30 Countries from Around the World to Gather for International Competition

WHAT: Pickos Ski School, located at 105 Jump Street, announced in December 2019 that they will be the official host for the 2020 International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) World Junior Waterski Championships. Due to COVID-19, the original competition date has been rescheduled to August 22-29, 2021.

The IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships are held every other year around the world in various locations including Spain, Peru, and Chile. Due to the worldwide pandemic, the 2020 competition was postponed until it was deemed safe for participants to travel and be around one another. Each country has the opportunity to send their best skiers, typically a six-person team, to the event. Twenty-one countries are slated to attend this year’s competition including Ukraine, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Hong Kong. This will be the IWWF’s 18th World Junior competition. These junior water-skiers are some of the best in the world and are looking to win a world title and continue onto the IWWF World Open Championships the following year. The skiers will be competing in several divisions, including Boys Overall, Girls Overall, Boys Slalom, Boys Jump, Boys Trick, Girls Slalom, Girls Trick and Girls Jump. Additionally, each competitor will be competing for their own individual scores that are posted on the world ranking list as well as course records.

The week-long competition, sponsored by Visit South Walton, will begin with check-in on Friday-Saturday, August 20-21, 2021. Friday and Saturday, August 20-21, will be the official “Familiarization Days” consisting of allotted practice time for each team and distribution of all competition materials such as bibs, backpacks, and itineraries. The final rounds of competition will be held on Wednesday, August 25 for the Under-17 division while the final rounds for the Under-21 division will be held on Sunday, August 29 and will conclude with an awards ceremony. COVID-19 procedures will be in place throughout the week in order to keep competitors, coaches, staff, and volunteers safe and healthy. The public is welcomed to sit and attend all of the competition days throughout the week held at Pickos Ski School. To see the full schedule, visit https://iwwf.sport/u17u21worlds/.

Those competing in the IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships are exclusively towed by the award-winning Ski Nautique. Pickos Ski School would also like to thank additional sponsors, including Brad Smith, Buffalo Rock-Pepsi, Dutch Bros Coffee, Emerald Coast Marine, Girl Loves a Sunset, LLC., John Lee Nissan, Louis Louis, Point Washington Medical Clinic, The Red Bar, Ski Nautique, ToYou Snacks, and Visit South Walton. There are multiple sponsorship opportunities available at all levels. Those interested in sponsoring the week-long event, please email caitmcginty@gmail.com.

To learn more about the 2021 IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships visit http://iwwf.sport.

ABOUT: Pickos Ski School was founded by 24-time world record holder and skiing icon, Cory Pickos and his wife Rose. Cory has been running ski schools across Florida since he was 16 years old. After living in south Florida, Cory and Rose moved to the panhandle in 1992 to look at a real estate development designed for tournament waterskiing. The couple met and partnered with a local developer, who also happened to be a competitive water-skier, to create three man-made lakes specifically designed for waterskiing that same year. Since its inception, the school has transformed from a family-owned business to a world-renowned training center.

Pickos Ski School is one of the top destinations for water-skiers from all over the world. Each year, welcoming over 40 locals and 350 international water-skiers to train and compete at their state-of-the-art facility. During the school’s busiest season, Cory, Adam and team can be found pulling skiers on all three lakes from sunrise to sunset having over 100 ski lessons per day. Skiers hailing from 30 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Greece, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, make the trek to the Emerald Coast to enjoy training and the pristine beaches. To learn more about Pickos Ski School visit http://www.skipickos.com.

The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) is the world governing body for all towed water sports. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1946, it is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole authority governing all towed water sports and has 91 affiliated member federations worldwide. The IWWF is also an affiliate member of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and is one of the seven founding sports of the World Games.

WHEN: August 22 – 29, 2021

WHERE: 105 Jump Street Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459

Pickos Ski School to Host Rescheduled 2020 IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships in Santa Rosa Beach