Penticton's Kate Pinsonneault is ready to wear the red and white maple leaf.
A rising star in the world of individual athletics, Pinsonneault, 18, will represent Canada at the 2025 World U21 Waterski Championships in Calgary, Alta., from July 31 to Aug. 3.
The Penticton Secondary School graduate is part of a six-person team representing Canada in the overall team title competition.
"It's an amazing feeling, especially this year with having such a strong team," Pinsonneault said about representing Canada. "Such an honour to be part of it."
Pinsonneault will participate in slalom, trick, and jump at the event, which will include around 100 water skiers from more than 20 different countries.
"I'd like to place well, but for me, mostly, it's about sticking to my process, doing my thing and seeing what it gets me," she added.
The event, hosted by the Predator Bay Water Ski Club at Lakes of Kastynstone in Calgary, is sanctioned by the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation.
It's been a year to remember for Pinsonneault, who was named Canada's water ski athlete of 2024 before scoring a full-tuition scholarship at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
She also became the only Canadian — and just one of seven junior athletes from across the globe — to qualify for the prestigious Masters' Waterski and Wakeboard Tournament south of Atlanta, Georgia, this past May.
"I'm hoping to start my professional career soon, hopefully this fall, and if not, next spring," said Pinsonneault, who, after Calgary, heads to Paraguay for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games.
It's been six years since Pinsonneault began water skiing. She recalls practicing tricks on Skaha Lake with her dad, the man she credits with helping her develop a passion for the sport.
Since her first days on the local water, the Pentictonite has also gone on to notch several first-place finishers at events across North America and seven medals at the 2024 Pan American Water Ski Championships in Bogota, Colombia.
"Even in the past few years, every time I'm home, I'll go out skiing with my dad, and it reminds me of when I was little with him," Pinsonneault said. "I've been able to carry on those small things as I grow up."
A quick turnaround is in store for Pinsonneault as she gears up to begin her collegiate career on the water. The South Okanagan athlete will head to her new school in Louisiana immediately after she wraps up with Canada at the Pan Am Games in Paraguay on Aug. 18.
Pinsonneault's looming post-secondary run will be headlined this fall by an appearance at the 2025 National Collegiate Water Ski Association, set for Oct. 16 to 18 in El Centro, Calif., where she hopes for a podium finish.
"Your team is such a big part of collegiate water skiing, and I'm excited to be part of that," she added.
