Northland waterskiers make up half the Kiwi team to compete at the Under-21 Waterskiing World Championships in Florida next month.
Curtis Williams, 16, from Whangarei, and Toni Atkinson, 21, are among four athletes selected to compete in the events of trick, jump and slalom.
Williams has been in the UStraining since the end of June, and said skiing was a major part of his life.
"I'm the fourth generation of tournament waterskiers in my family. I learnt to ski when I was 8, when my great-grandfather was still skiing at 80," he said.
Atkinson, an Aucklander skiing for the Northland team, said she was training hard, rising at 5.30 each morning to go skiing, hitting the gym four times a week, and going to boxing and yoga classes, while also juggling university studies.
"I have been working hugely on my mental and physical self in preparation for worlds," she said. "I want to ski to my absolute potential without letting the pressure get to me."
Northern Region Water Ski Association president Glen Williams said the selection reflected the region's success, with Northland the top team at the nationals for four years.
"The selection is an awesome achievement," he said. "Especially for Toni, this is massive, it's the pinnacle for her."
