Cathy Williams 2023 IWWF Hall of Fame

Описание: Cathy Williams has been a solid member of the IWWF Wakeboard Community and has developed the sport to where it is today. 1994 would start the first glimpse into the water sports world for Cathy, working at Performance Ski & Surf. In 1998, a little late into the game, at 27 years old, she started competing on the European Pro Tour and training at Waterski Club Ravenna in Cervia, Italy, with the support and guidance of Thomas Gustafson.

Cathy made the tough decision in 2000 to compete in the first IWWF (then IWSF events) World Wakeboard Event. This was at a time when there was another commercial organization promoting wakeboarding under its banner and its own ‘World’ Championships. She faced much scrutiny and heavy criticism from the wakeboard community in the USA, including the industry. However, she endured and paved the way for professional wakeboarders to compete in IWWF events. Not to mention, she was the IWWF World Open Women’s Champion in 2001 in South Africa.

The following ten years would take Cathy worldwide, competing on many world stages; midway through her career, she was sidelined with a Torn ACL. Determined not to be landlocked, she created the first woman-owned and operated Wakeboard Clinic Road Tour, Live2Ride Wakeboard Lifestyle. Cathy was the first woman to have her own Wakeboard Road Tour. She drove her sponsored Chevy Avalanche towing her 24-foot Tige Boat with all the toys, wakeboards, surfboards, snowboards, dirt bikes, and mountain bikes. She negotiated sponsor deals, managed the road tour, and scheduled and facilitated clinics—a one-woman show driving all over the USA and Canada, sharing her passion for wakeboarding. Cathy continued to focus more on promoting the sport. She enjoyed being involved in growing the grassroots by hosting clinics, writing articles for magazines, and filming for shows.

Cathy continues to teach wakeboarding and is the current President of USA Wakeboard. She also sits on the board of USA Water Ski & Wakes Sports and the IWWF World Wakeboard Council (WWC).