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November Board Meeting
Be sure to mark your calendars and join us for our next board meeting of the 2026 Ski Season. This meeting will be held virtually, via Zoom, and all MWSA Members are invited to attend and participate.
Topic: MWSA
Time: Nov 18, 2025 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84166848025?pwd=kNG4kGz5caFEwJFjgZqXI4UAQ3ey9Z.1
2025 U21 World Waterski Championships took place at Predator Bay, Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 28-Aug 3. Ty Kosek tied for 16th in slalom with 3@38 off. He placed 24th in Tricks with 3620 points, 4th in jump with 188 feet and 11th in overall. Ty was part of Team USA who took the Gold in the team competition with only 163 points separating them from 2nd place Team Canada.
2025 IWWF World Water Ski Championships took place in Recetto Italy on August 24-31. Brandon Schipper qualified for the jump finals with a personal best of 220 feet. In the finals he jumped 225 feet on the second jump and ended his inaugural World Championships Competition with hugs to his parents. Brandon placed 6th, only 6 feet behind the World Champion Joel Poland.
More information can be found by clicking here.
Congratulations to Minnesota native, Kennedy Hansen on her 2nd Overall Finish at Worlds! Kennedy skied in all three events in women's finals. She and her family skied at a lake in their home town of Kilkenny, MN and at TLE I in Pine Island, MN before moving to Milton, Florida. Her 2nd Overall Finish helped Team USA bring home the World Title!
Ty Kosek tied for 16th in slalom with 3@38 off. He placed 24th in Tricks with 3620 points, 4th in jump with 188 feet and 11th in overall.
Kennedy Hansen placed 2nd Overall at Worlds for Team USA
2025 AWSA National Junior Water Ski Team
Congratulations to Giovanni Bloyer, Bode Bulfer and George Bulfer for being selected to the 2025 AWSA National Junior Water Ski Team. Selection is based on 2024 performances.
Scholarship Alert
Scholarship Alert! John R. Van Gieson Memorial Scholarship
$2500
This scholarship was established in 2022 in memory of John R. Van Gieson. John was an avid water skier and was happiest when he was out on the water. John's wife has established this scholarship to help water ski athletes to pursue a college education.
This annual scholarship will be given to a qualifying individual (male or female) from the Midwest Region who attends a two or four-year accredited college or university and water skis in AWSA and/or NCWSA tournaments.
APPLY HERE:
https://www.usa-wwf.org/ourscholarships
Congratulations to Paul Chapin for taking the Bronze medal in 70+ Men's Slalom at the 35+ World Water Ski Championships in Spain.
The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame Selection Committee has announced the five recipients of the Foundation’s 2026 Award of Distinction. Honored among them is Paul Chapin!
Chapin’s contributions to the sport and his water skiing accomplishments exceed 50 years. Since 1963 he has competed in more than 50 Nationals in all age divisions, plus Open, with numerous top-five placements since 1970 in all three events. In addition, since 2003 Chapin has served the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation as a trustee and past president, giving back to the sport he loves!
Congratulations to Steve Nelson for taking the Gold Medal in 75+ Tricks at the 35+ World Water Ski Championships in Spain.
Congratulations to Craig Timm for setting a pending (and rad) World Record in Jump at The USA Adaptive Water Ski & Wake Sports Inc. National Championships of 112 feet.
2025 Senior PanAm Championships took place at Pickos Ski School in Santa Rosa Beach, FL on October 1-5, 2025.
Stephen Nelson takes the silver in Men’s Over 75 Trick Steve was also on the Over 75 team who took the Gold.
Darren Janzig takes the silver in Men's Over 55 Tricks.
Bridget Albertson takes the Bronze in Women Over 35 Slalom, Tricks and Overall. Bridget was also on the Over 35 team that took the Gold.
Looking Back - 1974 Saucier Cup
By Paul Chapin
Fifty years ago this month, July 1974, 40,000 water ski fans lined the shores of Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis to watch the best skiers in the world compete for $25,000 in prize money in the Saucier International Cup, water skiing’s richest cash prize tournament.
The top male and female skiers in the world were invited including the 1973 Mens World Overall and slalom champion George Athans, 1973 Women’s World Overall champion the late Lisa St John , and many other world champions, record holders, and national champions. In the end Wayne Grimditch took home $9400 winning the Mens overall with firsts in slalom and jump and a third in tricks. The late Liz Allan Reid won $4100 and the Women’s Overall title with a victory in slalom, a second in jumping and a third in tricks.
It was a very exciting event to watch and I along with some skiers Cindy Rott, Nancy Hagen, Renee Saucier, Brad Wahl and Steve “Sox” Farkas were invited to ski before each event as forerunners. I can assure you that it’s quite a feeling to ski with the shore lined with so many thousands of people watching, just like a huge ski show!
Lake of the Isles was the site of the 1960 and 1965 National Championships and the very popular Aquatennial tournament held every summer from 1955 to 1974. Local skier Dave Saucier and his wife Billi manufactured the popular skis and unfortunately the company declared bankruptcy in the following year ending a very successful run.
Be sure to visit the Facebook post to see the program book!
Roger Wahl's 90th Borthday
Thank you to Evelyn Duvall for sharing these photos!
Access the survey by clicking on the link below
The American Water Ski Association wants your feedback on competition water skiing.
AWSA has formed the Competition Task Force. The job of this committee will be to study the competitive side of the sport and to come up with new and fresh ideas. This committee needs your feedback as it re-evaluates the rankings list, our division structure, how skiers qualify for regionals and nationals and ways to bring more fun and competition to tournaments.
Your feedback is very important. Please click on the link below to complete the survey. At the end of the survey leave your email and name to be entered in a drawing to win a FREE GOODE Ventura ski.
Share Photos of your Skiing With Us Today!
Send your photos to steve@webergolf.net!
We look forward to seeing you all soon at a tournament!
Helpful Links
To provide our skiers with quick links to popular websites, we recommend the following pages. Please be sure to visit them for up to date information on our sport!
Join Our Email List!
If you have not already done this, please click on the link on the top left of this website (Become a Member). If you already have a SportsEngine account through another sport, you can use that same user name and password for this site too! Just link your profiles once you are logged in. Once you are a member of this website, you will receive all communications through the emails associated with your SportsEngine log in. To add additional emails, go to your account settings once you are logged in (top left of page). Thanks!
Regional and National Officials
Congratulations to our officials that will represent MN at Regionals and Nationals!
Regional Chief Driver - Darren Janzig
Regional Assignment Coordinator - Kate Knafla
Regional Appointed Drivers - Chris Kosek, George Lindy
National Appointed Scorer - Kate Knafla
National Appointed Drivers - Darren Janzig, George Lindy
Sponsors
MWSA recognizes sponsors who have helped MWSA support the growth and development of water skiing in Minnesota. Please be sure to visit and patronize these businesses!
