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WATERSKI MagazineU.S. water ski athlete Freddy Krueger, who set a pending world jumping record of 236 feet (72.0 meters) a week ago, set a pending world record of 238 feet (72.5 meters) on May 29 to win the Men's jumping title at the 46th Masters, presented by Correct Craft, at Callaway Gardens' Robin Lake in Pine Mountain, Ga. Krueger was one of six U.S. athletes, including his wife, Karen Truelove (Women's slalom), to win a title at the annual Memorial Day weekend event.
Krueger's winning leap ( click here to watch the video ) came in his last attempt in the Masters' new head-to-head format against Canada's Jaret Llewellyn. Llewellyn topped out at 222 feet on his first of two attempts in the finale before Krueger launched 238 feet following a 214-foot effort on his first attempt. The winning jump was nearly two feet farther than the current world record (236 feet/71.9 meters) held by fellow U.S. athlete Jimmy Siemers. It needs to be reviewed by the International Water Ski Federation's Technical Committee before being ratified as an official record.
In extremely windy and demanding slalom conditions, Truelove clinched her first career Masters' title with a score of 1 buoy at 35 feet off. She defeated fellow U.S. athlete Natalie Hamrick, who fell after scoring 2 at 28 off.
U.S. athlete Chris Parrish, who set a new Men's world slalom record two weeks ago, won his second career Masters' title by running 4-1/2 at 39-1/2 off in turning back defending Masters' champion and fellow U.S. athlete Jamie Beauchesne (4 at 39-1/2).
U.S. athlete Mandy Nightingale won the Women's tricks title, defeating fellow U.S. athlete Regina Jaquess in the head-to-head finale with 7,350 points to Jaquess' 7,230 points.
In other action, U.S. athletes Phillip Soven (74.47 points) and Dallas Friday (73.92 points) won titles in Men's and Women's wakeboarding, respectively. Other athletes winning titles were France's Nicolas Le Forestier (Men's tricks) and Australia's Emma Sheers (Women's jumping).
U.S. water ski athlete Adam Pickos, competing in his first Junior Masters, won the Junior Men's tricks title at the 13th annual event on May 28.
The 13-year-old Pickos, the son of legendary tricks skier Cory Pickos, tallied 7,700 points to win the title over fellow U.S. athlete Storm Selsor (6,630 points) and New Zealand's Thomas Gilbert (5,690 points).
In other action, Gilbert won the Junior Men's overall title with 2,826.4 points; Canada's Jason McClintock won the slalom title with a score of 3-1/2 at 38 feet off; Austria's Immanuel Egger won the jumping title with a leap of 168 feet; and Canada's Aaron Rathy won wakeboarding with a score of 66.67 points.
In Junior Women's action, Canada's Whitney McClintock won the slalom, tricks and overall titles, scoring 1 at 38 off, 6,910 points and 2,960 points, respectively. It was her first career Junior Masters' overall title. France's Nancy Chardin won the jumping title with a leap of 139 feet. In Saturday's semifinals, she leaped 141 feet, breaking U.S. athlete Susie Lohr's course record of 139 feet set in 1997.
U.S. athletes Carolyn Hensley, Jonathan Travers, Robert Soven, Jimmy Lariche and Austin Hair also competed in the finals. Hensley finished third in Junior Women's tricks (4,370 points), Travers was third in Junior Men's slalom (4-1/2 at 35 off), and Soven (62.27 points), Lariche (56.10 points) and Hair (53.90 points) finished second, third and fourth, respectively, in Junior Men's wakeboarding.
