2014 Canadian Waterski Championship come to Spray Lake

August 6, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons

Top athletes will hit the calm waters at King’s Spray Lake, as a prelude to next year’s Pam Am Games.
The 2014 Canadian Waterski Championships are coming to the Spray Lake Watersport and Activity Aug. 13-17.
Headlining the world-class Canadian content are some of world’s best water-skiers, including four-time world champion Whitney McClintock of Cambridge; her brother and multiple Canadian record-holder Jason; world bronze medal winner Ryan Dodd of Alberta; Manitoba’s Kole Magnowski, and Surrey BC’s Breanne Dodd.
The Canadian Championships, the last national-level competition before next year’s Pan American Games, is a classic three-event tournament composing of slalom, trick and jump with the option of a second round of the skiers choice.
In slalom skiing, athletes navigate through a six-buoy course while the boat travels at a constant speed of 36 mph with an initial 43-foot line. After completion of each pass, the rope is shortened by a pre-determined length to increase difficulty. The athlete who rounds the most buoys at the shortest line length, wins.
Trick skiing is a judged event while in the long-distance jumping event, skiers race toward a 6-foot high ramp reaching speeds of 70 mph and fly distances over 200 feet. The athletes get three approaches at the ramp with the furthest jump distance winning.
Up for grabs at the 65th edition of this Canadian Waterski Championships are positions on the Canadian team at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.
Also in attendance will be Stephen Neveu, who was named Alberta’s Junior Male Athlete of the Year in 2013 and won a Junior World Championship.
Marcus Athans, 13, is a third generation elite athlete. His father Gary was a member of Canada’s Waterski and Alpine Skiing national teams, his uncle George is a World Hall of Fame Water skier and former national champion and his grandfather represented Canada at the Olympic in diving.
“As a test event for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, the nationals are a great opportunity for people to get a sneak peek at our Canadian national team and future talent,” McClintock said. “The Games are huge for our sport, and I’m focused on being prepared to make Canada proud on home soil next summer!”
“These top competitions are the perfect opportunity for sports fans and community members interested in the Games to get to know the sports and the athletes hoping to represent their country at our Games next summer,” said Saäd Rafi, chief executive officer of the Toronto 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015).
Spray Lake Watersports and Activity Centre is situated on a one-of-a-kind, private freshwater lake, on Keele Street in King Township. It was created with the vision of providing customers a unique watersport experience. Core services include waterskiing and wakeboarding behind top-of-the-line Nautique boats and riding on industry leading straight-line cable park (“The Ranch”). They cater to all ages and abilities. Whether you are trying to run your personal best pass at 38 off, land some big air on your wakeboard, or just want to get up for the first time, staff at Spray Lake are confident we can make it happen. Their team of professional coaches have decades of combined experience and is committed to providing the best training in a safe environment.
For more, visit www.spraylake.ca.