When most of us grab our skis and the tow rope, we get a face full of lake water.
But when the Pelkey siblings do it, they walk away with nine gold medals.
That’s what the three sisters won at the Canadian Water Ski Championship in Shalom Park from August 8 to 13.
Located just south of Edmonton, Shalom Park features a private artificial lake designed for water skiing. The park offers “New Kids of the Water” ski camps and instruction for all ages.
But for the Pelkey siblings, Shalom Park was a battleground. Hailing from a farm between Millarville and Bragg Creek, Sofia, Sarah, and Megan tore through their competition like a grizzly through a picnic basket.
Megan is the oldest and already has an impressive win total. In June, she was named one of 2022’s Female Junior Water Ski Athletes of the Year.
Last summer, Megan won the U17 Girls Slalom, Trick, and Overall at the Jr. Canadian Open. She also competed in the U17 Girls and Open Women at the Canadian Nationals in Edmonton, placing first in the U17 Girls Trick and Overall.
Even more impressive, Megan took her skills to the U17 World Championships. She placed third in Trick but was crowned the U17 Word Champion in the Overall category.
During this year’s Canadian Water Ski Championship, Megan took home four gold medals in the U17 Slalom, Trick, Jump, and Overall categories.
Megan’s sisters, Sofia and Sarah, are following in their big sister’s wake. Sarah secured a gold medal in the Slalom U14 category. Meanwhile, Sofie won gold in the Slalom, Trick, Jump, and Overall U12 categories.
Her sisters are coming for the throne, and Megan couldn’t be happier. The siblings share a healthy rivalry, and Megan looks forward to teaching her sisters about the mental aspects of competition.
“It’s really cool – I’m glad to have my sisters alongside me, and it’s really nice to see them excel…I try to give Sofia some advice sometimes if she’s nervous, and with some of my younger friends, too, I’ll give them advice on the dock if they’re nervous,” Megan told the Cochrane Eagle.
While Sofia, Sarah, and Megan prefer the water, the fourth Pelkey sister, Rebecca, prefers the slopes. She competed in the 2023 Canada Winter Games, which featured 3,600 of Canada’s best U20 winter athletes.
Rebecca earned silvers in Slalom and Super G and a seventh-place finish in the Giant Slalom. The talented downhill ski racer is now eyeing a New Zealand international ski training school this summer.
After the tidal wave of excellent results, the siblings look forward to relaxing at the lake without the skis. According to the siblings’ father, Bob Pelkey, the girls love to be towed behind the family boat in a tube.
“We’re hoping we can get out to the cabin, and the kids can have a bit of downtime, no training, just relax…Just float around, go tubing, be kids a bit,” said Bob.
Before Megan returns to the National Sport School in Calgary for her last year of high school, she will head to Florida to start training again.
Megan hopes to earn a scholarship to a university in the United States with a prestigious water ski program. When she isn’t competing, Megan enjoys teaching downhill skiing to kids at the Nakiska Ski Area in Kananaskis.
