Nautique Boats: Congratulations on setting the Women’s Trick World Record! Tell us what being a World Record Holder feels like and what it means to you?
Neilly Ross: Holding the World Record feels almost like a relief. I have had my eyes set on achieving this goal since I was 14 when I tricked over 10,000 points for the first time. It has been a long road, but to end this season with setting 3 pending World Records (1 approved thus far) has been worth all of the work and sacrifice and I will keep working to trick more points.
NB: What did you do on and off the water to prepare to break the Women’s Trick World Record?
NR: I’ve grinded as hard as I can, year-round, for 15 years straight. I have cut no corners and have sacrificed everything; it is 100% worth the effort I have put in! I wouldn’t have it any other way - I absolutely love skiing (and slalom just as much as tricks). To put into perspective how tough it gets at the top, it took me nearly 7 years from the time I put on a trick ski to trick 10,000 points, but it took me more than 7 years to go from 10,000 points to 11,000 points.
NB: What new sequences and tricks did you put together in your World Record run?
NR: To put together my World Record run, I knew that it was going to take testing out creative sequences and putting together two innovative passes. I needed to fit 6 flips and 4 wake tricks in time, but I also needed several low point scoring (“filler”) tricks. Because of this, we designed my run in a 3 flip, 4 spin, 3 flip configuration. On top of that, I needed all 10 tricks to be very high scoring tricks. As for toes, I cut out some surface turns and added the toe wake line 540. This added a few hundred points to my toe pass.
NB: Bring us back to the beginning - tell us about your waterskiing journey and what inspired you to pursue a professional waterskiing career?
NR: I started skiing before I can even remember. Slalom was what brought me into the sport. I grew up at my family’s ski school in Orlando, Florida and every day of my life has been spent at the lake. Then, when I was 7, I rode a trick ski for the first time and was immediately hooked. From that point forward, both of my parents showed their full support by devoting 3-4 hours every single day to drive and coach me tricks — they couldn’t get me off the water (it became my dad’s new full-time job lol).
NB: What does an average day in the life of Neilly Ross look like when training for a tournament?
NR: While training for tournaments, I start my day by heading over to the lake at around 7:30. I always do a 20-30 minute warm up consisting of rolling, stretching, and activating my muscles before I do 1-2 slalom sets. After slaloming, I usually like to separate my slalom and trick sets by a few hours, so I’ll go home for a quick breakfast and then go back to the lake for 1-2 trick sets. After my skiing in done for the day, I enjoy doing pilates or going for a run.
NB: Can you describe your most memorable waterskiing experience?
NR: When I was 12, I got a call from Steve Bush (former Team Canada Coach) asking me if I had been training through the winter to which I replied “of course.” I was needed last minute to compete in Santiago, Chile in just a week at the World Championships. Up to this point, I had only competed in junior competitions. My dad and I hopped on a plane to Santiago, Chile and I got to ski with and against my heroes (12-year-old me was absolutely floored that I was on the same team as Whitney McClintock, Breanne Dodd, Ryan Dodd, and Jason McClintock; plus many more of my heroes that I got to compete against including Clementine Lucine and Natalia Berdnikava). It was at this tournament that, to my surprise, I became the youngest skier to ever make a finals at a World Championships and I ended up placing 7th. Competing at this high-level competition alongside the athletes that I looked up to so much changed my life and it was there that I decided that I wanted to pursue skiing with all of my energy - and to one day be the best in the world.
NB: What are your favorite things to do off the water and in the off-season?
NR: Off the water and in the off season I love to wake surf, foil, snow ski, and run. Since I started skiing heavily when I was around 7, I really have never taken an “off-season.” It wasn’t until last year that I started to give myself several weeks without skiing to rest and focus on other aspects of my life.
NB: What does Nautique mean to you?
NR: Nautique to me means reaching for perfection. In the water sports industry, Nautique is the trailblazer in innovation. At the end of the day, there is no boat that feels the way a Nautique does and still, Nautique continues to strive to find ways to improve and reach beyond what is thought of as the “perfect” ski boat.
NB: What features of the Ski Nautique helped you to break the World Record?
NR: The crisp and supportive wakes of the Ski Nautique most definitely helped me to break the World Record. The wake shape and table behind the Ski Nautique are on a completely different level. The clean definition optimizes transitions and improves skier efficiency. The ballast system allows for an immediate and accurate customization of balance and size.
NB: Who has been your biggest influence or role model and why?
NR: Hmmm.. tough one. I have had many role models throughout my career including Clementine Lucine and Whitney McClintock. Especially in the past few years, my brother, Charlie, has done such an amazing job developing a positive mindset and extreme work ethic so I definitely look up to him a lot.
NB: Do you have any advice for aspiring junior waterskiers?
NR: I have always told myself that the best mentality is one that goes full force in working as hard as you can and then at competitions, to roll the dice and let them fall where they fall. Another thing that I tell myself is when I’m nervous for a competition, I ask myself if this is the last tournament that I will ever ski in. If the answer is no, then this prompt helps me to remove my fear and channel my nervous energy into having full confidence in my runs.
NB: Looking ahead, what are your goals for the future?
NR: For the future, I want to continue to push the boundaries in women’s trick skiing. I believe it is possible for women to trick over the 12,000-point barrier so… that’s the goal.
