POLK CITY, Fla. — USA Water Ski and the American Barefoot Club have selected six barefoot water-ski athletes for the 2002 U.S. Elite Barefoot Water Ski Team. The team will represent the United States at the 2002 Barefoot Water Ski World Championships, August 20-25, in Wallsee, Austria.


Ron Scarpa, winner of four world barefoot overall titles and 15 individual world barefoot titles, heads the list of athletes selected to the U.S. Team. Also named to the team were: Lane Bowers, Rachel George, Jason Lee, Keith St. Onge and Paul Stokes. Michael Caruso, who won the Junior Boys world overall title last January, was selected as an alternate.


Scarpa, Bowers, George, Lee and St. Onge all were members of the gold-medal winning team of 2000, while Stokes was an alternate. The U.S. Team has won eight consecutive world team titles in the biennial event.


Jon Kretchman, a member of the 2000 U.S. Elite Barefoot Team, will serve as the U.S. Team's coach and Darlene Lee will be the manager.


"From top to bottom, there's a lot of talent on this year's U.S. Team," said Steve McDermeit, USA Water Ski's executive director. "The U.S. Team had an outstanding showing at the 2000 Worlds, and we are very excited about the prospect of winning a ninth consecutive world team title."


The Barefoot Water Ski World Championships has been held every two years since 1978. The U.S. Elite Barefoot Team has won the team world championship title eight consecutive times — in 1986 in Kelheim, West Germany; in 1988 in Melbourne, Australia; in 1990 in Jacksonville, Fla.; in 1992 in London, England; in 1994 in Sydney, Australia; in 1996 in Fergus Falls, Minn.; in 1998 in Sydney, Australia; and in 2000 in Fergus Falls, Minn.