U.S MASTERS — THE BALANCED B

The U.S. Masters... it's the event that every skier dreams of competing in. Known as the most prestigious event in all of waterskiing, pulled by Nautique boats, who has been hosting and sponsoring the Masters for 57 years.

My first ever U.S. Masters was 14 years ago, back in 2002. I was 17 years old when I received my first invitation to compete in the Junior Masters. So excited and honored to be among the top junior skiers I happily accepted. Even if that meant skipping my Grad, which is Prom in America. It was an easy decision. Ski at the US Masters or Grad? Plus my Grad date was also going to be competing in the Masters. For those of you who don't know Ryan and I were high school sweethearts just growing up in different provinces. : )

There is so much history surrounding the U.S Masters tournament for many water ski families. From the beautiful gardens of Callaway to the infamous Robin Lake, and an iconic Pavillon, the excitement throughout the weekend, is something that we all look forward to. You've probably seen photos of the pavilion or images that are shot by photographers from the roof. The skiers take off and finish right from the pavilion so you can get up close and personal to all the action. It's a unique place for spectators where they can actually feel the emotion and energy of the athletes.

Unfortunately, this year didn't go as planned. I skied 2 @ 38off which fell short of making the cut to the finals. As an athlete, you always want to compete to the best of your ability, so I was a frustrated with myself. They say you never lose you win, or you learn! It's your choice to turn a negative result into a positive outcome by being mindful. #BalancedB

The Master's is very special for Ryan and I because we get to compete as a family, so as I mentioned before I have to be mindful throughout the whole weekend, not just for myself and my skiing but also for my husband. After I clear my mind and reset from my own skiing, I switch gears into my other role, Wife. It's a great experience to be able to support someone else through the Master's event, and switch roles from skier to supportive wife for Ryan as he prepared to compete in the finals on Sunday.

Sunday is finals day, and this year all the athlete sure did put on a great show! Starting with men's tricks, all the skiers absolutely killed it by all standing up their runs and putting on a fun show to watch. Aliaksei took the win with a score of 12,020! Jacinta (aka Rabbit) leaped 188 feet breaking the course record by 4 feet! Then came the Men's Jump Finals and Ryan's attempt to capture the win, it came down to Ryan and Freddy tying in feet. In this case they go back to the meters and in the end, Freddy took the win with 71.1 compared to Ryan's 70.9, even though Ryan jumped the winning distance in feet (233) twice ... the rules are the rules and Freddy won in meters. So, as the story goes the battle between Freddy and Ryan continues which makes for a fun year of friendly competition that any athlete would welcome.