U.S. athletes Jimmy Siemers of Round Rock, Texas, and Rhoni Barton-Bischoff of Orlando, Fla., won overall titles Saturday night at the 2006 U.S. Open Water Ski Championships, presented by the MasterCraft Boat Company. The finals were held under the lights of Village Lake at Downtown Disney, the Walt Disney World Resort famed retail, shopping, dining and entertainment district in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. More than $100,000 in cash prizes were at stake at the 19th annual event. Preliminary rounds were held Sept. 13-15 on Lake Grew in Polk City, Fla., while the seeding and final rounds were held in the evenings Sept. 15-16 at Village Lake in Downtown Disney.
Siemers tallied 2,912.9 points to win his second career U.S. Open Men's overall title.
Barton-Bischoff scored 2,927.7 points to earn her fifth career U.S. Open Women's overall title, her first major victory since undergoing reconstructive knee surgery in 2005. She also finished third in Women's slalom after scoring 1 buoy at 38 feet off.
In Women's jumping, U.S. athlete Regina Jaquess of Suwanee, Ga., captured her first U.S. Open jumping title with a 144-foot leap. U.S. athlete Joy Todd of Pierson, Fla., finished second with a 136-foot leap and U.S. athlete Danyelle Bennett of Zachary, La., placed third with a 130-foot jump.
In Women's tricks, U.S. athlete and world tricks record holder Mandy Nightingale of Sapulpa, Okla., clinched her third consecutive U.S. Open tricks title after tallying 7,620 points in her tricks run. Columbia's Maria Camila Linares scored 7,150 points to finish in second place and Canada's Whitney McClintock placed third with 6,780 points.
In Men's tricks, Canada's Jaret Llewellyn clinched the title after tallying 10,110 points. In second place was U.S. athlete Russell Gay of Winter Garden, Fla., who scored 9,740 points. U.S. athlete Cory Pickos of Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., rounded out the top-three placements with 8,980 points.
In Women's slalom, Jaquess earned her second consecutive U.S. Open Women's slalom title, rounding 1-3/4 buoys at 38 off on Disney's 4-buoy course. U.S. athlete Karen Truelove of Winter Garden, Fla., finished in second place after rounding 1-1/2 buoys at 38 off.
In Men's slalom, U.S. athlete and world slalom record holder Chris Parrish of Orlando, Fla., clinched his second consecutive U.S. Open Men's slalom title after rounding 1-3/4 buoys at 41 feet off. Tied for second place were Great Britain's Will Asher and U.S. athlete Jamie Beauchesne of Loudon, N.H., with a score of 3 buoys at 39-1/2 off.
In Men's jumping, U.S. athlete Freddy Krueger of Winter Garden, Fla., captured his fifth career U.S. Open Men's jumping title, soaring 208 feet under the bright lights of Village Lake. Llewellyn finished in second place after jumping 199 feet (60.7 meters). In third place by .1 meters was U.S. athlete Ryan Fitts of Shreveport, La., who leaped 199 feet (60.6. meters).
In its 19th year, the U.S. Open was a world-record capability tournament that attracted more than 75 of the world's top water ski athletes from more than a dozen countries. It has long been considered the most prestigious tournament in three-event water skiing. Male and female athletes competed for titles in slalom, tricks and jumping. Athletes competing in all three events were eligible for the coveted U.S. Open overall title.
MasterCraft was the presenting sponsor and exclusive towboat of the U.S. Open.