The U.S. Veteran Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal and 11 U.S. athletes earned individual medals at the 2006 World Senior Trophy, Oct. 24-29, at Thorlea Dam in Durban, South Africa. U.S. athletes combined to win 20 medals, including five gold medals, at the biennial event. Great Britain earned the overall silver medal and Germany earned the bronze medal.
"I would like to congratulate all eight members of this year's U.S. Veteran Water Ski Team for their tremendous performance at the 2006 World Senior Trophy," said Andy Jugan, USA Water Ski's executive director. "We are proud of the accomplishments of this talented group of athletes."
Members of the U.S. Veteran Water Ski Team were: Patricia Astin (Lake Worth, Fla.), Tom Danford (Angola, Ind.), Mitch Grau (Carrollton, Texas), Leza Harrison (Oviedo, Fla.), Jody Johnson (Conyers, Ga.), Lisa Lamb (East Troy, Wis.), Steve Raphael (Colleyville, Texas) and Donna Switzer (Mulberry, Fla.).
Divisions at the World Senior Trophy consisted of Veteran 1 (ages 35-44), Veteran 2 (ages 45-54) and Veteran 3 (ages 55 and over). Johnson and Lamb competed in Veteran 1; Astin, Danford, Grau and Harrison competed in Veteran 2; and Raphael and Switzer competed in Veteran 3.
In Veteran 1, Lamb won the gold medal in Women's jumping (111 feet) and silver medals in slalom (2-1/2 buoys at 32 off) and overall (2,143.68 points); and Johnson earned the bronze medal in Men's slalom (5-1/2 at 38 off). Dr. John Carder (Knoxville, Tenn.), who competed in the event as an independent, won the gold medal in Men's jumping (153 feet).
In Veteran 2, Astin earned bronze medals in Women's jumping (93 feet) and overall (2,797.65 points); Danford won the gold medal in Men's overall (2,516.12 points) and the silver medal in tricks (4,100 points); Grau earned the silver medal in Men's jumping (135 feet) and the bronze medal in overall (2,094.42 points); and Harrison earned silver medals in Women's tricks (3,150 points) , jumping (94 feet) and overall (3,186.38 points), and the bronze medal in slalom (1/2 at 35 off). Samuel Roberts (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), who competed as an independent, earned the silver medal in Men's overall (2,402.04 points) and the bronze medal in Men's slalom (3 at 38 off).
In Veteran 3, Raphael won the gold medal in Men's slalom, (2 at 38 off); and Switzer earned the bronze medal Women's tricks (780 points). DeAna Shealy (Dawsonville, Ga.), who competed as an independent, won the gold medal in Women's slalom (1 at 32 off).