DANIELLE Shorten, 16, from Wymondham has been selected to water ski for Great Britain at the European Championships in the U17s in Italy and the U21s in Finland this August.

DANIELLE Shorten, 16, from Wymondham has been selected to water ski for Great Britain at the European Championships in the U17s in Italy and the U21s in Finland this August.

Danielle will be part of a five-strong U17 team to go to Italy in early August where she will compete in slalom, tricks and jump. She will then be back for five days and has been selected to be part of a team to represent the U21s in Finland although she is not yet in this age group but has been asked by British Water Ski Federation to move up an age category for this competition. She will compete in slalom, tricks and jump.

Danielle can jump the furthest of any woman under the age of 35 in Great Britain and has jumped over 100 feet. If she can increase her jump distance this year by about 10 feet she could break the U17 girls' jump record which currently stands at 36.9 metres.

Danielle attends Easton College where she is on an Excellence and Performance Sports Diploma course for students who represent the country at county level and above.

She is at present training at the British Water Ski Federation site at Thorpe in London as well as at Norwich Water Ski Club and Pentney Water Ski Club. Danielle will be working towards being selected for the U17 world championships to be held in Peru in January 2009.

Danielle's sister Kelly, 19, who has just finished her first year of a UEA sports coaching degree at Easton College is waiting to hear if she has been selected to represent GB at the World University Water Ski championships in China in September.