2024 Monaco Slalom Cup: Final Highlights – Waterski Pro Tour Stop 6
Relive all the action from the finals of the Monaco Slalom Cup.
Professional Waterskiing
Kaiafas Water Ski Resort Reopens, Aiming for a Return to the 2025 Tour
NewsKaiafas Water Ski Resort reopens, aiming for a return to the 2025 Waterski Pro Tour
Image: All Over Greece
By Jack Burden
Kaiafas Water Ski Resort, host of the Kaiafas Battle ProAm in 2022 and 2023, has reopened after a dispute over the site temporarily halted operations earlier this year. The resort, operated by George and Tasos Hatzis as part of Hatzis Waterski Paradise, has hosted numerous national and international events over the past three decades.
The Kaiafas Battle ProAm quickly became a fan and skier favorite on the Waterski Pro Tour in its first two editions, thanks to the event’s scenic location, large crowds, and party atmosphere. Allie Nicholson, who ran her first-ever 10.75m (39.5’ off) at Kaiafas last year, spoke glowingly of the event on the TWBC podcast, saying, “It was a party all day long.” She added, “After last year, I thought, ‘How could it get bigger?’ and it got bigger.”
Similarly, Freddie Winter, who made history in 2023 alongside Will Asher and Nate Smith when all three ran 10.25m (41’ off) in the same round, called the tournament the best event of the last two years alongside Moomba. “The standard they set is really high, and I don’t think any other event is matching it at this point.”
Many of the sport’s top athletes took to social media to support the Hatzis and expressed their disappointment when the event, planned for July 13-14, had to be canceled earlier this year. “I was planning an even bigger and more exciting 2024 Kaiafas Battle, filled with new ideas and challenges,” shared George Hatzis after announcing the cancellation. “However, since January, my efforts have been diverted due to a dispute with competitors trying to take over the Kaiafas site. As a result, the site remains closed, and there simply isn’t enough time to prepare for the event.”
The cancellation caused a reshuffling of the European leg of the Waterski Pro Tour, with the inaugural Oxfordshire ProAm moving up a weekend to accommodate athletes’ travel schedules.
However, this week Hatzis announced that the site was reopening, sharing, “We are so excited to announce to our friends that our paradise is now open to welcome you back!” The announcement was met with excitement and anticipation for a return to the Waterski Pro Tour in 2025. Current leaders Jaimee Bull and Will Asher both referred to the announcement as “the best news,” while the injured Freddie Winter expressed his excitement to return to the event next year.
Hatzis remains optimistic for the future, sharing, “We look forward to welcoming you back next year for an even more spectacular competition.” It sounds like he is not the only one looking forward to the 2025 Kaiafas Battle ProAm.
San Gervasio to Feature “Girls Only” Cash Prize Junior Challenge
MediaSan Gervasio to feature “girls only” cash prize Junior Challenge
Peru’s Christiana De Osma, current world number one, will compete at the 2024 San Gervasio Junior Challenge (image: @andrea_gilardi_fotografo)
By Jack Burden
The 10th edition of the San Gervasio ProAm, the longest-running professional event in Europe, will host the best slalom skiers in the world from July 5-7. In an exciting development, the 2024 event will feature some of the best up-and-coming female athletes in a head-to-head junior challenge.
Four of the top six ranked under-17 women in the world will travel to the event to battle it out for cash prizes sponsored by Radar Skis. Matteo Luzzeri, who organizes the event, shared the inspiration behind including the Junior Challenge, now in its 5th edition, alongside the pros: “The idea has always been to mix the future of the sport with professional skiers while skiing in a format that is rarely implemented outside professional events.”
While previous editions have featured both junior girls and boys, schedule conflicts have prevented the same high-level participation on the male side as in previous years. This prompted the organizers to prioritize showcasing some of the rising stars of the sport on the women’s side.
“We are extremely excited to host some of the very best junior girls in the world for this Junior Challenge,” shared Luzzeri. “Although we’ll miss seeing the top boys, the girls’ tournament has all the premises to be the best one yet!”
Luzzeri noted that the girls-only edition of the Junior Challenge will allow the cash prize to be doubled for these competitors. Representing four different countries, Christiana De Osma (Peru), Vittoria Saracco (Italy), Ines Sole (Belgium), and Alexia Abelson (USA) will go head-to-head in what may serve as a preview of the upcoming Under-17 World Championships in Canada early next month.
This will be the strongest field assembled in under-17 girls’ slalom so far in 2024, with the Junior Masters’ Florida-centric qualification criteria effectively excluding European juniors (four of the current top 10 live and train in Europe, compared to just two from the US).
Alongside these promising juniors, the best professional slalom skiers will chase valuable Waterski Pro Tour points as we pass the halfway point of the season. Jaimee Bull, Will Asher, and Team Syndicate are off to strong, but not yet unassailable, leads on the Tour. It will be crunch time for the other contenders to try and knock them off their perch.
The picturesque venue, Jolly Ski, located in northern Italy, is a favorite among pros and amateurs alike. The ski school is a popular training ground for some of Europe’s most promising juniors and is home to the internationally sought-out Jolly Clinics.
Asher and Lang Dominate During Water Skiing’s Busiest Week
NewsAsher and Lang dominate during water skiing’s busiest week
Asher is now the clear leader in men’s slalom so far in 2024 (image: @hoskis)
By Jack Burden
Four countries, four tournaments, 10 days, and $150,000 in prize money—the busiest week in water skiing took the best slalom and trick skiers through a whirlwind tour of Europe.
The journey began on Wednesday and Thursday in Marrakech, Morocco, continued on Saturday and Sunday in the foothills of the Alps in eastern France, then moved to the French Riviera just outside of Monaco on Tuesday and Wednesday, and concluded near Madrid in central Spain from Friday to Sunday.
For trick skiing, the professional season has now concluded, while slalom has just crossed the halfway point, with clear leaders starting to emerge from what had begun as an uncharacteristically fragmented season.
In men’s slalom, which saw four different winners across the first four events, a clear leader for 2024 has emerged. The 41-year-old veteran Will Asher picked up three consecutive victories across Marrakech, Fungliss, and Monaco. Asher is now firmly in the lead on the Waterski Pro Tour and has finished no worse than runner-up in each of the six events he has competed in this season. Not only did the Englishman consistently finish on top, but he also did it in style, running 10.25m (41’ off) in both Marrakech and Monaco.
Another major storyline in slalom is the dominance of Team Syndicate, with skiers representing HO Skis claiming over 50% of podium finishes (12 out of 21) and all seven slalom titles across the four-tournament sprint. Jaimee Bull continued her dominance from last season, pulling ahead on the Waterski Pro Tour leaderboard. Rob Hazelwood and Allie Nicholson each won an event, with strong performances from Frenchman Sacha Descuns.
In tricks, world champion Erika Lang returned to her winning ways after a disappointing Masters. The American posted scores over 11,000 points in both Monaco and Spain, finishing her season with four wins out of five and setting a record for the highest score by a female in professional competition. In arguably the best form of her career, Lang has won seven out of nine professional events over the last two seasons, including a World Championship, Pan American Games, and an extension of her world trick record.
On the men’s side, 2024 has been anything but predictable, with intense competition in one of the fastest-evolving fields in the sport. The Chileans dominated the European leg, with 16-year-old Matias Gonzalez claiming his second win of the season in Monaco and 18-year-old Martin Labra following up his Masters title with a win in Spain.
The European leg continues through July, with the 10th edition of the San Gervasio ProAm (July 5-7), the inaugural Oxfordshire ProAm (July 12-13), and the first stop of the WWS Overall Tour for 2024, the WWS Salmsee Cup (July 27-28).
Watch: Full Replay of the Monaco Slalom Cup Finals | Studio Wake Park
ArchivedWatch: Full replay of the Monaco Slalom Cup finals
RTB
Catch all the action from the finals of the Monaco Slalom Cup, stop 5 on the 2024 Waterski Pro Tour.
Women’s Trick Finals
Men’s Trick Finals
Women’s Slalom Finals
Men’s Slalom Finals
Jacinta Carroll: Becoming a Champion at 100 Days Postpartum | The Mum Athlete
RepostBecoming a Champion at 100 days Postpartum [w/ Jacinta Carroll]
At 100km/h and with 3G’s being put through her body, Jacinta Carroll was pulled into the jump at Moomba Masters at just 100 days Postpartum. If that isn’t mind blowing enough, what’s more crazy is that she won the event. This chat will blow your mind and show you that with enough research and support, getting back to sport at the highest level is absolutely possible.
Watch: Fungliss ProAm Final Highlights | Rob Hazelwood
Video2024 Fun Gliss Pro Slalom Event
41-year old Will Asher took his second consecutive victory of the season, and third overall, at the standalone event in Donmartin, France.
Watch: K1000 Marrakech Pro Highlights | Waterski Pro Tour
Video2024 K1000 Marrakech Pro: Final Highlights – Waterski Pro Tour Stop 5
Relive all the action from the finals of the K1000 Marrakech Pro.
Waterski Pro Tour Expands to Africa with K1000 Marrakech Pro
NewsWaterski Pro Tour expands to Africa with K1000 Marrakech Pro
Jbilet Mountains Watersports Complex, Marrakech, Morroco (image: K100 Marrakech Pro)
By Jack Burden
Things have come a long way since April 2021, when the Waterski Pro Tour unveiled a new website and social media campaign to promote professional water skiing. At that time, water skiing, along with many other professional sports, was still reeling from the impact of a global pandemic, which restricted international travel, event attendance, and sponsorship opportunities.
Today, 1,145 days later, the Waterski Pro Tour is in its fourth season and has heralded a blossoming of slalom events across North America and Europe. In 2024, the Tour is expanding even further with its first-ever event in Africa – the K1000 Marrakech Pro.
The picturesque city in Northern Africa will host the world’s best slalom skiers from June 19-20, kicking off a run of four professional tournaments in less than two weeks that will see the world’s best travel to Morocco, France, Monaco, and Spain in rapid succession.
Vincent Stadlbaur, who is organizing the event alongside Hicham and Kamil Belmrah, shared that the goal of the tournament is for the athletes to have a great time both on and off the water, aiming to make the event as festive as possible and giving the skiers an opportunity to experience the local culture.
Expanding into a new continent is a significant step for the Waterski Pro Tour, which has proliferated in North America and Europe but has yet to take hold anywhere else until now. Speaking on the incredible growth of the Waterski Pro Tour since its inception, Stadlbaur attributes much of this to a “snowball effect.” With a few core tournament organizers showing others what is possible, they inspire others to follow suit.
“Events are more and more filled with high-level competition, which inspires other event organizers,” shared Stadlbaur. The TWBC President also emphasizes the value webcasts can add by broadcasting events to a wider audience, providing a greater value proposition for sponsors.
The K1000 Marrakech Pro, a midweek event, will be live on Wednesday and Thursday morning for the American audience, potentially offering better fan engagement for those busy skiing themselves at the lake each weekend.
In the women’s event, Jaimee Bull will have the opportunity to pull away to an early lead in the season standings in the absence of veterans Regina Jaquess and Whitney McClintock Rini. However, expect stiff competition from the likes of Allie Nicholson, Manon Costard, and Venessa Vieke.
On the men’s side, all four individual event winners so far in 2024 will be vying for dominance in what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive fields in over a decade.
Regardless of the results, Stadlbaur sees the event as a success story, marking important progress in the Waterski Pro Tour’s mission to promote water skiing across the globe.
Poland, Straltsova Win Titles At LA Night Jam | USA Water Ski
RepostPoland, Straltsova Win Titles At Louisiana Night Jam
Image: @streltsova.ania
Joel Poland and Hanna Straltsova won the men’s and women’s jumping titles, respectively, on Saturday at the 7th Louisiana Night Jam, presented by Tides Medical, at Tri-Lakes in Zachary, La. Some of the world’s top men’s and women’s professional water ski jumpers competed in the tournament.
Poland (Great Britain) won the men’s event with a distance of 230 feet in the finals. Freddy Krueger (Winter Garden, Fla.) finished second with a distance of 227 feet after earning the top seed for the finals with a distance of 235 feet in the preliminary round.
Full article at USA Water Ski.
