1) Why should you tune in?

If you ask any water ski fan around the globe, they will explain that skiing is truly a hidden gem sport. Slalom skiers slash through the water, projecting walls of spray over 30ft (10 meters) into the air, and then accelerate through the wakes with the same G-forces as a race car driver. Trick skiers twist and turn their bodies as fast and efficiently as they can through two 20 second passes in which they combine 6 flips, multiple spins, and tricks with the rope attached to their foot! Finally, Jump skiers hit a 6ft (180cm) ramp at speeds up to 70mph (113kph) and fly over 200ft (60-70m) through the air before landing back on the flat surface of the water below. Furthermore, with a smaller competitor field within each of the WWS Tour Stops’ finals, you will see all three of these disciplines rapidly over the course of only 3 hours. So, the real question is, why would you not tune in to watch the incredible action this sport and this tour has to offer?

2) How can you watch live?

4) Who's competing?

As the calendar turns to 2026, the stage is set for an even more dramatic season.

Joel Poland remains the man to beat. The four-time consecutive WWS Tour Champion enters 2026 riding an extraordinary streak—12 straight Tour stop victories—and shows no signs of slowing down. The question everyone is asking: who will be the one to stop him?

On the women’s side, Kennedy Hansen will look to prove that her breakthrough season was only the beginning. After capturing her first WWS Tour Title, Hansen now faces the challenge every champion knows well—defending the crown.

The field chasing them continues to deepen. Rising stars such as Jake Abelson, Tim Wild, and Martin Labra are pushing the pace, while Lexie Abelson returns healthy and ready to re-establish herself among the sport’s elite.

Meanwhile, the established contenders remain just as motivated. Giannina Bonnemann‑Mechler continues her steady rise back toward peak form following the birth of her son Luca, showing flashes of the dominance that once made her the woman to beat in Overall skiing. Dorien Llewellyn reminded the world of his capabilities in 2025, capturing the Overall World Title in Italy and proving that a return to world-record form is well within reach. Louis Duplan‑Fribourg, meanwhile, continues to strengthen his slalom performances and will look to convert his elite Trick and Jump consistency into breakthrough Overall victories—still being motivated by narrow defeats at recent World Championships and the loss of his 2023 Overall World Title.

With storylines building, rivalries sharpening, and the deepest competitive field yet, the 2026 season promises another unforgettable chapter in the evolution of Overall water skiing.

5) How does Overall work?

In an Overall event, skiers are scored based on each of their results in the 3 disciplines, Slalom, Trick, and Jump, meaning every buoy, every trick, and every inch/cm could be the difference between 1st or 2nd. In each of the 3 disciplines, the highest scoring skier is given 1000 Overall points, with every other skier’s score consisting of a percentage based on how close their score was to the leader. After all, 3 disciplines have been skied, the athlete with the highest collection of Overall points is the winner.
Over the course of each stop of the WWS Tour, the skiers will begin competing in the Preliminary Round, with the top 6 men and top 4 women in the Overall points rankings moving onto the final. Then, in the Final Round, all the finalists will wipe the slate clean and ski the 3 disciplines again, with the event winners being determined by the Overall points accumulation only within the Final Round.

6) Who's the winner?

Each event will consist of a preliminary and final round. The prelims will determine the running order for the finals. The individual event scores of the preliminary round will also count, along with the scores from the finals, towards the individual event bonus. The final round will be the sole determining round for the Overall placements and the tour points for each event.