It’s not surprising that World Champion water skier Jason McClintock took up water skiing, given that the McClintock family is known around the world for their water skiing abilities.

“Growing up in a family full of top level water skiers was definitely inspiring,” said Jason. “My Aunt and Uncle were World Champions and my Dad competed alongside them for years on the National Team as well. He also Coached the National Team. It was motivating to work towards a similar legacy for myself.”

Jason entered his first ski competition before the age of five, and three years later, entered his first national competiton. By the age of nine, in 1996, he won his first national championship in slalom, trick and overall. He also placed third in boy’s 2 jumping.

In 1997 he won the boy’s 1 trick, jump and overall nationbal titles at the National Championships, in trick, jump and overall, and the next year (1998) was the boy’s 2 national champion in trick, jump and overall.

His sister, Whitney—they are two years apart—is also a Canadian and world champion several times over.

In 1999 he set national slalom and trick records, and in 2000 he was once again boy’s 2 national champion in trick, jump, slalom and overall.

The next year Jason was named to Canada’s Junior National Water Skiing Team and won gold at the provincial water ski championshps.

In 2002 he moved to Lake Worth, Florida where he could train year round, but returned that July to win four gold medals at the Ontario Summer Games, which were held at the McClintock’s Water Ski School on Puslinch Lake. He captured the men’s slalom, boy’s 3 tricks, men’s open division & men’s open titles.

He also vaulted to eighth in the Junior world rankings, again winning the boy’s 3 national title in trick and overall.

McClintock was named top male Canadian water skier in 2004, winning the World Junior Water Ski Championship, earning gold in slalom, tricks and overall. There he set a personal best by two metres in the jump event.

That year, at the Pan-Am Championships, he won the Junior Masters division.

In 2005 at the Elite World Championships in Tianjin, China, Jason placed 11th in tricks and was 12th overall.

The next year, at the 2006 U 21 World Championships in Feldburg, Germany, he captured gold (Overall) and was first in trick and fourth in slalom. He was awarded the Bosch Cup for the highest overall score of the tournament.

At the 2009 World Championships in Calgary, Alberta, he helped the Canadian team win the team gold, while he finished seventh in the slalom,, 11th in tricks, with a personal best trick score of 9970 pts in the preliminary round.

That same summer, at the 2009 Canadian Nationals in Edmonton, he was first in the Elite Men’s slalom, and tricks. In the Open Men’s division he placed 2nd in the slalom, with a first in trick, setting a new personal best score of 10,170 pts. When the world rankings came out that year, McClintock was ranked 13th in slalom and 17th in trick. In 2011 Jason placed 4th at Global Invitational, and the next year was named 2012 Waterski and Wakeboard Canada Male Athlete of the Year and won Junior U.S. Open (1st Slalom, 1st Overall)

In April of that year McClintock was ranked 8th in the slalom and 14th in tricks globally, with an Elite ranking of 10th in the slalom and 1st in both the slalom and trick. At the Canadian Nationals in Newmarket, Ontario in 2011 he was the Elite Men’s slalom and trick: In 2012, at the Canadian Nationals, he placed first in the Elite and Open Men Slalom, and was first in 1st Elite and Open Men trick, Also in 2012, at the Pan Am Games in Guadalajara Mexico, he won gold in the slalom and silver in the trick. That year he was named male athlete of the year by Waterski and Wakeboard Canada. In 2013 he won gold at the Canadian Championships in open trick and at the World Games in Columbia that July he won a bronze medal. He was also nominated for the Tim turow Athlete of the Year in 2013. It was his third nomination for the Turow Award; he was earlier nomiated in 2004 and 2005. His sister

Whitney won the Turow Award in 2007 and 2009, the year she won the world championship— she won again in 2011. It wasn’t unusual for the brother and sister act to win gold medals at the same Canadian Water Ski Championships, something they also did at the World Championships in Cali, Colombia, where they accounted for three medals.

Whitney, a four-time world champ by then, earned silver and bronze at those quadrennial Games, while Jason, who was then 26,won bronze in the men’s trick competition. The siblings earned spots on Canada’s team for the world championships in Santiago, Chile, late that November (2013). The pair were among a group of six skiers on the 10-member team whose scores would contribute to the overall team event. “This was awesome jumping by Whitney,” said Canada’s head coach Steve Bush. “She went out of her comfort zone and it resulted in a bronze medal.”

The quadrennial World Games, which attracted thousands of athletes from 98 countries, competing in 37 sports, are staged the year following the Olympics. Jason’s medal came as a result of training and practice. “I just tried to stick to my plan,” he said. “I didn’t feel 100 per cent today but I did manage to get most of the points out of my trick run…I’m always happy to bring home medals for Team Canada.”

“I’ve competed my whole life basically, and travelled the world on Junior, Under 21 and Elite National teams, all of which my sister was part of as well,” Jason said. “Our sport is great for the family dynamic; growing up, it was often times Mom, Dad, Whit and myself training at our ski school all summer long and competing on the weekends.”

There were plenty of ups and downs along the way. “But overall we were a close family unit and it was pretty cool to be breaking Canadian Records most of the time when we hit the water at tournaments.” Jason McClintock lives in Calgary.