Jake Abelson
Age: 16
Home country: USA
Special skill: Waterskiing
Hey, I’m Jake and I hold the record for the most points from waterskiing tricks (male). Growing up, I always longed to break a world record and in 2024, I made that dream a reality… TWICE! 🏆🏆
How it all began...
I started waterskiing when I was 2 and a half years old.
I got into the sport because both my mom and dad competed internationally. My mom was a member of the Mexican team, and my dad was part of the Canadian team. 👨👩👦
At 4 years of age, I was introduced to trick skiing.
First, I learned how to do spins and by the time I was 8 years old, I’d mastered how to do flips in the air.
This quickly became my favourite thing to do!
My biggest inspiration has always been Jimmy Siemers. He broke a waterskiing world record when he was 18 years old. 🤩
Growing up, I would watch him ski and prepare for tournaments.
And now, I am fortunate enough to ski with Jimmy and his coach, Camilo Espinel.
How cool is that?!
Those 2, along with my parents, have helped me get to where I am today, competing in championships on behalf of Team USA.
I feel extremely grateful for them. ❤️
Preparing for the 2024 competition season
My run-up to competition season didn’t go exactly as I thought it would…
That’s because in October 2023, I injured my elbow, just before the world championships. 🤕
However, I didn’t let this stop me from dreaming big. I just became more determined than ever before to achieve my goals!
I practised 6 days a week - even in cold, wintery conditions - to improve every aspect of my skiing before making my competitive comeback.
I spent many hours putting together new sequences of tricks. They seemed so impossible at first, but with consistent training, they became possible. 🌊
It took 6 months before skiing felt normal again!
In April 2024, I broke the world record for the first time, scoring 12,720 points. It was exhilarating! 🥳
When I returned to training after that, it felt different knowing I had achieved my childhood dream, yet I knew I could still improve and my main reason for skiing was to have fun.
So, I continued to focus on that and at my next tournament, I broke my own record by another 250 points!*
The different disciplines in waterskiing
My favourite waterskiing event is trick.
In a trick competition, each skier will get 2 20 second passes and in those time frames, they need to score as many points as possible by performing a variety of complex tricks. ⏱️
On 1 pass, the skier will have their foot in the rope, and for the other, they will hold the handle with their hands.
I also enjoy jump and slalom.
Jump is thrilling. The goal is to fly for the longest distance possible after soaring off a ramp at top speed. 🪽
Slalom is all about precision. Skiers are required to complete a 6-buoy course in the shortest distance possible. 🌊
Both me and my younger sister, Lexi, compete in each of these disciplines for Team USA.
Becoming a comic-book hero
I appeared in Guinness World Records 2026 as the hero of my very own comic-book strip. 🦸
This illustration was designed by The Illustrators.
I love that waterskiing is a sport that can be practised with friends and family. I love the freedom behind the boat and the ability to perform tricks on the wake. I also love that the three events are thrilling in their own ways, and the fact that practice is never boring and there are always ways to improve.
Jake Abelson
*Since Jake appeared in the Guinness World Records 2026 book, he has gone on to beat his own record for the second time! On 14 June 2025, the now 17-year-old scored 13,020 points, becoming the first skier in history to exceed the 13,000-point mark.