On Monday, Sept. 9, the Grand Valley State University Water Ski and Wakeboard Club took home the trophy at their first competition of the season. The club competed in the Allentucky Waterbowl, a competition hosted by GVSU in Conklin, Michigan, where the team secured a win from their high scores across three categories.
Water skiing requires an athlete to wear skis that position them above the surface of a body of water. Their direction and speed is determined by a motorboat, which pulls them along by an attached rope. Competition categories usually include jump, slalom and trick. Throughout the course of a competition, team members are awarded points by a group of judges, based on their proficiency within each event.
The jump event tests how far a competitor is able to jump their motorboat without tipping over. In the slalom event, competitors wearing water skis dodge buoys stationed around a course. Factors such as the speed of the boat and the length of rope attached can influence the amount of points awarded. The most technical of the three, the trick event, is based on the amount of tricks a competitor can successfully complete within twenty seconds.
In preparation for these events, the Water Ski Club adhered to a persistent training schedule. The team practices at the Bass River Recreation Area Tuesday through Friday. Weekly meetings are also held to discuss goals, expectations and tournament regulations. Their home site, the West Shore Water Ski Club, is also utilized on a weekly basis to train for the jump and slalom events. A practice course enables team members to effectively prepare for competitions held at different locations across the Midwest. After the upcoming tournaments conclude in mid-October, the club does not meet again until the spring. When the weather becomes warm enough, they begin their training schedule once again for the fall season.
Although the Waterski Club currently has a roster of 42 members, the structure of a competition allows for a maximum of 30 athletes, ten per event. To accommodate all club members who wish to participate, they are split into two categories called the A Team and the B Team. Members of the A Team are those who compete seriously and are determined to score as many points as possible. Due to the skill set required to perform various techniques effectively, not all members can be in this category. This necessitates the existence of B Team members, those who wish to participate in the events, but are not scored based on their performances. This alleviates pressure from club members who want to engage with the sport and hone their skills.
“I personally compete in A Jump and A Slalom, but I love doing B Trick just for fun,” said the club’s Membership Officer, Delaney Novach.
This facilitative environment encourages a strong sense of community among the team.
“We push the idea that being a part of a ski team is being part of a ski family, and that every team member’s time is valued,” said Novach. “We also make a point to implement individual and team goals in order to further support each other.”
During the Allentucky Waterbowl, five other teams were present from schools including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Ferris State University, Western Michigan University and Purdue University. GVSU will also compete in three other competitions during the team’s season. These tournaments are known as Ripfest, Midwest Conferences and Midwest Regionals. Should the club secure a spot among the top universities in the Midwest, they will compete at the Collegiate Nationals in Texas.
“Personally, I’m super excited to go to regionals and hang out with all the other colleges,” said club member Joseph Blewett. “It’s always fun to hang out with the other colleges’ teams, and see how everyone improved during the summer. Overall, I’d say the team members this year are looking forward to competing for a spot at nationals to represent Grand Valley in Texas.”
