Overall Battle Right to the End

As the sun set on the pristine beaches of Lacanau last Sunday, the lakes of (Lacanau Ski Club) finally settled from the excitement of the Lacanau Overall Cup and the Malibu Open. Both of these professional events brought about incredible skiing and hard-fought victories, with the Malibu Open representing some of, if not the highest scores ever seen in a professional slalom event. (full slalom story link below)

After the culmination of the slalom event and the Saturday night festivities organized by the event organizers for the slalom skiers on the beaches of Lacanau, the stage was set for the Overall finals on Sunday. The event displayed top-notch skiing, major plot twists, upsets, a full range of emotions, and two very deserving winners, or as we like to call it, a typical Overall event. After the preliminary round of jump was completed, Canadians Paige Rini and Dorien Llewellyn emerged as the top-seeded skiers into the final, yet with no protected scores, any of the finalists were still able to win the event.

In the women’s slalom portion of the Overall final, Paige and Brooke Baldwin continued their dominance of the weekend by both running into the 10.75m line length. Brooke, going on the water first of the two, elected to run the 11m pass in a strong tailwind to give herself the best chance of running the 10.75m pass. Unfortunately, her gamble didn’t quite go as planned, as Brooke fell at 2 ball at 10.75m, putting her arm through the handle in the process. Paige, having watched Brooke, strategically started her set at the 14m line length in order to run the 11m in a headwind, which she did, finishing with a solid score of 1@10.75 to set herself up for tricks, knowing she was the strongest in the field in that event. After inspecting her arm, Brooke and the medical staff felt it was unsafe for her to continue skiing and thus, the Overall race became a battle between Paige and France’s own Ines Anguenot.

On the men’s side of slalom, the final placements were not exactly surprising, yet the scores were lower than anticipated. Both Dorien Llewellyn and Joel Poland, who had been on fire in the slalom event, grabbing scores at 10.25m every round, failed to ski through 10.75m in what proved to be a very strong headwind, finishing with scores of 2.5 and 4 buoys respectively. These scores proved to decrease their previous gaps on Frenchman Louie Duplan-Fribourg and Tanguy Dailland, who both finished with 2@10.75m scores, as well as Martin Kolman not far behind with 4@11m. Thus, the men’s event was already proving the potential to come down to the wire.

In the trick event, both Paige and Ines had unexpected falls in tricks, yet Paige proved her worth in the event, still finishing with the higher score of the two and taking a strong lead heading into jump. While Ines is quite the capable jumper herself and on par with Paige in the event, she would have felt the need to try to make up Overall ground in tricks, possibly leading to her early fall on her hand pass. As for the men, the Trick event proved itself as the biggest wildcard event in Overall. After an early fall from Tanguy Dailland, essentially eliminating him from the Overall race, Martin Kolman showed the value of experience by not allowing his slalom deficit to influence his tricking, instead calming standing up two solid passes and finishing with a score of 10690. With Louie next up, the fireworks began to fly. Louie mastered his way through his flips and spins, finishing once again with a Tour Record 11900 points, which when paired with his solid slalom, began to put a real threat in the minds of both Joel and Dorien. Joel fended off any outward pressures and put his flashy skills on display for the excited French crowd, landing himself in second with a 11680 point total and setting up a brilliant final battle in the Jump event. Last off the dock, Dorien, who is often known for his fluidity in the trick event under pressure, was clearly putting himself under pressure as the Defending Tour Champion.  Dorien rushed his flips on his second pass, having a very uncharacteristic fall on his fourth flip, only rotating to his back before smashing into the water and making his chances at the Cup title extremely slim. 

WWS has been working closely with EyeTrick for the last few years and knew that if the scores could be posted in real-time trick would undergo a revolutionary transformation. It worked so well that it even caught the announcers off guard, who were not expecting to see scores as quickly as during the first replay of the trick pass. Jaret said “this was a dream come true, we did not realize how the data would come across our screen but for the sport, it is a game changer. To be able to walk fans through a pass and educate them on why the score came out the way it did is inspiring for the future of the trick event. Skiers will have to mentally deal with hearing their scores come out so fast, which will make the event so exciting.” 

While the Jump event offers a great chance for consistent skiers to get good scores with 3 jumps, nothing is ever truly over until the last jump is taken. This proved true once again at the Lacanau Cup. With Tanguy Dailland and Martin Kolman putting up good jump distances, the final three skiers presented multiple battles still raging. Primarily, there was the battle for the Lacanau Cup Title between Louie and Joel, with Joel holding a 0.3m lead over Louie, and between Dorien and Martin for 3rd place on the podium, with Kolman having about an 8m lead over Dorien. Louie took to the water first, smoothly flying through the air on all three jumps, improving each jump to finish with a 62m score. Thus, Joel needed a distance of 61.7m to win the Overall event. While most considered Joel to be well on his way to winning the Cup before even setting foot on the water, he failed on his first two jumps to find his footing, landing short of the 61.7m distance each time. Then, with one final jump, Joel rounded the 600ft timing buoy, turning very late for the jump ramp and bringing with him tons of load into the jump. Despite his best effort, even this wouldn’t prove to be the winning jump, leaving Louie on shore with both hands on the Lacanau Cup, yet still not entirely sure whether to lift it just yet. While Dorien’s requirement seemed highly unlikely, he still had a small chance to win the event with a jump in the 70m range. Still, this challenge proved too much with the conditions on hand, and after Dorien’s 63.7m first jump, he clapped his hands together for Louie, knowing that the Frenchman had won the battle on home soil. 

  

As we move on to the 2nd stop of the WWS Overall Tour, the skiers look back on their time in Lacanau and reminisce on a truly unforgettable experience. The site, the people, the city, the beach, all in all, the memories will last a lifetime and we are already looking forward to next year. If you have not been to Lacanau this city and ski club need to be on your bucket list, they are truly one of the best on the planet. Lacanau is not just an incredible ski site, but with private villas available for rent, a pool, and an incredible restaurant right at the dock with the friendliest staff you can imagine, it is truly a special place. If you want to get a moment outside of the resort the ocean is 10 minutes away with endless restaurant options right on the beach where you can watch some of the best sunsets imaginable. But as the sun sets on Lacanau, we are off to Calgary, Canada, for the second stop of the WWS Overall Tour. On July 29-31 the battle continues to see who will take out the Overall Tour Title. 

 

A Special thank you for all the long hours it takes to put on an event of this level. Hats off to Geraldine, Christophe, the Jamin family, the staff, judges, volunteers, and especially to the sponsors, which are special friends of the water ski community that wants to give back. So please check out the names at the bottom or on the Event Page and drop a personal thank you for their support, it is what builds a stronger foundation for our sport!

 

 

See full Malibu Open Slalom Recap Story

Thanks to Eudes M-Tivier for the great shots all weekend –

photos – Friday – Saturday – Slalom

photos – Sunday – Overall finals 

This club has it all, a Full pro shop, Marine sale and repair, Villa Rental, and dockside Restaurant (Lèau à la bouche) 

Lacanau Ski Club

 

Lacanau Always delivers Insane Scores!

As the sun set on the pristine beaches of Lacanau last Sunday, the lakes of (Lacanau Ski Club) finally settled from the excitement of the Lacanau Overall Cup and the Malibu Open. Both of these professional events brought about incredible skiing and hard-fought victories, with the Malibu Open representing some of, if not the highest scores ever seen in a professional slalom event. In order to move on to the finals on the men’s side of the competition, skiers had to finish with a score of 3@10.25m or higher. Continuing on the high-scoring trend, the finals displayed a three-way tie for the lead between Dane Mechler, Jon Travers, and Brando Caruso at 4@10.25m with only one skier remaining on the dock, namely top-seeded skier Nate Smith. Nate, who has been in incredible form this entire year, turned the first 3 buoys expertly at 10.25m and did not hesitate to turn the 4th buoy, seemingly never considering the possibility of skiing for a tie, and comfortably swinging out around the 5th and 6th buoys to run through yet another 10.25m pass.

In the women’s slalom event of the Malibu Open, there was a tough three-way North American battle between Canadian Paige Rini and Brooke Baldwin and Ali Garcia from the United States. Sandra Bottas was the only skier from another
continent to qualify for the four women final. Despite skiing quite well, Sandra wasn’t able to overtake the other three, who had each finished with a score on the 10.75m in at least one round. With the requirement to start at 13m, leading to a tailwind 11m pass, both Ali and Sandra were unable to clear the rope length, finishing with a score of 3.5 and 2 buoys respectively. Next up, Brooke Baldwin, who had been increasing her scores at 10.75 each round of the competition, styled her way through the 11m tailwind pass and finished with 3@10.75m, the highest score of any woman in the event. Coming off the dock as the top seed, Paige Rini handle the pressure well and also made fine work of the 11m line length. Yet, the prospect of needing 3 buoys proved challenging, as Paige turned the 1st buoy too hard for her to be able to hold the angle through the wakes, leaving Paige short inside 2 ball and on the second step of the podium.

As the skiers move on to the next stop of the European circuit, the skiers look back on their time in Lacanau and reminisce on a truly unforgettable experience. The site, the people, the city, the beach, all in all, the memories will last a lifetime and we are already looking forward to next year. If you have not been to Lacanau this city and ski club need to be on your bucket list, they are truly one of the best on the planet. Lacanau is not just an incredible ski site, but with private villas available for rent, a pool, and an incredible restaurant right at the dock   with the friendliest staff you can imagine, it is truly a special place. If you want to get a moment outside of the resort the ocean is 10 minutes away with endless restaurant options right on the beach where you can watch some of the best sunsets imaginable. But as the sun sets on Lacanau, WWS is off to Calgary, Canada, for the second stop of the WWS Overall Tour. On July 29-31 the battle continues to see who will take out the Overall Tour Title.

 

See full WWS Lacanau Cup Overall Story

A Special thank you for all the long hours it takes to put on an event of this level. Hats off to Geraldine, Christophe, the Jamin family, the staff, judges, volunteers, and especially to the sponsors, which are special friends of the water ski community that wants to give back. So please check out the names at the bottom or on the Event Page and drop a personal thank you for their support, it is what builds a stronger foundation for our sport!

Thanks to Eudes M-Tivier for the great shots all weekend –

Friday – Saturday – Slalom

Sunday – Overall finals 

This club is the real deal, not just world-class coaching – a full pro shop, marine sale and repair, Villa Rental, and dockside Restaurant (Lèau à la bouche), and a world-class beach 10 mins away.

Lacanau Ski Club

This coming weekend, the Lacanau Ski Club will bring together the world’s best slalom and overall skiers. Slalom superstars such as World Champion and World Record Holder Nate Smith, Dane Mechler, Jon Travers, and Moomba Master’s Champion Vennessa Vieke. On the Overall end, the event will feature current World Champion and World Overall Record Holder Joel Poland, the Former World Record Holder and World trick Champion Dorien Llewellyn, as well as Brooke Baldwin and Paige Rini, who will both be looking to make their mark in the Overall World Tour over the weekend. The Lacanau ski club, one of the premier sites in the world, has put on countless international events, and the site claims the 1st 230-foot jump by Jaret Llewellyn (CAN), 1st run over 12,000pt by Nicolas Le Forestier (FR), and 1st full 10.25m by Jamie Beauchesne (USA) performed in a pro event.

The Lacanau Ski club is a world-renowned ski school run by European superstars, Geraldine Jamin and Christoff Duverger. The club facilities include a full pro shop, on-site villas for rentals, and a high-end restaurant with fresh food and ingredients provided daily. In fact, you may never want to leave this oasis of a ski club. Yet, if you want to venture outside of the ski compound, the beach is 10 minutes away and the town of Lacanau has bursting nightlife energy. In the water ski world, this is a bucket list item that will leave you wanting to come back time and time again!

 

The Lacanau Cup is the launch of the 2022 season for the overall skiers. WorldWaterSkiers (WWS) is proud to have partnered with the Lacanau Water Ski Club and the professional slalom event being held in conjunction with the first Overall Tour Stop. Combining the two events will be one of the biggest payouts the sport has seen in a decade, Totaling $62,500 – with $37,000,- for Slalom on the PRO-AM side + $25,500 going to the Overall skiers, plus points towards the tour rankings and Year-End TOUR BONUSES.  Lacanau Ski Club partnered with World Water Skiers to utilize the EMS hub built by WWS, giving clubs and federations novel technology to promote better the sport we all love. The unity on display over the course of the weekend will be a beacon of the potential for the sport to reach larger fan bases together. Moreover, the prospects of the congregation between the world’s best slalom skiers, along with the reintroduction of the Overall World Tour is something that no water ski enthusiast is going to want to miss. So be sure to check the schedule to see when each round is and what the cut is, who makes the finals and when it goes live. 

This coming weekend, the Lacanau Ski Club will bring together the world’s best slalom and overall skiers. Slalom superstars such as World Champion and World Record Holder Nate Smith, Dane Mechler, Jon Travers, and Moomba Master’s Champion Vennessa Vieke. On the Overall end, the event will feature current World Champion and World Overall Record Holder Joel Poland, the Former World Record Holder and World trick Champion Dorien Llewellyn, as well as Brooke Baldwin and Paige Rini, who will both be looking to make their mark in the Overall World Tour over the weekend. The Lacanau ski club, one of the premier sites in the world, has put on countless international events, and the site claims the 1st 230-foot jump by Jaret Llewellyn (CAN), 1st run over 12,000pt by Nicolas Le Forestier (FR), and 1st full 10.25m by Jamie Beauchesne (USA) performed in a pro event.

The Lacanau Ski club is a world-renowned ski school run by European superstars, Geraldine Jamin and Christoff Duverger. The club facilities include a full pro shop, on-site villas for rentals, and a high-end restaurant with fresh food and ingredients provided daily. In fact, you may never want to leave this oasis of a ski club. Yet, if you want to venture outside of the ski compound, the beach is 10 minutes away and the town of Lacanau has bursting nightlife energy. In the water ski world, this is a bucket list item that will leave you wanting to come back time and time again!

 

The Lacanau Cup is the launch of the 2022 season for the overall skiers. WorldWaterSkiers (WWS) is proud to have partnered with the Lacanau Water Ski Club and the professional slalom event being held in conjunction with the first Overall Tour Stop. Combining the two events will be one of the biggest payouts the sport has seen in a decade, Totaling $62,500 – with $37,000,- for Slalom on the PRO-AM side + $25,500 going to the Overall skiers, plus points towards the tour rankings and Year-End TOUR BONUSES.  Lacanau Ski Club partnered with World Water Skiers to utilize the EMS hub built by WWS, giving clubs and federations novel technology to promote better the sport we all love. The unity on display over the course of the weekend will be a beacon of the potential for the sport to reach larger fan bases together. Moreover, the prospects of the congregation between the world’s best slalom skiers, along with the reintroduction of the Overall World Tour is something that no water ski enthusiast is going to want to miss. So be sure to check the schedule on the Lacanau Cup event page for all the details like Live streaming or scores.