One Foothills water-skier defied all odds to score big in a recent tournament.

Megan Pelkey, 15, took home several medals and helped the Canadian U14 Team win gold at the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) Pan American Championships on Nov. 4-7, at Boca Laguna in Chapala, Mexico.

"I ended up with a bronze in slalom, a silver in jump, and gold in overall."

She also made it to the finals in the trick competition.

For her, finding out that she qualified to go was a big deal in and of itself.

"It was kind of a relief because I was just kind of anxious to see if I was able to go or not. And I was just so proud of myself, being able to qualify for such a high up event."

She had to work really hard to make sure her scores were high enough for her to get chosen for the Canadian team.

"It's just so overwhelming. I never thought when I first started water-skiing that I'd be where I am today, and it's just so cool seeing all my hard work pay off."

For Pelkey, water-skiing actually started out as more of a hobby.

"A while back we would water-ski every single day in the summer time at our cabin, and then one day my dad decided that it would be fun to put me in a tournament kind of as a joke. And then that's kind of where my love for water-skiing started, I guess."

Though the Pan Am went relatively smoothly, things were a bit rough leading up to it as she was recovering from an injury.

"I did have a pretty bad jump crash, so it gave me a concussion. And I was just working really hard to get over whatever I was feeling with jump because I was just getting really nervous and I just didn't feel myself.

"So after I overcame that, I was really ready for the tournament, and I felt really good about myself."

Due to the injury only a few months earlier in July, she didn't have a lot of time for training before the competition.

"I took some time off so that my brain could heal properly, and then once I felt that I was good enough, I went back to skiing. I took everything very slow, and I just wanted to make sure I was comfortable again with jumping and that I felt good about myself."

Having overcome her injury in time to compete, she has some advice for younger athletes and those struggling with an injury.

"Just never give up and always know that there will be light on the other end of the tunnel...things will get better."

She now has her sights set on qualifying for tournaments next year.

"I do have a few big competitions coming up. I'm hoping to qualify for another Pan Am Championships, and there's also Junior Worlds too that I'm hoping to qualify for."

 

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