Show Ski World Championships
Part One
The IWWF Show Ski Championships in March 2025 finished a 7 years journey towards a World Championships.
It started in 2018 in Canada when Australia was awarded the chance to host the event. The Australian Show Ski Team was becoming a strong competitive team. For three world championships in a row, they had finished 2nd and in 2018 they had done the unthinkable when they beat the USA in the second round of competition. They hadn’t been able to win the championships - but they had put the almighty USA on notice that they were a contender and were on the USAs heals!
The USA is unbelievably strong in Show Skiing, with over 200 national teams and a massive amount of Skiers, they had a talent pool that was as deep as it could get. Compared to Australia’s three teams, they had the participants, the skill, the history the know how and the money to stay at the top of show skiing forever. Australia though, came unbelievably close to beating them and wanted to take the next step and in a world where every point counts, having the home lake advantage might just be the difference.
So the Australian Show Ski division along with the NSW state team got together and put in a bid to host the 2020 world championships - for those reading ahead you may realise the problem with 2020 - but in 2018 there was no thought of a global pandemic and a strong will to bring the tournament to Australia to give the team every chance to win.
It wasn’t just the home team advantage either. Team Australia had become very good at training through winter, packing up the 40 person strong team with all the gear that entails and flying out to train in the wrong time zone for 2 weeks to be ready for the championships. To say its a disadvantage is an understatement. it was time to flip the tables though and put the USA in that position.
And so after the announcement in 2018, the Ski Team in Mulwala started to put together the site. With the help of the NSW Government, the Mulwala Waterski Club and its members matched a grant dollar for dollar and went to work. Bitumen roads were laid. a new facility for judging was built and an enormous amount of volunteers spread sand, rolled out turf, built docks and planned the championships.
The Australian team ran selection camps, then training camps and put together a show that could rival the USA and for 2 weeks before the competition they trained on the site. With ten days to go - the other teams arrived, the site was amazing. The worlds were ready and on the day of the Australian team dress rehearsal, the day the majority of the officials were in the air, the IWWF made the decision that it was too risky to run the competition. There were no lock downs yet, teams were on on the site training and a 1500 strong crowd turned out to cheer the Australian Teams shattered dream on. It was at the time, the best show ski performance the team had ever put on. The show contained acts never seen before, with a skill level that spectators were amazed at. The crowd cheered, the team mourned what could have been and the Mulwala Waterski clubs members set about the task of making sure everyone got home.
The teams flew out on for the most part on their original flights except for those who later were caught in quarantine. Within three weeks, the site, the club and the whole of Australia were closed. Bigger issues emerged than sport and everyone moved on. In the background, the Australian club had the IWWF commit to calling the championships delayed in the hope it might run again one day
It was a sad time for show skiing. To see such a long preparation vanish was hard to handle. But with people dying and the world seeming to change - Show Skiing took a back step to life in COVID. In the following year, many of the team had children, started new businesses and moved on. In 2022 the decision by Australia not to attend the 2023 Show Ski World Championships was heart breaking but with so many Australians in and out of lock down and with travel bans on, the team just couldn’t reliably attend. A few made it to ski in the individuals and with a gold medal in Swivel and a bronze in Freestyle Jump they did Australia proud.
Whilst all notion of being competitive again had faded from many of the team, with the focus shifting to their lives and livelihoods, It seemed like a distant dream to host the worlds again. But with the delayed worlds of 2020 in the IWWFs mind, some behind the scenes work on getting a 2025 Australian Worlds to the forefront of peoples minds and the stella performances of the the individuals at the 2023 World Championships, the announcement was made that the Worlds would come back to Australia - which brings us to Part 2
Part 2
What a journey it had already been, to have the Team at its best, to have the worlds cancelled and then a pandemic change everyones perspective, it seemed like Australia had missed its chance. But when the 2023 anouncment was made that Mulwala would see the 2025 World Show Ski Championships again - well it lit a fire!
24 months to competition
The first Australian Show Ski Nationals since 2019 took place, they were great and brought together the amazing teams in Australia to compete. The Nationals were a great event and held at the Max Kirwan Ski Park in Mulwala. The site for the Worlds. It was a great test and a chance for the selectors to see how everyone was skiing. With many of the team from 2020 taking part it was a huge positive, though many of them now had kids that were involved as well.
20 months to competition
Team Australia picked a squad of 50 with many skiers applying. There was definitely still a passion there for many. A desire to represent the country and with so many applicants, skiing through winter became a must as the selection camp at the start of the season wasn’t far away.
15 months to competition
The selection comp was an amazing experience and with so many great skiers, it was a hugely fun and educational time for all. So many had learnt new skills as they branched their show skiing out. It was a tough job for selectors but they narrowed the team down to 40.
15-11 months to competition
The skiers on the squad skied in their own show teams and trained over summer, though a huge talent pool, the goal had to be to get back to that amazing level in 2020 and better. With time comes age, so for many this was made all the more tricky as with age comes recovery time. The team though had picked up some new young pups and to see their talents take off was encouraging to say the least.
8-6 months to competition
Winter is hard. But braving the cold became a right of passage. Skiing on this team would not just mean being good, but being committed, to have done the hard yards.
4 months to go
All the teams for the championships were entered. Australia's skiers were working hard on their roles with many knowing what they would need to do to perform. Summer was here and training regularly was in full swing. Show Skiing doesn’t see a lot of funding, so making the work/family/skiing life work was tricky but this team was hungry and wanted to get that top spot.
1 month to go
The team started arriving in Muwlala. Some had been in Muwlala for the summer and had joined in the local team. A hugely rewarding experience for all involved. But it became very real as each night the team would train and more and more skiers attened as more of the Australian team rocked up. The talent was there but the skills the team were aiming to achieve were so high. It was a race to see if it could be done in time.
2 weeks to go
Official training had started. The team were all present and skiing 8-10 hours a day trying to get the show right. Only 35 skiers can take part in the show at a world level, so the drivers, announcers, observers, skiers and even the sound crew all take part, this means no one sits down during the show. If they aren’t skiing, they are running to the next act, changing costume, sitting in the boat with the quick release, driving the pick up boat or organising ropes. Its not just skiing. its getting to know the show, the role and making sure at all times, giving 100%.
1 week to go
Australia had the show down pat, tweaking the little things but the harder acts needed work and the team were tiring. The show directors were asking a lot of the jumpers. they had easily the most complicated and difficult jump act ever put in to a show in Australia. Which meant big falls, sore bodies and tough tasks but when they got it right it was amazing. The back barefoot line which is not only difficult in skill, but complicated in timing and working together as well. The ballet line was huge and had more turns in it than any other show by a mile. To see it work was great but so much had to go right. And then there were the specialty acts, some crazy flips over other people flipping, a mad number of barefooters in one run behind one boat, some super impressive three team synchronised swivel….. just so many moving parts and everyone wanting it to be the best. There was also an influenza moving through the team and at any one time, 2-3 skiers were horribly sick and there seemed to be no stopping it.
1 day to go Individual competition day
Team Australia had done all it could but would need to be at its best. Team USA had bought a new level and were worn out but if they did a good show, Australia wouldn’t be able to take them, But all eyes were on our Individuals and they did not disappoint. The swivel was incredible, so many Australian Girls were great, But Alisha Stewarts from Victoria won the day. In doubles Ella hobbs took a fall which would later show, broke her ribs, she never complained though, as was the team determination. In Freestyle Jump. Callan Ashcroft from NSW took out the win, incredible in such a strong field. Callan went from being a competitive 3 event skier to the king of freestyle jump in one year. An amazing New South Welshmen!
That day the team had 4 skiers very ill, but none of them contemplated pulling out.
Day one of competition
The competition takes place over two days and the highest score from wither day takes home the bacon. The USA were first off the dock and were incredible. Australia had to stand up - but they didn’t. It wasnt a bad show by any stretch. the crowd loved it, many skiers were amazing but to win this, Australia needed to be extraordinary. The USA had put up an incredible performance and one that Australia might just be able to beat. Any better and it would have been impossible, their depth of talent is just so great. But despite a great effort, Australia were just great and not exceptional. Its was a tough pill to swallow. Any other performance like that in any other Worlds would have had them raving but in front of a home crowd? It depended their absolute best and it wasn’t enough.
Day two started with a round meeting. The team made a circle and were all involved in the game plan. Day two was to leave nothing on the table. The USA were not out of reach. Australia skied first that day with the USA to follow so there was no room for a safe show. The crowd was huge and oh so vocal! The Canadian and Belgium teams warmed them up but when it was Australia’s turn you would swear you were at a boxing day test match. The show opened strong with the 8 person back barefoot line coming through in what would prove to be the highest scoring act of the championships. The next act had a fall but not one that hurt it too much, not to mention it was purely a fatigue issue being riddled with flu. After that on the second lap of the ballet line, there was a fall which meant five girls didn’t make it back to the bank, not a massive deal. Australia were 4 minutes into their hour and for the following 52 minutes, nothing fell. When you add up how many people skied past the crowd that day there was over 300. The pyramid alone had 24 in it and the only act to miss was when a sky ski got stuck in the mud and never took off, but with the rest of the sky skiers, no one would notice. It was nothing short of incredible. Shows just don’t have that few falls. When you ski straight for an hour and spend so much of that time in-front of the crowd you are bound to have a few falls no matter how good you are. To say Australia skied their best is an understatement. Fourteen barefooters in one run, two four high perfect pyramids, 1080 swivel lines and incredible trick skiing, wakeboarding and sky skiing, four back circles by a New South Welshmen that was so sick he could barely stand. So much of it was so amazing. It brought the house down. The show was funny, punchy and quick and the Jump team never missed - the 7 hardest jumps put together, multiple spins, flips and one ski combos and not a single fall.
It really fired the team up, the few minutes the team had just to themselves on the dock afterwards were sheer joy. The win no longer mattered. To perform that well in front of a home crowd and to show so many Australians just what it is that makes our show team special…. it was priceless. A waterskiing moment never to be forgotten. The USA followed up, nervous but they are the best for a reason. They did something exceptional. In the end, the USA won. Australia beat them in the show, there was little doubt who the crowd would want to watch again but the difficulty of the acts the USA performed was exceptional. And Australia did beat their first day score, at any previous worlds, the score Australia put up would have won but the fairy tale didn’t come off.
It didn't matter to the team, the crowd or the people involved, Australia had stamped the map with their own type of show. They had proven they were worthy to the crowd, who up until that point, had never seen just what the green and gold were capable of. That show will be talked about with beers for years to come and it won't matter that it’s about the time Australia almost beat the yanks. Because it was their very best and they were honoured to be a part of it.
If you would like to forge a path on the water, reach out to our office at admin@waterskinsw.com.au . Waterskiing is an amazing sport to be in, full of great people, amazing times and great shows.
Regards Pete O'Neill
Director NSW Water Ski Federation
Show Ski Division
pete@yarraskinski.com.au