier in men’s slalom. Now, it’s falling with almost startling regularity. Over the last three elite events — the World Championships, the MasterCraft Pro, and now Travers — the men’s title has been decided at 9.75 (43 off). Nate Smith and Charlie Ross have set the tone through the back half of this season, but in Groveland, they were joined by Jonathan Travers and Freddie Winter, who pushed through to 43 and eventually took the win.

Winter’s victory capped a powerful redemption arc.

“This is the first season title I’ve ever won,” he said, after claiming the 2025 Waterski Pro Tour championship. “A year and a half ago I had a really terrible time, I hurt myself, and I worked really hard to come back. In some ways it’s very emotional — this one’s for everyone who gave me motivation to return.”

It wasn’t just the men raising the ceiling. The women’s final delivered one of the most thrilling showdowns in recent memory — a three-way tie at 10.25m (41 off) between Regina Jaquess, Jaimee Bull, and Whitney Rini, the first of its kind in waterski history. A cold-start runoff at 10.75 (39.5 off) followed, with Jaquess pulling ahead to take the win and close her 2025 season in fitting style.

It was Bull, however, who claimed the top honors.

“I’m super stoked,” said Bull, who clinched her fifth consecutive Waterski Pro Tour season title. “Five years in a row — I’m proud of the consistency, and hopefully there’s more to come.”

As the sun lowered over Sunset Lakes, the numbers told the story: seven 41s, four skiers into 43, and one message loud and clear — the sport’s limits are shifting, and fast.

Charlie Ross skis for Rollins College

Charlie Ross Makes History: Two 41-Offs, Two Tournaments, One Day

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Charlie Ross makes history: Two 41-offs, two tournaments, one day

Charlie Ross skis for Rollins College

Image: @charlieross_ski

By Jack Burden

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Rising Canadian star Charlie Ross packed a career’s worth of milestones into a single Saturday.

In the morning, the 20-year-old Rollins College sophomore took to the water at Sunset Lakes during the FSC-Rollins Fall Collegiate Tournament. Skiing for the Rollins Tars, Ross ran 10.25 meters (41 off) — the first complete pass at that line length in the history of collegiate water skiing. In doing so, he broke Will Asher’s NCWSA record of 3.5 @ 10.25m, a mark that had stood untouched since 2003.

Ross wasn’t even born when Asher, then skiing for Lafayette, set that record.

“Watching Will growing up, admiring him and wanting to be like him on and off the water — that was pretty cool,” Ross said on the TWBC Podcast. “He gave me a big hug when I saw him on Saturday. His record lasted 22 years. That’s older than a collegiate skier can be — it says everything about the career he’s had.”

Then, just hours later, Ross was back on the water — this time at the MasterCraft Pro on the Isles of Lake Hancock. Having qualified for the men’s slalom final, he went toe-to-toe with world champion Nate Smith in a near-repeat of their World Championships showdown just weeks earlier. Ross ran another 41 off (1 @ 43 off / 9.75m), tying Smith for the lead and completing his second full 41 of the day across two separate tournaments.

The two remained inseparable, tying again in a runoff before Smith narrowly edged out Ross in a second tiebreaker. “That one kind of stings,” Ross admitted. “Back-to-back weeks of 1 @ 43 and second place. But I know I’m right there.”

The MasterCraft Pro marked a triumphant return for elite skiing to U.S. waters, with world-class performances across the board. Regina Jaquess turned the tables on Jaimee Bull, claiming the women’s slalom title in a 41-off duel mirroring the World Championships final. In jump, both Joel Poland and Hanna Straltsova capped off undefeated seasons — though not without pressure. Aliaksandra Danisheuskaya and Brittany Greenwood Wharton both delivered season-best distances, while Ryan Dodd and Jack Critchley outjumped Poland in prelims before falling just short in the final.

Still, the weekend belonged to Ross — the rare skier to make history twice in a single day, at two tournaments, on two of the sport’s biggest stages.

Hanna Straltsova jumps at the 2024 WWS Canada Cup

The Home Stretch: What’s Left to Play for in the 2025 Water Ski Season

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The home stretch: What’s left to play for in the 2025 water ski season

Hanna Straltsova jumps at the 2024 MasterCraft Pro

Image: @bearwitnesssportsphotos

By Jack Burden

The 2025 World Championships are in the books. After months of buildup, the sport’s marquee event delivered a record-breaking spectacle in Recetto, and with it came both exhaustion and relief. Athletes can finally exhale, knowing the season’s emotional and physical peak has passed.

But don’t mistake the back half of the calendar for a cool-down lap. Four major professional events remain, and with season championships still undecided on both the Waterski Pro Tour and the WWS Overall Tour, the final weeks of 2025 promise as much intrigue as any stretch of the year. Rivalries are sharpening, records are within reach, and season-long storylines are about to find their conclusion.

September 19–20: MasterCraft Pro

The Waterski Pro Tour roars back into action in Central Florida with its richest U.S. stop, the MasterCraft Pro. Now in its sixth year, the event shifts to the Isles of Lake Hancock, a venue known for packing in crowds during past editions of King of Darkness.

For jumpers, this is the season finale—a high-stakes showdown with extra weight given the tour’s pared-back jump schedule in 2025. Joel Poland and Hanna Straltsova remain undefeated this season, but both must deliver again to secure back-to-back season titles.

In slalom, Jaimee Bull appears untouchable, with a fifth consecutive season championship in her sights, though the battle behind her remains wide open. On the men’s side, Freddie Winter holds the edge, but with challengers lurking, one slip could turn the race on its head.

September 26–29: Travers Grand Prix

A fan and athlete favorite, the Travers Grand Prix brings the 2025 Waterski Pro Tour season to a close at Sunset Lakes. Equal parts festival and battleground, the event blends a lighthearted ProAm team contest—where skiing shares the stage with go-karts and skeet shooting—with some of the fiercest pro slalom competition of the year.

This is where the men’s slalom title will be decided. Winter remains the frontrunner, but veterans Adam Sedlmajer and Thomas Degasperi, along with young gun Rob Hazelwood, all have mathematical paths to stealing the crown. Expect a tense finish under the Florida sun.

October 11–12: WWS Fluid Cup

The spotlight shifts to the WWS Overall Tour, returning to Ski Fluid for its penultimate stop. The site’s reputation speaks for itself—world records have been born here in recent years, and if conditions line up, history could repeat.

In men’s overall, Joel Poland rides a ten-stop win streak and could clinch a staggering fourth straight season championship with another victory. But don’t count out reigning World Champion Dorien Llewellyn or France’s Louis Duplan-Fribourg, both hungry to halt Poland’s dominance.

The women’s race, meanwhile, is wide open. Kennedy Hansen, Hanna Straltsova, and Giannina Bonnemann Mechler have split victories and podiums so evenly that the title race will come down to centimeters—and likely won’t be decided until the final stop.

October 25–26: WWS Travers Cup

The curtain closes at Sunset Lakes with the WWS Travers Cup, where season titles and year-end bonuses will be on the line. Last year, Poland stunned with back-to-back world overall records in prelims and finals, a reminder that this event has a knack for producing fireworks.

As the last major tournament of the season, it’s more than just a finale—it’s the stage where reputations are sealed, rivalries settled, and momentum carried into the long offseason.

The Final Word

From Florida’s lakefront amphitheaters to the sport’s most record-prone waters, the next six weeks hold decisive moments for waterskiing’s biggest stars. The World Championships may be over, but the story of 2025 is far from finished.

2025 WWS Austria Cup

Watch: Champions Collide in Austria | World Water Skiers

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Champions Collide in Austria – The Best Water Skiers in the World | 2025 WWS Austria Cup (S2:E2)

World Water Skiers

Welcome to the second stop of the 2025 World Water Skiers Overall Tour — the WWS Austria Cup in Linz, Austria, September 6–7. The world’s best water skiers battled across Slalom, Trick, and Jump, carrying the momentum from Canada into another weekend of spectacular performances.

With crucial Tour Points on the line, every pass, flip, and jump brought us closer to deciding the 2025 WWS Overall Tour Champions. Next up: Orlando, Florida, October 11–12, for Stop #3 of the Tour.

Enjoy the action — and be inspired by these incredible athletes!

🔗 Official Event Page: https://worldwaterskiers.com/tourname..