Manning medals in national water ski championship

Competitive skier Fifty-five-year-old Paul Manning of Bringhurst is seen completing a toe turn trick at the recent U.S. National Water Ski Championship. Photo provided

Paul Manning of Bringhurst won the third place medal in the Men's 5-Trick Skiing event at the U.S. National Water Ski Championship held Aug. 18 in Bakersfield Calif.

The men's 5 event includes 53 to 60-year-old men. The event is composed of two 20- second passes where the skier can do as many different tricks as possible. Each trick has a set point value and repeat tricks score zero. Manning does 17 tricks in the first 20-second pass and 11 in the second pass. Judges only count the tricks that are done properly.

Midwestern skiers took 2nd, 3rd and 4th places out of five available medals. This was Manning's first medal in the Nationals after 20 years of competitive skiing.

Manning earlier took third place in the Midwestern Regional Championships involving skiers from 11 states held in Wichita Ks., on Aug. 4. He also won the Indiana State Championship and set a new State Tournament record in Evansville on July 28. He trains at the Kokomo Ski Club.

Results are posted at usawaterski. org