Waikato man jumps to water ski-ing win

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32567, 29 March 1971, Page 16

Waikato man jumps to water ski-ing win

(Naw Zealand Press Association)

WANGANUI.

The Waikato competitor, P. Reeve, established himself on Saturday as the top water skier in the country when he won the men’s over-all title at the New Zealand championships at Lake Wiritoa.

Reeve proved himself in a class about the rest of the Held in the jump Anal and his clear win in this event helped him greatly towards his 150-point over-all winning margin ahead of R. Jones (Auckland). He was the only competitor in the final to clear 100 ft in all three of his jumps In the other events, however. Reeve was not so impressive, finishing fifth in the slalom and third in the tricks. The glamour event of the championships, the men’s slalom, was won by G. Hole (Waikato), who regained the title he lost two years ago. However, he was greatly helped by Jones falling when negotiating the final buoy. It robbed Jones of certain victory In the slalom and probably the over-all championship as well. CANTERBURY GIRL SECOND The women’s over-all championship title, undefended by last year’s winner, J. Smith (Waikato), was much more closely contested. Miss IL Halligan (Auckland), winner of the jump and third in the slalom and the tricks, won by only 75 points from Miss P. Clapshaw (Canterbury), who was second in the jump and the tricks. The new women’s slalom Utleholder is Miss J. Calrney (Canterbury), who was head and shoulders better than the rest of the field in this event, and

won by nearly 10 points from the second-placed P. Carmichael (Auckland).

But it was the women’s jump championship that aroused the closest competition of the day, with Misses Halligan and Clapshaw separated only by 0.02 of a point in final reckoning. It was a 65ft leap by Miss Halligan on the Friday that gave her the edge.

The fifth record of the championships, and the only one of the final day, was established in the boys’ jump by the over-all champion, G. Bartley (Auckland), who cleared 851 ft to extend the old mark by a foot Bartley dominated all of the boys* events and took the titles in all three events.

Second to him over all was G. Scott (Waikato), who skied throughout the last two days with several stitches in a head wound he suffered when he fell heavily on the Friday morning. The girls’ championship was another one-sided contest. Miss A. Carmichael (Auckland), breaker of two of her own national records at the championships, making a clean sweep of all three events, as well as the over-all title. She was more than 600 points ahead of J. Wigglesworth (Auckland), who finished second.