Thomas Degasperi: BallOfSpray 2014 Male Skier of the Year

Thomas Degasperi brought water skiing back into the eyes of the masses in 2014 and is arguably the most recognizable professional waterskier in the world today.

His international 5-Hour Energy commercial can be seen on major networks from ESPN to FOX. This commercial, which has run for 3 months and aired thousands of times, has resulted in the most TV exposure professional waterskiing has received in over a decade. All of this started with a simple email from Thomas to the team manager at 5-Hour Energy.

When not working to promote the sport, Thomas was at the top of his game on the water. In 2014, Thomas won the US Masters and the Moomba Masters.  In addition, he took 3rd place at both the Malibu Open and at Jack's Splash for Cash.  Thomas is currently ranked 5th on theBallOfSpray Pro Skier Ranking List, 2nd on the IWWF Elite List, 10th on the IWWF World Ranking List, and 5th on the Europe & Africa Ranking List.

This year, Thomas' accomplishments in promoting the sport have made huge strides in building awareness of professional waterskiing. His actions serve as proof that sometimes even the smallest action can yield a great result for the entire sport. For these reasons, we have chosen Thomas Degasperi as the BallOfSpray 2014 Male Skier of the Year.