Chimney Lake will be the site of the B.C Water Ski Provincials taking place on July 28 and 29.
Parnell Pinette, an organizer and competitor, says roughly 50 people from as far north as Prince George and as far south as Vancouver Island are competing.
Locals include Parnell, his 12-year-old son Conley, Brian Doering, and Brent Graham. Age categories range from boys and girls up to men and women over 35.
The event, organized by the Pinettes and B.C. Water Ski Provincials, received a $2,500 grant earlier this year from the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development’s Hosting B.C. program and further funding from several other local sponsors.
“What that does is helps us bring all of our stuff up to the calibre it needs to be, to be a sanctioned event,” Parnell says.
Parnell says that in the slalom ski event, there is a six-buoy course, and each time a competitor is successful through the course, the speed increases.
“Eventually, they start to shorten the rope each time,” he says. “It gets harder and harder to get through … until you fall.”
Conley, who has been waterskiing for the last five years, has moved up to the under-14 age division, setting a new Canadian record for the under 14 boys jump in the Can-am in Blaine, WA.
His distance was 117 feet, beating the previous record of 113 feet.
And he came home with a gold metal, so he is off to a good start heading into the B.C. Water Ski Provincials at Chimney Lake.
Two weeks after that, he will head to the Canadian Nationals in Calgary.
Two weeks after that, he will compete in Saint Louis for the Canadian U14 team.
And then he will head to Florida for the Pan American Water Ski Championships for the Canadian team.
The B.C. Water Ski Provincials takes place on the east end of Chimney Lake. The community is welcome to attend and watch the competitors ski for a win.
