Canyon Lake girl takes 3rd at Pan Am event

BY Dawn Rankins

Photo provided by Tom Nathan

Canyon Lake’s Kendra Nathan won the Bronze Medal in the overall competition of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation Pan Am Waterski Championships in the U17 Division Sunday. The United States team of which she belonged won the Gold Medal in the team competition.

Her combined score of 2348.69 points was only 16 points out of second place. The overall scores are a combination of the three events of the competition: Slalom, Tricks and Jump. Kendra took third in the Slalom, fifth in Tricks and fourth in Jump.

The Pan Am Championships included teams from North, Central and South America. The event was held in Chapala, Mexico.

Photo provided by Erin Waite

Despite winning the team Gold Medal and Bronze Medals in Overall and Slalom, Tom Nathan, Kendra’s father, said Kendra’s highlight of the weekend was topping her best scores in the Jump event.

“Kendra jumped a new personal best score of 99 feet in the preliminary round to earn her a spot in the finals, then jumped 100 feet twice in the final round for another personal best score,” Tom said. “The 100-foot mark is considered a milestone in the jump event. It was exciting for that to occur during this competition.”

Erin Waite, Kendra’s mother, said she was extremely proud of her daughter.

“I am so proud of her dedication and perseverance,” Erin said. “But more importantly, I am proud of the young lady she has become. She is so kind hearted to her teammates, her coaches and to other competitors. She treats everyone with respect and kindness.”