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Elaine Heller
ABC Female Athlete of the Year
The
ABC has selected the 2011 Female Athlete of the Year: Elaine Heller.
In the male-dominated world of barefoot waterskiing, Elaine
Heller is continually driving herself and other women to perform beyond their
ability. She is the first American woman and only the second woman in history
to land an inverted barefoot jump, a feat very few male barefoot water skiers
even attempt.
2011
was another record breaking year for Elaine, she set a new women’s world
jumping record of 21.3 meters, breaking the record she set at the world
championships in 2010.
Heller also had an
incredible U.S. Nationals performance winning the gold in tricks, slalom, jump
and the overall championships. She is ranked 1st in the world in
jumping, 2nd in wake slalom and 4th in tricks.
Elaine
helps her family host several tournaments each year. You will find her doing
everything from skiing and scoring to setting up equipment and hauling out the
garbage.
Elaine
operates a Barefoot Waterski school called The Blue Moo Barefoot Academy.
Elaine is currently in her junior year at the University of Wisconsin
-Stout, majoring in hospitality management.
Her goal is to own and operate a business featuring Barefoot
Waterskiing. Elaine believes her business and our sport needs to focus on
attracting new participants to survive. Since half of all new skiers are
female, Elaine hopes her success can help inspire other girls to give our sport
a try.
Elaine
was nominated for the 2011 Woman’s Sports Foundation’s “Sports Woman of the
Year” award.
Heller
has broken the “fiberglass ceiling” in barefoot waterskiing and continues to
set the bar high for women and men across the world. Heller hopes her success
will help send the message barefoot waterskiing like a world champion is as
attainable for girls as it is for boys. Just watch Elaine fly
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