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Water Skiing at the
The 1999 Pan American Games
  Winnipeg,
Manitoba Canada - 1999
Yes, in April 1995 in Santa Fe, Argentina, water skiing was introduced to the Pan
American Games and was a tremendous success. 12,000 people lined the shores to watch as
some of the greatest water skiers of all times took to the course and thrilled the crowd.
Names such as Carl Roberge, Sammy Duvall, Deena Mapple, Sherri Slone, Kreg and Jaret
Llewellyn, Kim de Macedo, Jim Clunie, Judy Messer (McClintock), Susi Graham, Sergio Font,
Lorena Botana, Jorge Renosto (Georgi), Javier Julio and a host of others from 7 Nations
attended and won medals at these games.
In August of 1999, Water Skiing was back at the games and the following is an
excerpt from the commemorative book, Pan Am Proud - A Tribute to Champions
and can be purchased from DT Publishing Group, Inc., Tel 905-309-1639 or try
1-800-725-7136 for book orders.
WATER SKIING
O R I G I N S The development of small
motorboats led inevitably to the development of water skiing. Over the
past 40 years, water skiing has evolved from a "cottage" leisure
activity into a sophisticated sport. An estimated 2.5 million Canadians
currently water ski recreationally, which makes for a large base from which to
draw elite level skiers. Having won numerous titles over the years,
Canadian water skiers are recognized as some of the best in the world.
 INVENTIVE
TRICKSTERS
Alberta brothers Jaret and Kreg Llewellyn are international stars in the
water ski world. They have had a major impact on their sport by way of
child's play. A game they invented as kids while water skiing in Innisfail,
Alberta, has been recognized as an official trick, or figure, component of
international water skiing. The ski-line "540 trick" requires
skiers to jump over the tow rope, spin around 540 degrees and jump back over
again. The Llewellyn's 540 has been incorporated into a series of quick
tricks the skiers perform in a 20-second span.
ONE LAST SPLASH
It was the most spectacular jump of the day but one Canada's Jim Clunie
wished he could do over again. Making his final pass in the water skiing
jump preliminaries, Clunie lost his grip on the bar and cart-wheeled into the
water in front of the 1,950 spectators. The crowd was stunned at the sight
of what appeared to be the event's first serious injury and waited breathlessly
for what seemed like an eternity before Clunie surfaced and waved, signaling he
was okay. Clunie was traveling almost 100 Kilometers an hour with an
800-pound pulling on the tow bar when he hit the ramp. It's a wonder that
he and other skiers, can hold ontothe bar at all! The injury wasn't
serious. His previous jump, sixth best of the day, qualified  him
for the next day's final.
The little-known Clunie has been a staple on the
international water skiing circuit for the past ten years, jumping in water ski
competitions around the world. "If you win you can make about $6,000
but if you finish in the top six, you can at least pay your expenses,"
Clunie explained. As a youngster, Clunie got hooked on water skiing when
he realized there wasn't much room in the National Hockey league for a 5'4"
left-winger. He quit school at the age of 16 an moved to the central
Florida community of Okahumpka to attend the internationally renowned Jack
Travers Ski School.
The Pan Am Games was his first competition of the year and the last of his
career. Retiring to take on the role of sales manager for his family's
trucking company, Kelsey Trail Trucking, he was hoping to go out with a bang.
Maybe not the bang he gave to the spectators, but the final performance he
knows he still has inside him. "Sometimes when something like this
happens, you come out and ski harder the next day," Clunie professed.
"I'm ready for the one last time."
[Photos by Dan Galbraith}
Videos from the 1995 Water Skiing Event in Argentina are available, Contact
 EMail: Vern Oberg, President, Pan Am Region
and I will see if I can get you a copy. Cost was around $50 US not including shipping or
taxes.
Veronica Castello from Mexico has emailed her request in for this video already. She
competed in Santa Fe for the Mexican Team who took home a bronze medal in tricks (Sergio
Font).
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