Kreg Llewellyn (Facebook picture shared by Jaret Llewellyn)

By Troy Gillard

World champion and hall of fame member

Family and friends remember Innisfail water-skiing legend Kreg Llewellyn

Jul 19, 2020 | 12:13 PM

A family memorial service was held in Texas on Saturday for Canadian water-skiing legend Kreg Llewellyn.

The Innisfail native died in Texas on July 7. He was 52.

Llewellyn began competitive water skiing in the late 1970s. In 1979 he won his first Provincial Junior Boys Overall Title and later that year set his first Canadian Junior Boys Trick Record.

In 1984, he became an integral part of the Canadian National Water Ski Team and for the next 20 years competed in the Overall events of Slalom, Trick and Jump. Kreg held 24 Canadian Records and won seven individual World Championship medals, three Gold Team World Championship Medals, and 18 Pan American medals, including seven gold, nine silver and two bronze. He also helped design and test the first ever Skurfer – a precursor to the evolution of wakeboarding.

Kreg won the first ever World Wakeboard Championships in Hawaii and was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

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“The team elements are the ones I feel the most satisfaction when I look back. Competing for Canada, winning a world championship with a team, those are pretty awesome,” he said at his induction, adding that he was proud to see his sport have some time in the spotlight.

“Water skiing compared to hockey is not quite the same level,” he admitted. “It’s a pretty amazing time to be a water-skier right now and to even go out and watch it, it’s the best time to start.”

In an emotional Facebook post shared this week, his brother Jaret said their family believed a head injury Kreg suffered a few months ago led to some trying times for him.

“Through his faith in Christ and his selfless personality, Kreg always wanted to help others and always took their pain upon his shoulders, which in his current state, magnified his struggles,” Jaret wrote.

“Without a familiar coping mechanism, Kreg was caught in a mental haze. Even though Kreg was searching and fighting for answers, he always tried to protect his loved ones from having to share his burden. Kreg was the strongest person I have ever known and I will miss him every day.”

A second memorial service at Dodd’s Lake in Innisfail, Kreg’s long-time training ground, will take place once COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted.