World recordholder returns to make waves at home
Water-skier Dodd arrives in Predator Bay to take part in Canadian championships
Be it Alberta or Florida, Ryan Dodd is at home in his back yard ... as long as there’s a lake around.
Dodd, originally from Olds, has become one of the masters in the sport of water-skiing, having recently set a world jump record. That occurred on Canada Day — at his home in Palm Bay, Fla.
Dodd returns to his roots this week as he takes part in the 2017 Canadian water ski championships at Predator Bay, running from Wednesday to Sunday. Breaking another world record in his home province isn’t at the forefront for him, though wouldn’t that be cool?
“I actually did break the record in my back yard, so I’ve already done that,” he said. “It is kind of neat to come back to Canada for the Canadian nationals. Mainly for me, it isn’t about my performance and my scores; it’s more to come back to the nationals to give back to the kids and support skiing in Canada. Just be a good role model for a young athlete, and that’s my purpose here. Obviously, I’m going to do my best to put on a good show, but I just want to support the kids and be there for that. “But you never know.” The 32-year-old sailed a mighty 254 feet at Stillwater Lakes, overtaking the previous record held by American Freddy Krueger. It had been 15 years since a Canadian held the jump record — Jarret Llewellyn of Innisfail did it in 2002. Ironically, that’s two young men from landlocked Alberta reaching the top of the heap in a water sport.
“It’s strange,” Dodd admitted. “In anything there are obstacles, but if you look for your opportunities and you work with the right people and you work hard, you can always find your way. I’m sure there’s good hockey players that come from Florida and there’s good water skiers that come from Canada.
“There’s the main factors, the weather, the wind, the temperature, the boat,” he continued, describing his record jump, “I had the perfect boat, the driver, the lake, the ramp, I’ve been healthy and in great shape. I just felt things had been going well and one thing after another they were falling into place. That day, everything connected and, boom, it all came together and sort of a dream come true.”
That dream had been percolating ever since he was 10, when he began water-skiing, and he was quick to thank his dad, his mom, his grandma, Llewellyn (one of his early coaches) and primarily his wife, Breanne, who is also his driver and coach.
Dodd is the World Jump champion, having won that title in 2015 in Mexico. He will attempt to defend the crown next month when the worlds take place in France.
“You can say that,” he said of being called the defending champion. “But I’m seeing it as I’m going to go after it like it’s my first one still. You can’t rehearse stuff like this, you never know what’s going to happen. Obviously, I’m confident because I’ve done it before, I’m less anxious. But you have to go in there like it’s a new, fresh start and you have to go all-in. You can’t be defensive and try to sustain where you think you’re at, because there’s always someone working hard. You have to keep getting better, do your best and if that happens, I know I’ll win.”
Dodd is one of about 120 competitors from around the country, ranging in age from eight to 70-plus, who will be at Predator Bay Water Ski Club (30 km south of Calgary), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. They’ll take part in jump, trick and slalom categories.
The familiarization happens on Wednesday, when the skiers get a sense of the elements they’ll be facing. The format has changed a bit this year: the national champions will be determined after Round 1, but a second round, a Super Finals, has been added in which the best of the best in each division will come together for an additional competition.
This, in the words of organizers, will add to the spirit of the event as well as the fun factor for all.
In anything there are obstacles, but if you look for your opportunities and you work with the right people and you work hard, you can always find your way.