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About Me Date of Birth: June, 1984 Atlanta, Georgia, USA Pronunciation: Jaquess (JAY-KWESS)...no "c" University of Louisiana at Monroe, Doctor of Pharmacy Program, College of Pharmacy (2nd Year) ULM Water Ski Team Collegiate All American, Team Captain (2002,2003,2004,2005) Ski Instructor, Cory Pickos World Ski Center, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida Pan American Judge; AWSA Senior Judge; Level II Instructor Nickname: Cheese Sisters: Renee, my best friend and the wind beneath my wings for a long time; Alexis Pickos is my adopted sister. Brother: Adam Pickos is my adopted brother. Pet: Stoney, Chocolate Lab, born on the Bayou DeSiard, August, 2002 Favorite Movies, TV, and Music: See my FAVORITES page. Favorite NASCAR Nextel Cup Drivers: Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Dale Jr. (With these guys, one of my drivers wins more often than not) Favorite Cuisine: Mexican & Creole/Cajun Least Favorite Food: Hamburgers Favorite Restaurants: Estella's Mexican Restaurant, Brandon, FL is a good one! But Louisiana Lagniappe in Destin is really good too. I can't afford it, so I only go when my Dad is with me in Destin-- so he can buy. Red Bar in Grayton Beach, FL is awesome. Pompano Joe's on the beach in Destin-- great view. Favorite Restaurant & Blues Club: Blue Orleans in Blue Mountain Beach, FL...about four miles from the Pickos Ski School....on Hwy. 30A...cajun food and Gator's Blues Band is a must see and hear....check out the Blue Orleans website and then go see Gator, Tom and the gang! They play Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Procol Harum, Professor Longhair.........and they are open until 1:00AM or so!
Favorite Beach: Beaches of South Walton, FL (Destin) Best Vehicle: Anything with a Chevy logo, but an SS Silverado is pretty cool, then again, so is a Corvette Convertible. Best Ski Boat: MasterCraft Pro Star 197, without question the best tournament ski boat on the planet Best Place to Live: Anywhere near Destin, Florida Best Place to Visit: Santiago, Chile Favorite Ski Events: Slalom, Tricks, Jump & Overall Factoids: Set 40 United States National Records as of December, 2006. Girls 1 through Women 1. Awarded 70 medals (52 Gold) in International Competition since 1998. Graduated from Freeport High School, Freeport, Florida Star point guard on Freeport Varsity Basketball team Prom Queen, Freeport High Gave up competitive gymnastics when 9 years old to concentrate on water skiing Enjoy swimming, surfing, and basketball Youngest person to capture US Open Overall Title (16yrs) Youngest person to compete in US Open (12yrs); Placed 3rd in Tricks Never Been: Never been to Spain, but really want to go. Ricardo Botas, who pulled me to my first World Championship tricks title in Recetto, Italy in September, 2001, has invited me to ski at his site just South of Madrid! I can't wait! My dad loves Spain.....he has been many times.....but I have NEVER been. I hope Ricardo is driving the 2007 World Championships in Austria! Coaches: My dad was my first coach, but I soon progressed to others. Stepan & Gabriella Bardizbanian-- they were former members and coaches of the Bulgarian team that had immigrated to Milledgeville, GA thanks to help from Ralph Meloon, E.D. and Carole Walker. We all skied at Lake Walmead at the time. They were fantastic trick coaches and taught me many of the basics that helped me learn more difficult tricks. One of the things that they reinforced was getting comfortable in the reverse toe position--- going all the way down the length of the slalom course holding a reverse toe back at 7 years old was not an easy task. But it sure helped me develop my confidence. Jack Travers-- Renee and I spent many weekends at Jack's and every summer for about seven years under the guidance of Jack and his staff. Both Jack and LeLani helped us develop not only as skiers but also through the transition from kids to young adults. We owe a lot to both of them. Jack is an awesome coach. We also had the chance to work with some very accomplished instructors at Jack's and developed long time friendships as well. Chistophe Duverger, a former member and coach of the French team, was an inspiration to me. Rhoni Barton helped keep me focused and took me under her wing (she made me hold that RTB position until she honked the horn)--- we have been on two world championship teams together--- along with Brandi Hunt (three USA World Champ Teams together) another student/instructor at Jack's. Cory Pickos-- I moved to Santa Rosa Beach, FL at the end of my Freshman year of High School and became part of the Pickos family. Cory and Rose welcomed me into their home where I lived for the next three years. I can not say enough about Cory's ability to motivate students and help them improve. It would have been difficult for me to capture the World Trick title at sixteen without Cory--- and become World Overall Champion two years later. Many thanks to Javier Julio for helping me in all three events. Alan Atkins has been special--- he is the best pin person on the planet! Jim & Michael McCormick-- Jim & Michael are special. They got me to 171' feet when I was 17 years old. What more can I say. Chet Raley-- Chet is an awesome coach. He helped me with my tricks and slalom early on. I hope I have more time to spend with him in the future. He can definitely get you to the next level. Chris Rossi-- Chris is a slalom guru. He set my GOODE up for me and I ran 3 @ 10.75m-- he has an uncanny ability to quickly analyze your slalom style and set up a ski to maximize your performance. If you are in a slalom slump, go see Chris. He will get you out of it. Jay Bennett-- Jay has helped me a lot since I have been in Louisiana, it is just a 2 12/ hr. drive down to Zachary-- and I can keep an eye on some of my competition...like Danyelle! Interesting Stuff: My mom and dad were three event skiers and attended the McCormick Ski School (then at Lake Dexter in Winter Haven) back in 1975. My dad was Georgia State Trick and Overall Champion for several years, but my mom never received any titles for some reason...:) Cale Burdick and I train together at Cory's. His dad and my mom went to the same high school in Evansville, Indiana... Reitz High School. Cale is on the Purdue University Ski Team, along with Abbey Schmidt. Abbey's parents and my parents used to ski together when everyone lived in Southern Indiana! Reitz High School in Evansville, IN: Lots of Jaquess's past through this school overlooking the Ohio River. Great Grandfather Col. Fletcher Jaquess was a teacher there before going into the Armed Forces. My Grandfather John Jaquess went there and so did his two sisters, my Great Aunts Jerry and Jackie. Both of them were Prom Queens! Most of their children also went to Reitz. My Mother not only graduated from Reitz, she also taught there for a few years right out of college. Both of my Aunts....Renee and Regina....also went to Reitz. Now, that is more than you really wanted to know about Reitz, eh? Yes.....my sister Renee and I were named after our Aunts Renee and Regina! My Great Grandfather Col. Fletcher P. Jaquess was a professor at Purdue University. He has an academic scholarship named in his honor. He actually had the original Orville Redenbacher (the popcorn guy) as a student. Both worked on hybrid strains of popcorn. Orville sold his to General Mills, the rest is history. PURDUE UNIVERSITY COLONEL FLETCHER P. JAQUESS SCHOLARSHIP More Interesting Stuff: You would not believe how many people ask where the Jaquess name originated. Here is the story in a nutshell....Jonathan Jaquess, Sr. imigrated to the Colonies (New Jersey) in 1720. Prior to that, the Jaquess family lived in England, near Wales, but prior to that...they lived in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France or Germany...depending on who won the most recent war...somewhere along the line the spelling was changed from the French....Jacques...yep, we dropped a "c" and added one more "s" at the end....now is that not the coolest story you have ever heard? I am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. My ancestor Jonathan Jaquess was a minuteman of the revolution and fought under the command of George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, where Britain's Lord Cornwallis surrendered to the American Revolutionary Forces. More specifically, he was Private Jonathan Jaquess, Jr., 2nd New Jersey Regiment, Fifth Troop, Light House Brigade. He enlisted at Woodbridge, NJ on January 25, 1777 and was discharged from service on March 4, 1779. Great Great Great Great Cousin Col. James F. Jaquess was an officer in the Union Army (Co. F, 73rd Illinois Infantry) during the Civil War. Prior to the war, he knew both Abe Lincoln and Jeff Davis. They all lived within 100 miles of each other at one time, Jeff having grown up near Hopkinsville, KY and Abe and Col. James in Southern Indiana. Using his personal acquaintances with both leaders, he tried to negotiate an early end to the Civil War. Jeff Davis declined to accept the terms of surrender and the war went on for six more months until final surrender at Appomattox. One of my other Great Great Great Great Cousins, John L. Jaquess, was in Co. K, 17th Tennessee Infantry. Obviously, he had a serious disagreement with Colonel James, his own cousin. As you can see, the Jaquess side of my family has been into the military....my dad is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and Sons of Confederate Veterans....guess we have been around. My Great Grandfather, Col. Fletcher P. Jaquess (mentioned above) was in the U.S. Air Force (Army Air Corps before the Air Force existed) and served in the Pacific during WWII and Europe during WWI. His brother (my great uncle), was killed in action in France. Both of my Grandfathers served in the Pacific theater during WWII...Grandpa Charles H. Byrd was in the Marines and spent a lot of time driving tanks around China between 1944 and 1946. He participated in action at Peleliu, Palau Islands; Okinawa; Ryukyus Islands and was stationed in China after the war until 1946. Grandfather John R. Jaquess was in the Army and saw action all over the South Pacific during WWII.
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