WATERSKIING AT THE PAN AM GAMES#

The 2023 U.S. Pan American Water Ski Team will begin competition at the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 on Saturday, Oct. 21, at Laguna Los Morros in San Bernardo, Chile.

The U.S. Pan American Water Ski Team has won the medal count at two Pan American Games (1999 and 2003) and tied with Canada for the high count in 1995. Canada, a waterski powerhouse, has won the medal count in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.

Anna Gay, Regina Jaquess, Erika Lang and Nate Smith were selected by The American Water Ski Association’s International Activities Committee based on pre-determined selection criteria.

Meanwhile, Mary Morgan Howell and Daniel Johnson were selected by USA Wakeboard to represent the team in the wakeboard discipline following the 2023 Pan American Games Team Trials in April in Auburndale, Florida.

Chris Travers, a native of Groveland, Florida serves as the coach and Dr. Brad Harman from Alvarado, Texas is the team's physician.

Anna Gay will be making her Pan American Games debut in Santiago. The 23-year-old native of Winter Garden, Florida, won women’s world tricks titles in 2021 and 2019. She also won the U21 women’s world tricks title in 2017. A rising overall water skier, Gay won the women’s overall title at the 2023 Moomba Masters in Melbourne, Australia. She also won the women’s tricks title at the 2023 Goode Water Ski National Championships. She is a former women’s world tricks record holder.

Regina Jaquess, 39, has won 16 medals in Pan American Games competition, the most among U.S. water ski athletes since the sport became part of the Pan Am Games program in 1995. In addition to the 2019 Pan Am Games, where she won gold medals in women’s slalom, jumping and overall, Jaquess competed at the 2015, 2011, 2007 and 2003 Pan Am Games. She holds the Pan Ams records for women’s slalom (3 buoys at 41 feet off, 2019), jumping (173 feet, 2011) and overall (2,955.71 points, 2011), and is the current women’s world slalom record holder (4-1/2 buoys at 41 feetoff). In 2023, Jaquess won women’s slalom titles at the Swiss Pro Slalom, Nautique Masters, Goode Water Ski National Championships and California Water ski Pro Am. Jaquess lives and trains in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, where she owns her own compound pharmacy.

Erika Lang, 27, will be competing in her third Pan American Games. The native of Gilbert, Arizona, earned the silver medal in women’s tricks in 2019 and the bronze medal in 2015. Lang could arguably be viewed as the favorite in women’s tricks at this year’s Games. She earned wins at the 2023 Moomba Masters, 2023 Swiss Pro Tricks, and 2023 Nautique Masters. She is also the current women’s world tricks record holder, setting the mark of 11,360 points at the 2023 Sunset Cup-Masters Last Chance Qualifier on May 19, 2023, in Groveland, Florida.

Nate Smith, 32, will be making his second appearance at the Pan Am Games. He returns after winning gold in men's slalom in Toronto 2015. He is currently the men’s world slalom record holder with a score of 2-1/2 buoys at 43 feet off, Smith has dominated the men’s slalom scene in 2023, winning titles at the Moomba Masters, King of Darkness, Swiss Pro Slalom, Nautique Masters, Lake 38 Pro-Am, Kaiafas Battle Pro-Am, MasterCraft Shootout, Goode Water Ski National Championships and California Water Ski Pro-Am. Smith is a native of McCordsville, Indiana.

Mary Morgan Howell, 20, will be making her second appearance at the Pan American Games after women’s wakeboarding made its debut at the Pan American Games Lima 2019. The Dothan, Alabama native earned silver in women’s wakeboarding in 2019. She qualified for the U.S. Pan American Water Ski Team by winning the pro women division at the 2023 Pan American Games Team Trials at the inaugural Wake Sports Festival held on April 14-15, 2023, at the new Championship Water Ski Lake in Auburndale, Florida. In addition to her silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games, Howell most recently won the 2021 and 2022 Nautique Masters and 2022 Moomba Masters.

Daniel Johnson, 18, will be making his Pan American Games debut in Santiago. A native of Statesville, North Carolina, he qualified for the U.S. Pan American Water Ski Team by winning the pro men division at the 2023 Pan American Games Team Trials Auburndale's Wake Sports Festival. Johnson has been competing for 14 years and says his biggest tricks are the Switch Toe 1080 and Switch KGB 540. Johnson’s other highlights from 2023 include winning the Moomba Masters, finishing second overall on the Supra Pro Tour, and placing third overall on the Malibu Riders Experience.

For more information on the team's selection procedures, click here