It is always a treat to visit Lake Grappa. Vineyards, manicured grass, and Al ‘e Carte restaurant on the banks of a man-made lake purposely built for tournament waterskiing. To top it off, the hospitality received is always far beyond what one would expect. This is a skiing and entertainment paradise.

The weather prediction for the weekend of 21 to 23 March looked questionable, with rain and wind predicted. The predictions weren’t wrong, with floods in Namibia and cold rainy conditions in Cape Town. But other than 2 x 30-minute rain breaks, and a tricky wind during the 2^nd round of slalom, idyllic conditions prevailed.

A world class judge panel included Marcel Griffioen, who ran the show as Chief Judge, along with Louis & Cathy Polome. Two drivers from Namibia, Martin Schmidt & Bernd Kebbel, drove the Malibu lxi to precision. The judges were assisted by two National judges from Namibia, namely Maike Eysselein and Isabella Zimmer, while the drivers were supported by Ulf Zimmer, also from Namibia.

Tournament skiers participated in both the slalom and trick event, where skiers were divided into 3 divisions, based on their scores prior to the event. For up-and-coming skiers, the League slalom was included, which is an event catered for up-and-coming skiers who are not quite completing the full slalom course. Instead of the skier turning a the outer most buoys (red), the skier can choose to ski around a mid-buoy (Green) or even a very close buoy (yellow). Each colour buoy is allocated points, and the skier who accumulates the greatest number of points in 3 rounds is the winner.

Here is a summary of all the events showing the top honours.

SLALOM

     Division 1:      1^st – Simon Fairbank          2^nd – Yyes Saintviteux             3^rd – Richard Levey

     Division 2:      1^st – Dylan Croudace         2^nd – Dieter Kebbel                 3^rd – Nikolai Heger

     Division 3:      1^st – Catherine Versfeld     2^nd – Ben Versfeld                  3^rd – Hannah De Jongh

TRICKS

     Division 1:      1^st – Yyes Saintviteux         2^nd – Dennis De Jongh            3^rd – Simon Fairbank

     Division 2:      1^st – Hannah De Jongh       2^nd – Angela Swain                 3^rd – Dieter Kebbel

     Division 3:      1^st – Viola Heger

LEAGUE SLALOM

     Under 16:       1^st – Olivia Hannam           2^nd – Ned Hannam                 3^rd – Olivia Heger

     16 & over:      1^st – Ian Versfeld                2^nd – Isabella Zimmer            3^rd – Geshe Hannam