Mapple’s Slalom Fall Gives Overton Victory

Having already accomplished the most difficult of her two tasks--keeping alive her streak of 37 consecutive women’s water ski jumping victories--Deena Mapple was primed for her sixth double victory in seven weeks on the Michelob Dry Pro Water Ski Tour.

All that stood between it was two buoys in the women’s slalom event. Kristi Overton, her competitor in the finals, had fallen going into her second buoy--giving her a score of 1 1/2 buoys.

Mapple had probably negotiated two buoys with 40-feet of rope length a thousand times. But Sunday’s run on Mission Bay was different. Going into the first buoy, Mapple overturned on her ski and fell--giving Overton, 20, her first slalom victory of the season and third in two years on the tour.

“I was taking my skis off and talking to myself, when I looked up and saw her in the water,” said Overton, a student at Central Florida College in Orlando. “I was disappointed in my performance, but I was glad to win.”

Though disappointed, Mapple took her upset loss in stride.

“It was definitely a mental lapse,” she said. “I was thinking of the whole course instead of the first buoy. I have more experience than to do something like that. But that just proves you have to earn it.”

Overton said Mapple’s aggressive tactics surprised her.

“I was surprised she took (the first buoy) that hard,” Overton said.

Still, it wasn’t too bad of a day for the Mapple family. With Deena’s victory in the jump at 140 feet over Sherri Slone’s 131 and husband Andy’s victory in the slalom over Lucky Lowe by a half buoy, the Mapple family walked away with $9,500 in prize money.

Andy’s slalom title was his seventh is seven attempts this season.

“It goes like that,” he said. “You get on a roll and you start getting all the breaks. I must say the way the things are going for Deena and I are better than we ever expected.”

Mapple, who won his event with 38 feet of rope length, beat Lowe five buoys to 4 1/2.

“I almost didn’t get the fifth,” he said. “I had a problem at four because of the salt water. My foot came out of the binders and I was barely able to hold on.”

In the men’s freestyle, Dave Reinhart of Defiance, Ohio won by setting a world record in distance on one ski--77 feet. Reinhart finished with 1,945 points, Mike Tolzmann was second with 1,427 points and Dotter was third with 1,407.

Australian Bruce Neville won his first tour event of the season with a jump of 193 feet, finishing ahead of his countryman, Geoff Carrington, who was second at 192. Mike Kjellander took third at 174.