The Mulwala Water Ski Club have a new world champion in junior barefoot waterskier Macy Peebles.
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Representing the Australian team at the 2023 IWWF World Barefoot Championships held at the Max Kirwan Ski Park last week Macy won gold in the slalom and jump events and silver in the tricks event and took our silver as the overall junior champion.
Sister Zali Peebles also won a silver in the Under 23 Women’s tricks event. While another talented local, Macey Hicks, featured well in the Under 23 Women’s events taking out a silver in both the slalom and jump events.
Adopted locals and two of the nation’s top ranked open skiers in Keenan Derry and Connor Rogers, who are currently residing in Mulwala, also performed well.
Keenan Derry took out the Open Men’s Overall World Championship title after stella performances grabbed him gold in both slalom (with a pending World record) and jump events.
Not to be outdone, competing in the Under 23 Men’s events, Conner Rogers took out gold in both the trick and jump events and grabbed a silver in the slalom.
Overall, the Mulwala Ski Club boasted a healthy contingent of our own locally raised skiers such as the Peebles family (Zali, Macy, Zeke and Ayden) from Bundalong, Abbey and Macey Hicks along with Rhys Driscoll from Yarrawonga who all skied well alongside barefoot royalty.
Royalty such as Australian Ski Queen, Ashleigh Stebbeings who earned herself a new crown snagging her fifth World Championship title at the championships. Stebbeings dominated in both slalom and tricks winning gold in both events, to forever etch her standing as one of the greatest of all time, being the first female to ever win five overall World titles. Ashleigh had previously shared the accolade of four times World champion with two other female greats, Kim Lampard (AUS) and Jennifer Calleri (USA).
Last week’s world championship event was touted as the best ever staged at the custom-built Mulwala Water Ski Club’s world-class ski park facility.
The ongoing investment and improvements made to the Max Kirwan Ski Park by the club is paying off as the Mulwala Water Ski Club continues to develop the sport of water skiing to turn out champions of the future, and they are doing it in spades.
This was evident by the local pool of barefoot skiers who competed at the championships last week. Of the 95 skiers competing, 16 of them are members of the local Victorian Barefoot Club who train at the Max Kirwan Ski Park. This includes 5 out of a possible 8 skiers named on the 2023 Australian Representative Team and 11 other Victorian Club members who qualified to compete as Independents.
Under the guidance of the club’s ski coaching co-ordinator, Pete O’Neill, the Mulwala Water Ski Club has been instrumental in promoting the twin towns as a breeding ground for watersking across all disciplines. Pete, who was also the event co-ordinator said the whole championships including the night jump spectacular was amazing.
“There are so many people to thank, alongside all the teams and athletes who came and competed.
“The week long event saw some awesome barefooting, in a new format, with new skiers, it saw simply amazing,” he said.
Summary of all the results
Open divisions
Tricks
Worldwide favorite Ben Groen (New Zealand) won the gold in tricks with a score of 11,480 points, followed by Brendan Paige (Australia) with 10,910 points and in bronze position, Keenan Derry (Australia) 9830 points.
It was an All-Aussie sweep in women’s tricks as Ashleigh Stebbeings Groen won the gold in tricks with a 5100 despite falling early on her second pass. Ben and Ash were just married in November, and it’s the first time a couple grabbed the open tricks titles! Kelly Blank (Australia) grabbed silver with 3100 points, followed by Elaina McClung with 2610 points.
Slalom
The slalom event belonged to Australia and the Derry Family as Keenan Derry (Australia) took the gold with a blistering 20.8, followed by his dad Ken Derry (Australia) with a 19.6 and in third, teammate Brett Sands with an 18.9.
Ashleigh Stebbeings Groen (Australia) killed it in women’s slalom with 17.6, followed by Georgia Groen Mathis (New Zealand) with a 15.9 and Faith Dix (USA) won bronze with 12.7.
Jump
The Overall came down to the jump competition as Keenan Derry (Australia) grabbed the gold after boosting at 25.6mjump, followed closely by Ben Groen (New Zealand) with 24.8m and in third, Luke Van Den Heuvel (Australia) with 24.4m.
Georgia Groen Mathis (New Zealand) won jump with a 20.8m jump, followed by Ashleigh Stebbeings Groen (Australia) with 18.7m and Kimberly Smit (Netherlands) captured the bronze, the first time a woman from the Netherlands has won an open division medal.
Overall
The men’s overall looked much like jump as Australian Keenan Derry took the men’s overall for the first time ever, followed by Ben Groen (New Zealand) and Luke Van Den Heuvel (Australia). Ashleigh Stebbeings Groen (Australia) won the women’s overall title, followed by Georgia Groen Mathis (New Zealand) and Kelly Blank (Australia) in third.
Team – Australia won the coveted team competition, New Zealand came in second and the USA grabbed third place.
Under 23 divisions
Tricks
Elaina McClung (Australia) won the gold in tricks with 2790 points, silver went to Zali Peebles (Australia) with 2160 points and Faith Dix (USA) with bronze and 1940 points.
After tying in the final at 6300 points, Connor Rogers (Australia) grabbed the gold in a run-off with Will Leigh (New Zealand). Will had to settle for silver followed by Brody Meskers (USA) in third place.
Slalom
Coming out on the top of podium for slalom is Faith Dix (USA) with a 13.8 followed by Macey Hicks (Australia) 10.8, and Elaina McClung (Australia)10.2.
American Brice Storman scored an incredible 18.4 to take the gold followed by Connor Rogers (Australia) 17.8 and Brody Meskers (USA)17.4.
Jump
Faith Dix (USA) hit gold in jump with a 10.8m jump, followed by Macey Hicks (Australia) with a 10.7m jump and Kimberly Smit (Netherlands) with a 9.2m jump.
Conner Rogers (Australia) won the jump event with a 24.4m jump, Tee-Jay Russo (Australia) captured silver with a 22.7m jump and Brody Meskers (USA) landed third with a 22.2m jump.
Overall
Faith Dix won the Under 23 women’s overall title, followed by Elaina McClung (Australia) in second and Macey Hicks (Australia) in third.
Brody Meskers (USA) won the Under 23 men’s overall title followed closely by Connor Rogers (Australia) and Will Leigh (New Zealand) finished third.
Junior divisions
Tricks
The boys tricks final was incredible to watch as 15-year-old American Noah Kinnaman joined the over 10,000 point club with an incredibly clean run full of multiple turns to grab the gold with 10,800 points. Australia’s Fletcher Ball came in second with a 7810 and Brett Swanbom (USA) with a 5550.
Amara Bruns (USA) killed it in tricks, capturing the gold with an 1850 points, Macy Peebles (Australia) got silver with 1440 points and Lindsie Jack grabbed bronze with 1340 points.
Slalom
The Junior boys battled it out in slalom with Australia’s Fletcher Ball grabbing the gold with an incredible 18.7, followed by Brett Swanbom (USA) 16.8 and Carter Boerman(USA) 15.2.
Macy Peebles (Australia) took the Gold with a 9, Amara Bruns (USA) took silver with a 8.6 and bronze went to Lindsie Jack (Australia) with a 7.6.
Jump
The American Boys swept the medals in jump with Brett Swanbom getting the gold with a 21.9m jump, Carter Boerman with a 21m jump and Orval Cyr with the bronze and a 19.4m jump.
Macy Peebles (Australia) grabbed the gold in jump with a 9.2m jump, followed closely by Amara Bruns (USA) with a 9.1m jump and Charlotte McGuire (NZL) finished third with a 8m jump.
Individual overall
Amara Bruns (USA) won the junior girls overall title, followed by Australians Macy Peebles and Lindsie Jack.
Brett Swanbom (USA) won the junior boys overall title followed by Fletcher Ball (Australia) in second and Orval Cyr (USA) in third place.
Team overall
The USA won the junior team competition, Australia finished second and New Zealand in third place.