Luke Van Den Heuvel headed for barefoot skiing Masters World Championships in Texas

Queensland’s champion barefoot water skier is set to represent Australia at the Texas Masters World Championships in September. While he prepares, his eight-year-old son is shaping as the next prodigy.

Luke Van Den Heuvel has been on the water his entire life.

After beginning his competitive barefoot water skiing career in 1998, the Marian man has successfully defended his crown 24 years later at the Queensland Open Men’s Championships in February.

However, there is a growing threat to his throne in the form of his eight-year-old son Jackson, who picked up the sport following his dad’s return from a 13-year hiatus in 2018.

Jackson has now attended two national championships and skis up a division because the younger sections offer only participation awards and he wants to win.

At the most recent competition, his personal best in the slalom event led him to finish third in the sub-junior boys division, which is essentially the under 14s.

For his dad, Jackson’s efforts are a major source of pride.

“He’s definitely getting there. He was super, super happy with that and I was too. He had to ski a (personal best) to get that, so he was chuffed,” Luke said.

Jackson still has a long way to go before he catches his dad, who is currently ranked fifth worldwide.

“That’s where I sit at the moment, but I have a few personal best scores to put in from tournaments and that could bump me up into a fourth position,” Luke said.

“It’s pretty good for me, being a senior now, I would say.”

He has become somewhat of an elder statesman in competitive circles in recent years, as many of his rivals are younger and do not yet have children.

While his competitive streak may be winding down, he is looking forward to watching his son compete on the water for many years to come.

“I guarantee that Jackson will ski for a long time. He’s got some really good ability and there’s a couple of very good local kids in Mackay that he’ll bounce off as well,” Luke said.

But Luke’s time isn’t over yet, with the 35 year old heading to Austin, Texas in September this year for the 2022 Masters World Championships as part of the Australian Open Pro Team squad.

He already has several local businesses on-board as sponsors, but wanted to put the call-out to the Mackay community to see if anyone else would be interested.

For sponsorship inquiries, email Van Den Heuvel at [e-mail]