SAN BERNARDO, Chile — Libby and Jeff Van Treese, of Sidney, competed in the age 35 and over International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation world ski championships held Nov. 27-Dec. 2 in San Bernardo , Chile, just south of the City of Santiago.
The Van Treeses skied as trick ski specialists, with Libby qualifying in the women’s +55 division and Jeff qualifying in the men’s +55 division. This was Libby’s third time to qualify for the World Championships while this was Jeff’s first.
“This was an especially proud moment as this is the first time that both Jeff and I qualified to compete at the world level, “ said Libby.
Both skied well in the preliminaries, beating a number of other world qualifiers to make it to the finals. In the finals Jeff placed in the top 10, taking eighth place. Libby got to the medal stand with a bronze medal, placing third. Overall, there were over 170 skiers from 24 countries. The United States took first place in the team competition, while Great Britain took second and Germany was third.
The International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation is the world governing body for towed watersports, founded in 1946 in Geneva, Switzerland. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole authority for towed watersports.
The over 35 world water ski championships are held every two years bringing together the top senior qualifiers in trick, slalom and jump from around the globe.
