From Last Place to World Champion: Winter Garden's Jana Shelfer Sets Adaptive Water Skiing Record

In November 2025, Jana Shelfer of Winter Garden, Florida, achieved a remarkable feat at the IWWF World Disabled Waterski Championships in Mulwala, Australia.

 

With unwavering confidence, she executed a series of tricks that culminated in a record-breaking score of 1,340 points in the seated women's category.

 

Upon completing her performance, Shelfer returned to the dock, tears of joy streaming down her face.

 

Her husband, Jason Shelfer, met her with a beaming smile and tears of his own.

 

They celebrated as if she had won the championship, even before the official results were announced.

 

When the results confirmed her victory, more tears flowed.

 

She expressed heartfelt gratitude to her training partners and her husband, acknowledging their indispensable roles in her journey.

 

"The emotion was overwhelming," Shelfer said.

 

"It was all the good emotions all at once coming out.

 

It was joy, it was pride.

 

I was so elated and it all came out at once."

 

This achievement reminded Shelfer of her enduring champion spirit.

 

At 21, she secured a gold medal in wheelchair basketball at the 2004 Paralympics, following a car accident that left her paralyzed during her freshman year of high school.

 

In 2025, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.

 

Reflecting on her journey, Shelfer remarked, "I think my 20-year-old self would be really proud of my 50-year-old self."

 

After retiring from basketball post-2004, she pursued a career in radio, launching the "Living Lucky" podcast with Jason in 2021.

 

However, her innate competitive drive drew her back to athletics, especially after Jason purchased a boat in 2012.

 

The couple embraced the boating lifestyle but sought a more active pursuit.

 

They decided on waterskiing and, through online research, connected with a coach they affectionately call "Frank from France."

 

Despite language barriers and his initial unfamiliarity with adaptive skiing, Frank learned to accommodate Shelfer's needs.

 

"I look back at that time, and I think we were meant to find each other because it was a mutually beneficial relationship," Shelfer said.

 

They assisted Frank in learning English, and he, in turn, taught them to ski during early morning sessions.

 

Within a year, they no longer required an instructor.

 

Jason then purchased a ski boat with a flatter wake, and Shelfer acquired a smaller ski for better maneuverability.

 

They built a house on a lake in Winter Garden, making the water their backyard.

 

Initially skiing a few times each year, Shelfer's competitive spirit led her to enter her first competition in September 2024.

 

Discovering an adaptive waterski competition in Auburndale just days before the event, she decided to participate despite having no prior competitive experience.

 

She managed to complete the course at the slowest speed, clearing every buoy.

 

Observing other competitors performing tricks, she was inspired to try trick skiing.

 

Without the proper equipment, she and Jason modified one of his wakeboards, spending hours attempting to get her on the water.

 

Despite initial failures, she entered the trick competition.

 

On competition day, after a failed first attempt, she succeeded on the second try.

 

Unaware of any tricks, she turned toward the audience and waved, inadvertently performing a side slide that earned her 40 points and last place.

 

Determined to improve, Shelfer began skiing twice daily.

 

"It became a part of who we are," she said.

 

They attended multiple training camps and competitions, spending significant time in West Palm Beach.

 

World-class skiers from various states came to Winter Garden to assist.

 

Their home became a hub for training camps, designed with wheelchair accessibility and equipped with handrails on the dock.

 

Traveling to competitions introduced Shelfer to jump-skiing, initially a terrifying prospect.

 

Facing a 5-foot ramp at 26 mph felt reckless, but curiosity prevailed.

 

Donning a helmet and mouth guard, she approached the ramp, telling herself, "This is stupid."

 

Upon hitting the ramp, she experienced a sensation akin to flying.

 

"This is what birds feel like," she said.

 

"Time slows down, and there's just this peacefulness, and then you land and you think, 'I want to do this again.'"

 

She fell in love with jumping, which significantly improved her competition scores.

 

Climbing the water-skiing ranks, she qualified for the 2025 World Championships in Australia.

 

On the dock, she battled voices of doubt and calm.

 

She chose to listen to the calm.

 

"I had already practiced, and I had already visualized this 100 times in my mind," Shelfer said.

 

"Today is the day I'm going to see what I see in my mind."

 

Jason noted that without embracing the jump, Shelfer wouldn't have become the overall champion.

 

"It's this ultimate feeling of accomplishment," he said.

 

"You know what you've invested financially, time-wise, the community that's come into it.

 

It's not only us; it's been a team."

 

Her achievements earned her recognition as the 2025 International Disabled Athlete of the Year and USA Adaptive Water Ski and Wake Sports Athlete of the Year.

 

She was honored at the National Awards Banquet on January 31, 2026.

 

Reflecting on her unexpected journey, Shelfer laughed.

 

She never imagined this path for her life.

 

It still surprises her, but she feels immense pride.

 

"We created an outcome that was inevitable," Jason said.