Three years after taking up his sport Etienne (13) will compete for GB at the European and African Waterski Championships
Etienne Barron, a 13 year-old waterskier, has been selected to compete for Great Britain at the European and African Championships in Greece later this summer.
The teenager from Werrington has been trained and developed at Tallington Waterski and Wakeboard Centre under the guidance of former GB squad member Danny Jays.
The Ken Stimpson Academy student only took up the sport in June, 2023. Within a few weeks he entered his first competition shortly after turning 10 and managed to complete the half course, despite being completely new to the sport.
Later that year, he competed in his first backyard competition in Cirencester, which really sparked his passion for competitive waterskiing.
During 2024, Etienne began competing regularly at events including Friends of Tournament competitions, Pentney Lakes, and the Oxford Pro. At the Ernie Ward competition at Tallington, he won the ‘most improved skier’ award, before going on to win the slalom at Cutting Edge and then the Under 12 Slalom title at his first National Championships in August 2024.
In 2025, he expanded into all three disciplines — slalom, trick, and jump — while continuing to focus mainly on slalom. He competed at venues including Hazelwoods, Cirencester, Gosfield Lakes, Pentney Lakes, and South Lake. One of his standout performances came at the Youth Trials at Gosfield, where he won all three events in his age group.
Tallington continues to push hard to introduce more young people into waterskiing through upcoming development days and grassroots coaching initiatives. The lake also benefits from the support of current Team GB captain Glenn Campbell, who regularly helps encourage and mentor the younger skiers coming through the ranks. The European and African Championships take place in August