The 2024 World Water Skiers Overall Tour concluded with a dramatic finish at the iconic Ski Fluid in Polk County, Florida. Managed by legendary New Zealander Kyle Eade, this world-class venue, renowned for hosting more world records than any other site, set the stage to crown the year’s champions. Despite facing significant challenges, the event delivered unforgettable performances that captivated the audience.

Overcoming the Odds

The road to the Fluid Cup was far from smooth. Just a week before the event, Hurricane Milton swept through Central Florida, leaving torrential rains, flooding, and widespread damage. Ski Fluid’s dedicated team worked tirelessly to repair docks, courses, and backwash systems, ensuring the venue was ready for competition. Their resilience embodied the indomitable spirit of the sport.

Compounding the challenges, the forecast predicted winds of 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph. With no option to reschedule, organizers and athletes braced for unpredictable conditions, demonstrating their resilience.

The Competition Unfolds

Originally scheduled with Friday preliminaries and Saturday finals, the competition faced disruptions due to the weather. Gusty winds forced organizers to cancel the trick and jump events on Friday, following the slalom preliminaries. The decision was made to move all qualified athletes directly into the overall finals on Sunday morning, taking advantage of the calmer conditions expected.

 

 

 

Jump: A Soaring Start

The finals began with the Jump event, capitalizing on the milder morning winds, which ranged from 5 to 10 mph. Martin Labra set the pace with a personal best of 63.9 meters, followed closely by Ukraine’s Danylo Filchenko at 63.8 meters. Canada’s Thomas Daigle and Italy’s Edoardo Marenzi approached the 200-foot mark, but fell short. Martin Kolman surged ahead with a 64.7-meter jump, only to be overtaken by Louis Duplan-Fribourg’s impressive 68.1-meter leap. Dorien Llewellyn responded with 65.7 meters, but Louis remained in the lead. Finally, Joel Poland shocked the crowd with a massive 70.6-meter jump on his final attempt, claiming the top spot and leaving spectators in awe.

 

Slalom: Navigating the Gusts

By the time the Slalom event began, the winds had increased to 10 mph, with gusts reaching 15 mph. Jake Abelson, recovering from illness, managed 3 buoys at 11.25 meters, a performance equaled by Martin Labra. Edoardo Marenzi and Martin Kolman ran the 11-meter line downwind but couldn’t surpass the leaders.

Louis Duplan-Fribourg ran the 11-meter line into a headwind, scoring 2 buoys at 10.75 meters. Dorien Llewellyn adjusted his strategy after his first run, opting for the 12-meter line. Gambling on running the 11-meter pass downwind, Dorien aimed to get deep into 10.75 meters or even run it completely. Unfortunately, the strong headwind at ball 3 prevented a proper turn to reach ball 4. Joel also tackled the 11-meter line downwind, but a narrow start at 10.75 meters resulted in a finish at 2 buoys. Dorien’s performance closed the gap in points with Joel and Louis, setting the stage for a dramatic final showdown in Tricks.

Tricks: Deciding the Champion

As the Trick event unfolded, winds now steady at 12 mph+, demanded total focus from the athletes. Jake and Martin Labra, the young guns who have consistently posted 12,000+ points throughout the season, faced challenges. Jake, unfortunately fell early on his toe tricks, scoring 8,050 points. Martin also fell midway through his hand pass, finishing with 6,740 points. The tough conditions prevented Thomas and Edoardo from closing the gap to move up in the standings.

Rain began falling even harder during Martin Kolman’s turn, causing him to lose control on his toe pass. Though he salvaged his run, the interruption cost him valuable time, leaving him with 9,370 points. Louis, undeterred by the downpour, posted a strong 11,350 but fell on his final trick (TWL5B) while attempting to push past the 12,000 mark, leaving the door open for Dorien and Joel.

As the rain intensified, Dorien started strong but stumbled on a T5F grab, costing him valuable time and a key trick at the end of his pass. As Dorien switched his toe ski for a hand ski, the rain began to subside. His hand pass was solid, but he bailed on a SL5B, finishing with 10,350 points. With all the scores in, Joel needed 10,700 points to secure the Fluid Cup win. The rain stopped completely, and with everything going his way, Joel stuck to a steady game plan. The toe pass went smoothly, but the big question remained: Would he play it safe, or go big with his signature Mobius 5? Joel, known for never holding back, opted for the daring Mobius 5, executing it flawlessly to score 11,630 points, clinching the Fluid Cup victory.

A Season to Remember

The 2024 WWS Overall Tour concluded with Joel Poland finishing atop the rankings with 300 points. Louis and Dorien tied after 4 events, but Louis edged out Dorien for second place by just 10 points, benefiting from WWS rules that only count the top three stops for each skier. Martin, a consistent performer throughout the season, secured fourth, just 20 points behind Dorien—a photo finish!

This season showcased incredible dedication, resilience, and sportsmanship from the athletes. Relive the action with all five highlight storyline episodes on the WWS Overall Tour page. Special thanks to Huston GMC Motors, Dehilnger Insurance, and Polk County for their local support, as well as the WWS Tour sponsors who made this tour possible.

Mark your calendars for next year to witness and meet the world’s best water skiers in action. Until then, explore all the stops on the WWS Tour page, browse incredible unseen photo albums, and share news stories with friends and family. Make sure you follow WWS on social media so you don’t miss a moment. Let this inspire you to get out on the water and experience the thrill for yourself!

Full Photo Gallery 

To watch the Highlights Show click the Fluid Cup Tournament Page!

Travers Cup -3rd Stop on WWS Overall Tour 

Presented By Girl Loves A Sunset

The stage is set, the athletes are primed, and the world’s top waterskiers are heading to Groveland, Florida for the third stop of the WWS Overall Tour—the Travers Cup! Held at the legendary Jack Travers’ Sunset Lakes on September 21-22, this is your chance to witness the most thrilling waterski competition of 2024.

Why should you be there?

Sunset Lakes is universally hailed as one of the best waterski venues in the world, and for good reason. With limit-pushing performances and top athletes competing at their peaks, this event is set to be an all-out battle for the title. Joel Poland GBR, fresh off a Pending Overall World Record and a dominating season, is looking look to further cement his grasp on the tour title with another victory. But, the Travers Cup will also play host to the highest quality of challengers seen this year, with Dorien Llewellyn CAN, Martin Kolman CZE, and Louis Duplan-Fribourg FRA, all looking stronger than ever in practice this week. Even further, young superstars Martin “Tincho” Labra CHI, and Jake Abelson USA, will make their 2024 tour debuts on Sunset Lakes and are ready to shake things up. Joel may be in peak form, but with the strength of his challengers turned up to the max, this event looks to be anyones for the taking!

But the WWS Travers Cup is more than just an elite competition. It’s a family-friendly event that gives you the chance to meet your favorite skiers, enjoy the beautiful lakeside atmosphere, and dive into the world of waterskiing. Come experience the energy, meet the athletes, and get in on the action both in person and online. Not in Florida? No problem! Catch all the heart-stopping action live on the webcast on September 22 for the finals. You won’t want to miss a second of it.

So mark your calendars for September 21-22, head out to Sunset Lakes, and be part of the action. This is waterskiing at its finest—where legends are made, and records are broken.

For all the details, visit the WWS Travers Cup event page

or find all the stops of the tour at WorldWaterskiers.com/tours.

 

Who Will Step Up to Break the Cycle?

When considering an Overall event, let alone an Overall tour, you are bound to experience a rollercoaster of emotions. There is rarely a day when all 3 disciplines end up exactly how you wanted or expected, thus, mental strength is of the utmost importance. For these reasons, Joel Poland’s dominance over the past year and a half has been remarkable. His skiing ability is known throughout the world, allowing him to compete at the very pinnacle of waterskiing in all 4 events. So the question must be asked, who will be the one to challenge Joel’s reign on tour and at the WWS Canada Cup? Who will find a way to rip the tour title from his hands, which seem to be firmly reaching at the possibility of another repeat title?

Will it be a local young gun? Both Lucas Pinette and Thomas Daigle (CAN) put on a great show at the WWS Canada Cup, finding multiple personal best or near-best scores in order to find their way into their first pro finals, knocking out the man who finished 3rd on tour in 2023, Italian Edoardo Merenzi. Both of the Canadian skiers would then move on to post even better final scores, Lucas skiing a personal best in slalom with 4@11m and Thomas just behind at 3. Alas, these two would not yet have the firepower to take down Joel, both looking for more in the jump event with scores of 58.7m for Lucas and 57.6m for Thomas. In the end, Lucas and Thomas earned valuable tour points, finishing 5th and 6th respectively, while also gaining invaluable tournament experience, which they will need to capitalize on right away as they will get another crack at the field at the Travers Cup in two weeks.

Thus, looking past local talent, let us move on to the tour veterans, to the World Champions, to the continuous threat that has been chasing Joel for the past years. Are Louis Duplan-Fribuorg (FRA) or Martin Kolman (CZE) the in-form skiers to take down Joel? Both skiers have put up some amazing scores this year and continued to do so at the Canada Cup. Despite difficult preliminary round conditions, both skiers eased their way into finals, proving they are dominant contenders on tour. Then in the finals, Louis would improve his Overall score but unfortunately missed the 11m pass, putting himself at a deficit right from the get-go. He would recover well in trick with a score of 11360 and a solid jump of 63.9m. Yet with the top 3 skiers left on the dock, Louis was visibly reserved as to his chances at his first title of 2024.

 

On the other hand, the 2019 Overall World Champ, Martin Kolman continued his recent resurgence to not only his top form, but past his former best, improving his prelim slalom score to 2@10.75m, only 2 buoys off the lead in slalom, and following with a tournament-leading 11520 points, putting himself in the lead in Overall heading into the Jump event. Finally, he finished with a jump score of 61.7m, which would have put him in the Jump finals had he posted the score in the prelims. Martin showed his commitment to improve in the jump event and also sent a clear signal to the rest of the field that he too, no longer has a weak event. He would take the lead with only Dorien Llewellyn and Joel Poland left to go.

 

Speaking of Dorien Llewellyn-CAN, he has emerged as somewhat of a dark horse on this year’s tour, despite being a former tour winner and fighting for wins at every tour stop only 2 years ago. After a strong 2nd place finish at the WWS Salmsee Cup in Austria, Dorien showed he still has the skills to be back on top of the podium, despite his injury and absence from the 2023 tour. However, his skiing seems somewhat restrained and wanting for another gear. In the challenging weather conditions of Saskatoon, Dorien stayed within one buoy of the lead in slalom with 3@10.75m. Known for his consistency in tricks, Dorien looked to capitalize on the conditions with two solid passes to pressure the field. Yet, an unusual slip at the very end of his second-hand pass cost him his last two tricks, leaving him with 10,780 points and trailing Kolman heading into the jump event. Needing a jump of 63.3m to take the lead, and with frustration building, Dorien couldn’t quite find his signature air form, landing just shy of the lead with a jump of 62.7m. This placed him ahead of Louis but behind Martin, with only Joel left to compete.

 

So here we are yet again, looking out on the lake at the current World Record Holder, at the man who has won the last 5 tour stops, at Joel Poland. As is his nature, Joel looked strong in the slalom event, taking the lead straight out of the gate with a score of 4@10.75m. Then, tricks is where the fireworks began to shine, as Joel fumbled through the middle of his first run in toes, losing balance, but recovering time and time again. Until his body hit the water, rope still attached to his foot, dragging for mere moments that seemed to stretch on for eternity, his pinner not letting go until he knew that even Joel couldn’t pull out another miraculous save. Thus, Joel sat in the water, only just past halfway through his toe run, knowing he would need every single point he had in his hand run. Despite doing exactly that and nailing his hand run, many didn’t think that he would have enough points to pull out his 6th win in a row, given Martin Kolman’s commanding lead at 11520. Yet, his 10120-point score was just enough to keep himself in the game, but needing a big jump in the finals. Joel would have to surpass Kolman’s jump score by roughly 4m to win. 

 

Joel took to the water with a clear mind, knowing he would need the best jump of the tournament to win Overall. After failing to take the lead on his first two attempts and only bringing himself onto the podium in 3rd behind Dorien and Martin, Joel turned for the ramp on his final jump, the crowd’s clapping growing increasingly faster and louder as he neared the red surface of the ramp, and to their delight he soared off the top of the ramp. Everyone knew they had seen a big jump, possibly the biggest of the event, but was it enough? Had Joel done enough to retain his grasp on the crown? The scoreboard flashed his distance as the crowd roared out and Martin Kolman threw his hand up in the air, but not in celebration, rather, in defeat, in disbelief that his incredible skiing didn’t get him the title. Joel Poland had done it, he had taken the Canada Cup crown and a commanding lead in the 2024 WWS Overall tour standings.

 

So the question must be asked again. Who will stand up to Joel’s reign? Will it be an up-and-coming skier like Lucas Pinette? Will it be seasoned World Champion veterans like Louis Duplon-Fribourg and Martin Kolman? Will Dorien Llewellyn turn his words from his final interview in Canada into reality? Will he in fact “finally be ready to go for the win at the Travers Cup”? Will a new name step up to the plate and take down the current king? Or will Joel continue his dominance? In the end, only time will tell and these questions will be answered in 2 weeks time with the tour comes to Groveland, Florida for the Travers Cup, Sept 20-21. 

Considered one of the best all-around waterski lakes on the planet, not only will the competition heat up, but also the performances themselves are set to skyrocket. With the potential for World Records to be set written all over this event, the WWS Travers Cup will be a competition no one will want to miss. 

 

In the end, the Saskatoon Water Ski Club put on a truly world-class event in their first year, despite challenging weather conditions. The atmosphere was electric, largely thanks to DJ Steve Kushman and tour announcer Curtis Williams, who energized the crowd and kept the athletes pumped up throughout the entire event. Furthermore, WWS would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Michelle & Jim Clunie, Norm Lucas, and all the incredible volunteers for their leadership and to the local sponsors for their tremendous support. With such a fantastic debut, we can’t wait to see what next year’s WWS Canada Cup brings!

 

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