U.S. Water Ski Athletes Win Medals As Finals Begin At XVII Pan American Games
Regina Jaquess and Daniel Powers earn silver medals in respective events
TORONTO, July 22, 2015 – U.S. Pan American Water Ski Team members Regina Jaquess (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) and Daniel Powers (Orlando, Fla.) each won silver medals in respective events on Wednesday at the XVII Pan American Games at Ontario Place West Channel.
Jaquess earned the silver medal in women’s overall, tallying 2,670.3 points. Canada’s Whitney McClintock won the gold medal (2,796.3 points) and Mexico’s Carolina Chapoy earned the bronze medal (2,226.0 points). U.S. Team member Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.) placed fourth with 2,032.4 points in the event that included slalom, tricks and jumping.
Jaquess, the defending Pan American Games overall gold medalist, had the top scores in slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 38 feet off) and jumping (154 feet), but faltered in tricks, tallying the fourth-highest score in the division with 5,610 points. She needed a winning margin of at least 20 feet over McClintock in jumping (the last event of the three) to secure the overall gold medal. “I needed to stand up my tricks and I didn’t do it,” said Jaquess, who has now won 11 career medals at the Pan American Games, an all-time high among U.S. water ski athletes. “It wasn’t my day, but anytime you can bring home a medal – particularly a silver medal at the Pan American Games – it is a good day.”
Powers earned the silver medal in wakeboarding, scoring 80.44 points. Canada’s Rusty Malinoski won the gold medal (89.11 points) and Venezuela’s Juan Mendez earned the bronze medal (72.22 points). “You want to win the gold medal, but it is very special to be on the podium at an event like the Pan American Games,” said Powers, competing in his first Pan American Games. “I got off to a good start with the toeside 900, but then I made a few mistakes. It all worked out pretty well, though.”
The water skiing competition concludes Thursday with finals in men’s and women’s slalom, tricks and jumping. Jaquess will compete in women’s slalom, tricks and jumping; Lang will compete in women’s slalom and tricks; Adam Pickos (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) will compete in men’s tricks; and Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.) will compete in men’s slalom.
Lori Krueger-Covington (Martindale, Texas) and Jim Powers (Orlando, Fla.) are the coaches for water skiing and wakeboarding, respectively. Jim Grew (Winter Haven, Fla.) is the team leader and Dr. Brad Harman (Alvarado, Texas) is the team physician.
More than 7,000 athletes from across the Americas and Caribbean are putting their years of intense training, perseverance and sacrifice to the test in world-class competition in 36 sports at the Pan American Games. The Pan American Games isthe world’s third largest international multi-sport Games; the Olympic Summer Games and the Asian Games only surpass it in size and scope. The first Pan American Games was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951. It is held every four years for the athletes of the 41 PASO member nations, in the year preceding the Olympic Summer Games.
Water Ski Schedule (Subject to Change)
Thursday, July 23
10 a.m. Women’s Slalom Finals (Top Six From Preliminaries)
For more info head to www.USAWATERSKI.org
