U.S. Team Wins Gold Medal At 35+ Water Ski Worlds

The U.S. 35+ Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal and 43 U.S. water ski athletes combined to earn 63 individual medals in respective events at the 3rd 35+ Water Ski World Championships, Oct. 8-12, at Sunset Lakes in Groveland, Fla. The United States tallied 12,699.58 points in winning the gold medal at the biennial event. Great Britain earned the silver medal with 10,224.46 points and Canada earned the bronze medal with 9.868.96 points.

Athletes and teams from 29 countries competed in the five-day event as the world team title and world 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.), Over 35 Women; Marc Shaw (Orlando, Fla.), Over 35 Men; Jeff Surdej (Wilmington, Ill.), Over 35 Men; Lori Krueger (Martindale, Texas); Over 45 Women; Hutch Haines (Avon, Conn.), Over 45 Men; Joy Kelley (Loudon, Tenn.), Over 55 Women; Janie Fausold (Pleasant Grove, Calif.), Over 55 Women; and Curtis Rabe (Orlando, Fla.), Over 55 Men.

Kelley won gold medals in Over 55 Women slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off), jumping (111 feet) and overall (3,436.58 points); Krueger won gold medals in Over 45 Women slalom (2-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off), jumping (134 feet) and overall (3,559.20 points), and the silver medal in tricks (3,460 points); Baldwin earned silver medals in Over 35 Women slalom (2 buoys at 38 feet off) and jumping (133 feet), and the bronze medal in overall (2,886.85 points); Shaw earned the silver medal in Over 35 Men jumping (202 feet); and Fausold earned bronze medals in Over 55 Women jumping (80 feet) and overall (2,628.95 points).

More than 100 U.S. athletes competed as independents.

In Over 35 Men, Jay Leach (Meridian, Miss.) earned the bronze medal in slalom (3 buoys at 41 feet off).

In Over 35 Women, April Coble-Eller (Lillington, N.C.) won the gold medal in slalom (1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off); Jill Smith (New Carlisle, Ind.) earned the silver medal in tricks (3,290 points); and Brandy Nagle (Elk Grove, Calif.) earned the bronze medal in tricks (3,250 points).

In Over 45 Men, Russell Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.) won the gold medal in tricks (10,570 points); Marc Bedsole (Orlando, Fla.) earned the silver medal in tricks (5,780 points); Jeff Rodgers (Ninety Six, S.C.) earned the silver medal in slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off); Greg Badal (Brentwood, Calif.) earned the bronze medal in slalom (3 buoys at 41 feet off); Forest Fisher (Stevenson Ranch, Calif.) earned the bronze medal in tricks (5,260 points); and Danny Zeisler (Oxford, Conn.) earned the bronze medal in jumping (176 feet).

In Over 45 Women, Lydie Robsham (West Palm Beach, Fla.) won the gold medal in tricks (4,620 points); Jennifer LaPoint (Orlando, Fla.) earned the silver medal in slalom (2-1/4 buoys at 38 feet off); Connie Bergmark (San Diego, Calif.) earned the silver medal in jumping (101 feet) and the bronze medal in overall (2,487.95 points); Mary Koenig (Waterford, Mich.) earned the silver medal in overall (2,660.14 points) and the bronze medal in jumping (97 feet); Patricia Cordeiro (Lake Worth, Fla.) earned the bronze medal in slalom; and Sandy Knight (Lake St. Louis, Mo.) earned the bronze medal in tricks (3,100 points).

In Over 55 Men, Don Parsons (Nampa, Idaho) won the gold medal in tricks (4,890 points); Chet Raley (Boynton Beach, Fla.) won the gold medal in slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Frankie Dees (Mulberry, Fla.) earned silver medals in jumping (155 feet) and overall (2,791.78 points); Stephen Miller (Marysville, Wash.) earned the bronze medal in overall (2,658.96 points); and Lonnie Harris (Canton, Miss.) earned the bronze medal in slalom (2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off.

In Over 55 Women, Cyndi Benzel (Groveland, Fla.) earned silver medals in slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 35 feet off) and tricks (2,810 points); Leza Harrison (Chuluota, Fla.) earned silver medals in jumping (93 feet) and overall (2,828.57 points); Kandise Bertelson (Palmer, Texas) earned the bronze medal in slalom (3 buoys at 35 feet off); and Merry Finch (Marysville, Calif.) earned the bronze medal in tricks (2,740 points).

In Over 65 Men, Richard Lambert (Burton, Ohio) won the gold medal in slalom (2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Stan Switzer (Mulberry, Fla.) won the gold medal in tricks (2,220 points); Bruce Kunde (Sterling, Ill.) earned the silver medal in jumping (92 feet); Jeff Wiswall (Montgomery, Ala.) earned the silver medal in slalom (2 buoys at 38 feet off); Dennis Longo (Coral Gables, Fla.) earned the silver medal in overall (2,283.99 points) and bronze medals in slalom (1-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off) and jumping (75 feet); Gordon Gay (Fredericksburg, Va.) earned the silver medal in tricks (1,900 points); and Stephen Nelson (St. Paul, Minn.) earned the bronze medal in tricks (1,840 points).

In Over 65 Women, Prissy Edwards (Alexandria, Ind.) won the gold medal in jumping (55 feet) and overall (2,509.92 points); Ruth Johnston (Mulberry, Fla.) won the gold medal in slalom (2 buoys at 32 feet off); Brenda Cavenaugh (West Point, Miss.) won the gold medal in tricks (1,200 points) and earned bronze medals in jumping (39 feet) and overall (1,114.58 points); Janice Prociw (Carter Lake, Iowa) earned silver medals in jumping (50 feet) and overall (2,312.09 points), and the bronze medal in tricks (960 points); Donna Switzer (Mulberry, Fla.) earned the silver medal in tricks (1,120 points); and Shirley Coble (Lillington, N.C.) earned the bronze medal in slalom (3 buoys at 28 feet off).

Entire Article: http://www.usawaterski.org/default.asp?Display=2002

Complete results: http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/competition.php?cc=T-14IWWF35&page=overall_team_classification