Sherri Slone (born May 6, 1966, in Hays, Kansas) is an American former professional water skier, world champion, and former world record holder. She is the only skier to win two professional titles in the same day.
Career
Slone learned to water ski at age 3 on a pair of trick skis at Cedar Bluff Lake in Hays, Kansas. She began competing in three-event water skiing at age 11. At the 1979 Water Ski National Championships, she jumped 71 feet in her first jump as a Junior Girls' competitor and won the national overall title at age 13. She won the Girls' national overall title in 1983.
She attended Louisiana State University from 1986 to 1991, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design with honors.
Notable Accomplishments
1990 Season
Slone ended Deena Mapple's 38-win streak at the Budget Rent a Car Tour stop at Bachman Lake in Dallas, Texas. Earlier that same day, she had taken the Women's Jump Title at the Ft. Worth stop of the Michelob Dry Waterski Tour, making her the only skier to win two professional titles in a single day.
World Record
Slone co-held the Women's Jump World Record, jumping 156 feet at the 1995 U.S. Team Trials held at Lake David in Groveland, Florida. This jump tied Deena Brush's record, which had stood for seven years.
WOW Tour
When women's events were dropped from the U.S. Professional Water Ski Tour, Slone and Jennifer Leachman founded the WOW (Women of Watersports) Tour for the 1997 season, which featured professional events exclusively for female skiers. Events from the WOW Tour were broadcast on Fox Sports as Curves. The organization also hosted learn-to-ski and wakeboard clinics to encourage greater female participation in watersports.
Major Titles
- World Championship Titles: 1991
- Pro Tour Titles: 1990, 1991
- Masters Titles: 1995
- Pan American Games: 1995 (gold medal in women's water skiing, Argentina)
- U.S. National Championships: 1991
Hall of Fame and Retirement
Slone retired from water skiing in 2000. She was inducted into the Water Ski Hall of Fame in 2012. She also served on the American Water Ski Association's International Activities Committee and became a rated judge.
Post-Athletic Career
After retiring from competitive water skiing, Slone worked in sales and management roles in the automotive industry, including positions at Cox Automotive Inc. (VinSolutions, Dealer.com, AutoTrader/Kelley Blue Book).
