A Williams Lake father and son duo will represent Team Canada in Bogotá, Colombia, at the 2014 International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation Pan American Water Ski Championships.
Conley Pinette, 14, and his dad, Parnell Pinette, will compete in trick, slalom and jump at the Games, which run from April 14-19.
Conley, who has been training with Team Canada in Florida for the past two weeks, is the defending 2012 Pan American under-13 overall gold medalist and is the 2012 silver medalist in under-13 jump. Parnell, meanwhile, was a bronze medalist in the 35-plus men’s jump.
The Pan American Water Ski Championships are held every two years.
While in Florida Conley worked and trained with world water ski champion Jaret Llewellyn, and, for the next week, will train with the Canadian team and coach Matt Rini before flying to Bogota.
At this year’s Pan Am Games Conley will compete in the under-17 age class — a big step up in competition — while Parnell will compete in the 35 and over division.
Following the Pan American Water Ski Championships Conley hopes to compete at the Junior Waterski World Championships at the end of July. Originally slated to be hosted in the Ukraine, the event has been cancelled due to political unrest, however, the IWWF is expected to announce a replacement venue in the near future.