Fourteen Athletes Win Titles On Day 5 Of 79th GOODE Water Ski National Championships

World’s largest 3-event tournament continues Friday at 7:00 a.m.

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The 79th annual GOODE Water Ski National Championships continued Thursday at Waters Edge in Wilmington, Ill., with 14 athletes winning national titles in respective divisions and events. Nearly 700 water ski athletes from across the United States are competing for national titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall in respective age divisions and two Open divisions during the seven-day tournament that culminates Saturday. A live webcast is available at www.waterskinationals.com.

 

Advancement to the world’s largest three-event

water ski tournament is primarily earned through placement on the national rankings list. Athletes also can qualify by placing in the top-five in the previous year’s event or at respective 2021 regional championships.

 

The American Water Ski Association, a sport discipline organization of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, and Waters Edge Ski Club are hosting the tournament.

 

Among the highlights on Thursday, Julie Mishler (Milford, Ind.) won Girls 3 Slalom following a runoff with Zoe Carpenter (Bloomingdale, N.Y.). After both skiers tied with 4 buoys at 35 feet off, Mishler won the subsequent runoff, scoring 3 buoys at 35 feet off to Carpenter’s 1 buoy at 35 feet off. Mishler also won the Girls 3 national overall title. Seth Stisher (Johns Island, S.C.) won his first career national title, taking Men 4 Slalom with a score of 2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off. Randy Sterba (San Diego, Calif.) won his first career national title, taking Men 5 jumping (137 feet). Overall titles were won by: Julie Mishler (Milford, Ind.), Girls 3; Ty Kosek (Buffalo, Minn.), Boys 4; Alyssa Drake (Oconomowoc, Wis.), Girls 5; and Blaze Grubbs (Rio Linda, Calif.), Boys 5.

 

Thursday’s (Day 5) National Champions

 

Girls 3 Slalom and Overall: Julie Mishler (Milford, Ind.), 4 buoys at 35 feet off/3,285.10 points; Men 4 Slalom: Seth Stisher (Johns Island, S.C.), 2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off; Open Women Slalom: Brooke Baldwin (Winter Garden, Fla.), 2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off; Open Men Slalom: Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.), 4-1/2 buoys at 41 feet off; Men 5 Tricks: Marc Bedsole (Orlando, Fla.), 4,100 points; Open Women Tricks: Anna Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.), 10,310 points; Open Men Tricks: Adam Pickos (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), 8,760 points; Boys 4 Tricks: Erick Macias (Winter Garden, Fla.), 8,180 points; Boys 4 Overall: Ty Kosek (Buffalo, Minn.), 3,178.8 points; Girls 5 Tricks: Allyson Grathwohl (Martindale, Texas), 6,250 points; Girls 5 Overall: Alyssa Drake (Oconomowoc, Wis.), 3,330.70 points; Boys 5 Jumping and Overall: Blaze Grubbs (Rio Linda, Calif.), 170 feet/3704.0 points; Men 5 Jumping: Randy Sterba (San Diego, Calif.), 137 feet; and Men 4 Jumping: Kirby Whetsel (Manchester, Tenn.), 119 feet.

 

Competition continues Friday at 7:00 a.m. A live webcast, daily scorebooks, schedules, recaps and additional information on the Nationals can be found at www.waterskinationals.com.

 

Also, the finals of the 24th Morilee U.S. Open of Water Skiing, presented by OJ Props, will be held Friday at Waters Edge. Held in conjunction with the 79th GOODE Water Ski National Championships, the U.S. Open boasts the second-largest cash prize purse of the 2021 season and is one of only two pro events to feature all three water ski disciplines for both genders, including the only overall cash-prize event of the season. It marks the first time since 2016 that the U.S. Open is being held and the first time since 2003 (Santa Fe, Texas) that it is being held in conjunction with the GOODE Nationals. For results, visit http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/classic/21USA146/. For more information, including a link to the live webcast, visit https://usopenofwaterskiing.com/.

 

The first national championships was held in 1939 at Jones Beach in Long Island, N.Y. Except for three years during World War II (1942-1944), the Nationals has been held every year since 1939.

 

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is affiliated with the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (world governing body) and is recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Pan-American Sports Organization as the national governing body of organized water skiing and wakeboarding in the United States.