Athletes from the United States and Canada dominated the Pan Am Games waterski competition, taking home 17 of the 27 medals up for grabs.
The U.S. hoarded gold with first place in six events, plus a bronze medal. Canada captured an even larger medal cache, with one gold, six silver and three bronze winners. Chile came closest in the wake with two silvers and three bronzes.
Team USA’s Regina Jaquess ranked as top overall medalist, nailing first place in the women’s field in slalom, jump and overall contests, as well as bronze in tricks. Canadian Whitney McClintock earned gold in tricks and silver in slalom, jump and overall categories. Mexico’s Carlos Lamadrid brought a bit of glory for the home crowd with a bronze medal in men’s slalom.
The good
The four-day competition at Chapala’s Boca Laguna ski club took place under perfect weather conditions and in fairly strict adherence to the programmed schedule. Large crowds of spectators appeared to witness the spectacle, filling the stands bleachers, covered seating areas and open grounds to maximum capacity for the Saturday and Sunday finals. The skilled athletes offered stellar performances well worth the modest price of admission.
Although security at the site was notably tight, guards stationed at the entrance were lenient in letting spectators bring in blankets, umbrellas and other personal items specified on a long list of prohibited objects. Cleaning personnel did a decent job at keeping the grounds and porta-potties tidy.
The bad
Like most other Pan Am events, availability of tickets at the gate was sketchy at best, leaving many disgruntled customers outside the action. The main public parking area – situated in a nearby corn field turned muddy morass by recent rains – was nothing short of a nightmare for many of those attending. Traffic officials had to call in a tow truck to haul more than 35 vehicles out of the muck on opening day alone.
The man hired as the English-language announcer butchered the language, creating headaches for monolingual Anglos anxious to track the contest.
Brazilian skier Fernando Neves was forced to pull out of the competition right after finishing the elimination round in slalom due to a back injury sustained during training. Medics helped him out of the water, loaded him into an ambulance for a quick trip to Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos from whence he was airlifted to a Guadalajara hospital for observation and treatment. His current condition has not been revealed.
The ugly
The fields bordering both sides of the water course were heavily populated with ants and scorpions. Medical teams treated at least a half dozen people for scorpion stings before exterminators arrived to fumigate following Saturday’s competition. A number of harmless water snakes were spotted slithering through the drink.
RESULTS
Men’s Wakeboard
1-Andrew Adkinson, USA
2-Aaron Rathy, Canada
3-Marcelo Giardi, Brazil
Women’s Overall
1-Regina Jaquess, USA
2-Whitney McClintock, Canada
3-Karen Stevens, Canada
Men’s Overall
1-Julio Javier, Argentina
2-Felipe Miranda, Chile
3-Rodrigo Miranda, Chile
Women’s Tricks
1-Whitney McClintock, Canada
2-Maria Linares, Columbia
3-Regina Jaquess, USA
Men’s Tricks
1-Julio Javier, Argentina
2-Jason McClintock, Canada
3-Felipe Miranda, Chile
Women’s Slalom
1-Regina Jaquess, USA
2-Whitney McClintock, Canada
3-Karen Stevens, Canada
Men’s Slalom
1-Jonathan Travers, USA
2-Jason McClintock, Canada
3-Carlos Lamadrid, Mexico
Women’s Jump
1-Regina Jaquess, USA
2-Whitney McClintock, Canada
3-Karen Stevens, Canada
Men’s Jump
1-Frederick Krueger, USA
2-Rodrigo Miranda, Chile
3-Felipe Miranda, Chile
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