Dallas Man Selected to U.S. Disabled Water Ski Team that will compete in Australia

The Water Skiers with Disabilities Association, a sports discipline organization of USA Water Ski, selected David Carter of Dallas, as a member of the 2017 U.S. Disabled Water Ski TEAM that will compete in the 13 th Disabled Water Ski World Championships, April 27-30, in Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia. This will be Carter's third time on the US TEAM, which is vying for an unprecedented fifth consecutive World Championship. The USA is the only country to have ever won three championships in a row. The Water Skiers with Disabilities Association is one of nine sport divisions of USA Water Ski.
The U.S. Team has dominated adaptive water skiing since its inception, winning eight World Championships out of 15, earning 327 individual medals, 148 of them Gold.
"Disabled" skiing has the same events and rules as able-bodied (slalom, tricks, and jumping). Carter, a seated skier, competes in two of the three events; slalom, and tricks-skiing wherein the skier gets 20 second passes to score the most possible points.Carter began skiing at a young age but never progressed into competition until about a year after his injury from a 2010 motorcycle accident. He has earned two Gold Medals in international competition and a Bronze in national competition. Carter has been a full-time student at Georgia Highlands College and planned to transfer into Kennesaw State University this spring.
The thirteen athletes on the 2017 Team represent nine states, range in age from 17-59 and collectively have earned 65 Individual Gold Medals (World) and set 43 World Records. Carter is the only TEAM member from Georgia.
TEAM Manager Geneva Brett points out that "disabled" is the world's largest minority, and the only minority anyone can join in the blink of an eye. She believes the athletes represent America's best; they've faced challenges and have adapted, adjusted and overcome to be great role models.
Although the US TEAM has dominated adaptive water skiing since its inception it remains little known and self-funded. Each athlete must pay for their own training camps, air travel, accommodations, uniforms and entry fees at a cost of nearly $5,000 per athlete. Carter is seeking assistance through the Team's website www.USskiTEAM2017.com, which accepts donations via PayPal and allows the public to participate in drawings to help the skiers.
USA Water Ski was formed in 1939 as a non-profit organization promoting water skiing in the United States. USA Water Ski is affiliated with the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (world governing body) and is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and Pan-American Sports Organization as the national governing body of organized water skiing and wakeboarding in the United States.