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RistoU.S. Team Wins Big at the 2012 World 35+ Water Ski Championships
BY USA Water Ski/Scott Atkinson
The U.S. 35+ Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal and 26 U.S. water ski athletes combined to earn 45 individual medals in respective events at the 2012 World 35+ Water Ski Championships, Oct. 24-28, in Chapala, Mexico. The United States tallied 10,905.52 points in winning the gold medal at the biennial event. Canada earned the silver medal with 9,411.19 points and Great Britain earned the bronze medal with 9,163.03 points.
Athletes and teams from 20 countries competed in the five-day event as the world team title andworld individual titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall were at stake. Members of the U.S. World 35+ World Water Ski Team were: Brenda Baldwin (Windermere, Fla.), Women 35-44; Janie Fausold (Pleasant Grove, Calif.), Women 55+; Leza Harrison (Chuluota, Fla.), Women 55+; Tony Knight (Wentzville, Mo.), Men 45-54; Mary Koenig (Waterford, Mich.), Women 45-54; Lori Krueger (Gonzales, La.), Women 35-44; Stephen Miller (Marysville, Wash.), Men 55+; and Marc Shaw (Orlando, Fla.), Men 35-44. Shaw served as the team captain and Ron Koenig (Waterford, Mich.) was the group manager.
Baldwin won the gold medal in Over 35 Women jumping (131 feet/39.8 meters) and earned the silver medal in Over 35 Women overall (2,126.94 points; Harrison won gold medals in Over 55 Women slalom (2 buoys at 35 feet off), jumping (92 feet/28.1 meters) and overall (2,965.55 points), and earned the bronze medal in Over 55 Women tricks (1,580 points); Koenig earned the silver medal in Over 45 Women overall (2,396.32 points) and the bronze medal in Over 45 Women slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 32 feet off); Krueger won the gold medal in Over 35 Women slalom (3 buoys at 35 feet off) and Over 35 Women overall (2,318.67 points), and earned silver medals in Over 35 Women tricks (3,330 points) and jumping (122 feet/37.2 meters); Fausold earned silver medals in Over 55 Women slalom (2 buoys at 35 feet off), jumping (75 feet/23.0 meters), tricks (2,320 points) and overall (2,700.91 points); Knight won the gold medal in Over 45 Men overall (2,629.69 points) and earned the silver medal in Over 45 Men tricks (5,100 points); Miller earned silver medals in Over 55 Men jumping (131 feet/40.0 meters) and overall (2,690.10 points); and Shaw earned the silver medal in Over 35 Men jumping (189 feet/57.6 meters) and bronze medals in Over 35 Men slalom (4 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off) and overall (2,272.75 points).
U.S. athletes competing as independents were: Beverly Abbott (Santa Fe, Texas), Greg Badal (Brentwood, Calif.), Marc Bedsole (Orlando, Fla.), Connie Bergmark (San Diego, Calif.), Carol Brooks (Canyon Lake, Calif.), Kim Contos (Pendleton, Ind.), Scot Ellis (Auburndale, Fla.), Forest Fisher (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.), Mitch Grau (Carrolton, Texas), Dee Johnson (San Diego, Calif.), Sandy Knight (Wentzville, Mo.), Julie Krueger (Santa Fe, Texas), Todd Kuykendall (Enid, Okla.), Jennifer LaPoint (Montverde, Fla.), Kris LaPoint (Montverde, Fla.), Eric Lee (Mecca, Calif.), Tina Lindsey (Martindale, Texas), Michael McCormick (Seffner, Fla.), Kay Nichols (Austin, Texas), Diana Olson (Canyon Lake, Calif.), Alison Poulson (Ketchum, Idaho), Steve Raphael (Colleyville, Texas), Paul Risch (Houston, Texas), Chad Scott (Covington, La.), Jeff Smith (Fenton, Mich.), Jill Smith (New Carlisle, Ind.), Stephanie Stange (Sherman, Texas), Shannon Strickland (Seattle, Wash.), Jeff Surdej (Wilmington, Ill.), Stan Switzer (Mulberry, Fla.), Libby Van Treese (Sidney, Ohio) and Ham Wallace (Nashville, Tenn.).
Bedsole won the gold medal in Over 45 Men tricks (5,800 points); Ellis won the gold medal in Over 35 Men jumping (199 feet/60.8 meters); Jennifer LaPoint won the gold medal in Over 45 Women slalom (3 buoys at 35 feet off; Lindsey won the gold medal in Over 45 Women tricks (2,700 points) and earned the bronze medal in Over 45 Women overall (2,015.23 points); Nichols won the gold medal in Over 55 Women tricks (2,630 points); Jill Smith won the gold medal in Over 35 Women tricks (3,640 points); Bergmark won the gold medal in Over 45 Women overall (2,405.05 points) and earned silver medals in Over 45 Women jumping (96 feet/29.4 meters) and tricks (2,260 points); Badal earned the bronze medal in Over 45 Men slalom (5-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off); Contos earned the silver medal in Over 55 Men slalom (1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off); Fisher earned the bronze medal in Over 35 Men tricks (6,390 points); Grau earned the bronze medal in Over 45 Men jumping (159 feet/48.5 meters); Kuykendall earned the silver medal in Over 45 Men slalom (2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Lee earned the bronze medal in Over 55 Men tricks (2,080 points); McCormick earned silver medals in Over 35 Men tricks (6,980 points) and overall (2,365.35 points); Olson earned the bronze medal in Over 45 Women jumping (95 feet/29.1 meters); Jeff Smith earned the bronze medal in Over 55 Men slalom (1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off); Strickland earned the silver medal in Over 45 Women slalom (3 buoys at 35 feet off); and Van Treese earned the bronze medal in Over 45 Women tricks (2,060 points).
For complete results, visit iwwfed-ea.org.
USA Water Ski was formed in 1939 as a non-profit organization promoting water skiing in the United States. USA Water Ski is affiliated with the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (world governing body) and is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and Pan-American Sports Organization as the national governing body of organized water skiing in the United States. usawaterski.org
