Five U.S. Teams Win Gold At Pan Ams

Five U.S water ski teams – Elite, Under 21, Under 17, Over 35 and Over 45 – competing in the 2014 Pan American Water Ski Championships earned overall team gold medals at the biennial event, April 14-19, at Club Los Lagartos in Bogota, Colombia. The U.S. Under 13 Water Ski Team earned the overall team silver medal. Athletes on the six U.S. teams combined to earn 63 individual medals, including 23 of a possible 48 gold medals. In addition, in composite team scoring (among all teams/divisions), the United States had the top score with 45,534 points. Canada was runner-up with 31,720 points, and Colombia was third with 25,068 points.

The U.S. Elite Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal, scoring 8,667.6 points. Chile earned the silver medal with 6,748.6 points and Canada earned the bronze medal with 6,176.6 points in the nine-team field. Members of the U.S. Elite Team were: Caroline Hensley (Hixson, Tenn.), Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.), Adam Pickos (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.) and Zack Worden (Deltona, Fla.).

Jaquess won gold medals in Women’s slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off), jumping (146 feet/44.4 meters) and overall (2,914.2 points), and earned the silver medal in tricks (7,990 points); Lang won the gold medal in Women’s tricks (8,740 points) and bronze medals in slalom (4 buoys at 35 feet off) and overall (2,187.7 points); Hensley earned silver medals in Women’s slalom (5 buoys at 38 feet off), jumping (141 feet/43.0 meters) and overall (2,574.0 points); Pickos won the gold medal in Men’s tricks (9,990 points); Smith won the gold medal in Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 41 feet off); and Worden earned the silver medal in Open Men jumping (201 feet/61.2 meters).

The U.S. Under 21 Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal, scoring 7,385.7 points. Canada earned the silver medal with 7,336.6 points and Mexico earned the bronze medal with 3,980.7 points in the eight-team field. Members of the U.S. 17 to 20 Team were: Steven Brooks (Canyon Lake, Calif.), Sam Greenwood (Little Rock, Ark.), Makayla Haw (Rio Linda, Calif.) and Ellie Horton (Moorpark, Calif.).

Haw won gold medals in Women’s slalom (4 buoys at 35 feet off) and jumping (132 feet/40.1 meters), and earned the silver medal in overall (2,544.5 points); Horton won the gold medal in Women’s tricks (6,460 points) and overall (2,591.5 points), and earned bronze medals in slalom (0 buoys at 28 feet off) and jumping (115 feet/35.2 meters); Greenwood earned the silver medal in overall (2,166.2 points) and bronze medals in tricks (4,000 points) and jumping (161 feet/49.2 meters); and Brooks earned the bronze medal in Men’s overall (2021.1 points).