To win a World Cup season Crystal Trophy is quite a challenge. It is one thing to achieve top place on the podium on flat calm water, just down the road from your home and in glorious sunshine with your usual food waiting for you at the end of the day. Winning a World Cup season title is a whole new ball game – long-haul flights, time zone changes, variable water conditions, climate extremes, huge audiences and exotic menus – are all part of the test !  World Cup star Jodi Fisher (GBR) really has defied the odds by taking no less than THREE World Cup Slalom titles in 2005, 2006 and 2008. His is a talent of the highest order. Jodi CELEBRATING a World Cup win in Dubna Russia Born in Mansfield in England – in the same Hospital as Glenn Campbell – and married to Nicola with two children,...

WORLD CUP STAR STARTS HER FAMILY It seems like yesterday when Natalie Hamrick USA took the Slalom Title at the thrilling World Cup Stop in Dubna Russia some time ago in front of 30,000 cheering spectators. She and Frederic Halt now split their exciting lives between Switzerland and the USA.  Well. the cheering was for a different reason  a few days ago ! Natalie Hamrick USA celebrates in Dubna Russia The great news is that baby Nash Hamrick Halt arrived safely on January 17th at 11.45hrs and weighed in at 3.58 kilos / 7lbs.9oz.  Measuring 20.3ins/51.5cm, he is obviously a Slalom Champion in the making ! Congratulations to Natalie and Frederic – and we hope to see Natalie back in our World Cup series in the very near future. Nash Hamrick Halt arrives safely Here is one of the first...

SOME COUNTRIES MAY MISS THE JANUARY 31st DEADLINE With the World Cup Calendar due very soon – and the World Games preparations in full flight, July is going to be a very busy month for our top athletes. The World Cup Stop in Dubna Russia is scheduled for July 10/12 and the World Games in Kaohsiung in Taiwan will be on July 22/26 – no date problem there ! World Games site at Kaohsiung However, some Countries have not yet submitted their teams to the World Games and THE DEADLINE IS JANUARY 31st. Some of those who have not yet been in contact with the World Games organisers include the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belarus and Greece. Lets hope they make the deadline as it will be very interesting to see how any selected World Cup Stars perform at what promises to be another...

SUPER STAR SARAH GREEN EXITS AT THE VERY TOP Knowing when to exit from the professional level of a sport is never easy. Truly great athletes have a happy knack of being smart both on and off the water. That is why, to some extent, the dramatic word which has just come from Sarah Gatty Saunt Green is both a shock and also not really a surprise. Yes, Sarah has made the big decision to bring her outstanding professional Waterski career to an end. Over the past weeks, Sarah has had many sleepless nights wondering if this was the correct time to call it a  day. In fact, her timing seems perfect. When she and husband Ryan brought young Fletcher into the world, a lot changed. “My love for the sport has not died one bit and I am currently still skiing every day. Its just that motivation to...

With the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup 2009 Calendar to be released soon, the new season for our World Cup Stars is just around the corner. This is an exciting time for our sport. For the top 20 Waterski and Wakeboard athletes who have emerged from the 30,000,000 active Skiers and Riders around the world, they see this off-season period of the past few months as a real opportunity to prepare for even better performances in the coming season. Waterski World Cup Stars Did you ever wonder how our World Cup super stars prepare for the huge challenge ahead, the enormous air miles on the horizon, the challenging weather and climate possibilities and the essential physical preparations ? Well, over the coming few weeks, we will give you some insight to this – AND WE THINK YOU WILL BE IMPRESSED...

From January 12th 2009, new procedures will be introduced for USA entry. If you plan to travel there, YOU NEED TO DO THE FOLLOWING : USA At this stage, 33 Countries have a US Visa Waiver agreement with the USA – including Ireland and the UK. This meant that simply presenting your Passport and Air Ticket at the gate got you through. NOT ANYMORE. From January 12th, citizens of the 33 Visa Waiver countries must register online at least 72 hours before departure. It is anticipated that only about 1% of the applicants will be turned down – criminals, dodgy Passports, etc.  Most will be approved instantly. TIP OF THE DAY : Do not wait till 72 hours before applying. You might forget and spoil a trip. The actual approval is valid for TWO years. You don’t have to have your flight...

We all know that the YouTube audience is enormous and growing. Some weird topics attract huge numbers of viewers. One Video clip uploaded in 2006 has so far attracted 8,490,350 fans. The subject was – World Record For Wearing The Most T-Shirts.  More serious items sometimes attract less than 100. All take some time to reach the higher numbers. We thought that you might like to see where some Waterski Video clips rank on the viewers scale. Over the past few weeks, we have uploaded clips from our current World Cup series and they are already building up some interesting numbers. We will monitor those over the coming months to see what happens. Freddy and Ageliki Here is a random list of events and the numbers who watched the YouTube Video clips : Freddy Krueger USA – 2005 World...

FRANCE GREECE GREAT BRITAIN AND USA PROVIDE SEASON OVERALL WINNERS DECLARED TODAY FOR WATERSKI AND WAKEBOARD WORLD CUP SERIES 2008 world cup logo It has been another challenging and exciting 2008 season for the Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup Skiers and Riders. Having celebrated the 26th successful World Cup Stop and final of the 2008 series in Doha, Qatar, last weekend,  the International Water Ski Federation (IWSF) released the overall season points scores today.  MasterCraft have been the official competition boat suppliers at all 26 Stops to date. Rising to the top in this World Cup series was the ultimate competitors test. On a journey which included Dubna in Russia, Hacienda Bay in Egypt, Marina Bay in Singapore, Putrajaya Lake in Malaysia and Doha in Qatar, this tested the skills...

Just one week ago, we heard of the accident of Patrice Martin (FRA) who has played a major role in the development of our World Cup Rookie Programme in Doha, Qatar over the years. The good news is that Patrice is responding well to treatment and still hopes to be with us at our World Cup Stop in Doha Qatar on November 13/15. Patrice Martin with Aspire Rookies in Doha Patrice has also updated us on exactly what happened. During the Senior Tour Slalom Practice round in Recetto, Italy, he fell on Ball 2. His left forearm went through the handle. When the boat tightened the rope, he heard a pop. A trip to the Hospital confirmed that nothing was broken but he had severe bruising. Foillowing Medical advice, he felt well enough, although in pain, to compete the following day. He started on the 14.25m...

Patrice Martin (FRA) Patrice Martin (FRA), one of the greatest three event Waterskiers of all time and a great supporter of our World Cup Rookie Coaching Programme, has just had a  serious accident. Actually he has had TWO freak Waterski accidents within just 24hrs. First Patrice hurt his left arm when his hand went through the handle – yet another such accident which must now be of some concern to our Skiers. On this occasion for Patrice, he was lucky, this was a minor injury which later  required medical attention and a plaster cast. It appears that Patrice then decided to proceed and took another bad fall the next day.  This time the rope went completely around his right arm and actually snapped his bone. Just imagine the force involved !  He is reported to have suffered what is called...