ULM Wins agian

[Horton]

This never gets old.

[webbdawg99]

Looking at the list of team members, I find it a little disappointing how few are from the USA. If ULM is pulling skiers from all over the word, I wouldn't expect this trend to ever change. No one else will be on an even playing field with that type of recruiting.

[MattP]

ULM, ULL, ROL, and FLS are all pulling top skiers from all over the world. Why blame them? If there are scholarships available they will only be spent on the best. ALA, ASU, Purdue still put together very competitive teams mostly if not all with American skiers. ALA won the national title not to long ago as well.

[webbdawg99]

I am curious about one thing though. What is the motivation of these schools to have top ski teams? There can't be much if any financial gains for the institutions....and the prestige associated with it on a relative scale is very small. So what's the motivation?

[Chuck_Dickey]

The alumni are all ex-skiers!

[BraceMaker]

Was a little disappointing that the commentators couldn't give Purdue a Boiler Up!

[BraceMaker]

@webbdawg99 - what's the motivation for this site?

 

In terms of market share slalom skiing commands a rather small chunk of "althletic pursuits" - what motivates BOS?

 

Luckily most of these teams have skiers who have parents that are skiers, and are atleast financially able to attend a university.

 

I would wonder how much total scholarship money and funding goes to ULM, or the Mocs. Is the number available?

[jdarwin]

@webbdawg99 - why so blue? We should be celebrating excellence not qualifying it. What is the financial motivation for Oklahoma State to have a championship golf team? Duke a women's soccer team? Stanford a men's polo team? It's not ALWAYS about an ROI. It creates a unique experience for the student athlete. ULM (NLU) has been known for their water ski team since the early 80's. The university uses the water ski team to promote the college and its unique culture.

 

@BraceMaker - ULM funds the water ski team thru a student fee that was voted on and implemented back in the 80's. Unlike other non-revenue sports that must depend of the revenue generating sports (football / basketball) for their existence.

[6balls]

If you attend Purdue, though, I believe like most mid-west teams you can get on the team and be coached up. It's different on these top teams where only the very best are selected. I could run 28 off at 36 my freshman year, but that wouldn't allow me to be a part of a team like ULM. Maybe they could run a parallel club where other students who ski or who are interested in skiing could participate.

[jdarwin]

@6balls - I was a pretty good kicker in high school but the fact that I couldn't hit a 40+ yard field goal consistently prohibited me from playing for LSU. I could have played D1 ball at a lower level program but I chose not to. College sports is 100% about resources and the talent level those resources attract. Some have it in football. Some have it in basketball. Some have it in water polo. I skied at LSU - I probably couldn't have made the NLU team either. But that didn't stop me from pursuing my passion.

[6balls]

@jdarwin, I was more thinking about how to expose and bring more people into skiing. They have a great program at ULM, but the skiing is limited to a very select group. Would be nice to have a skiing option at those top schools to bring others from the student body into skiing. I realize that such individuals interested in skiing in college but not scholarship material could choose a different school where they could ski, but I like the idea of as many schools as possible having a mortal-accessible ski option, even if they have a serious scholarship only competitive arm as well. It's probaby not possible given limited resources/time etc...just dreamin.

[MattP]

Most ski teams have more than the members you see at the tournaments. You are limited to 5 men and women entires in each event on A team. Depending on who is free the weekend of the tournament and who is skiing better is who gets to go. There are 30 possible spots for different skiers but because so many can 3 event this is rarely done. B team can ski at events

as well but they do not count for team points. Schools usually have a ski or waterspouts club that will have 60+ members and from there they take members to compete as a team. The student body is give a chance and analogy to learn to ski they just have to do it.

[Razorskier1]

Collegiate skiing is a funny sport in that you can have scholarship teams competing against club teams. Not sure that happens anywhere else in sports. That being said, the Midwest teams all have a blast every time they make it to nationals and they know going in they aren't going to win. They are just there to compete as hard as they can (and party as hard as they can). Maybe if they partied just a little less they could compete a little better!

[ToddL]

I'm torn with the whole scholarship and international skiers issue... It would be interesting to see how things would be different if:

a) scholarship and non-scholarship teams were competing in different divisions (I know D2 is sort of that already...)

b) if NCWSA was limited to USA skiers (I know... a very touchy subject)

 

I'm not saying that I support either of the above, but it is interesting to ponder what it would be like...

 

I was thinking what if schools with scholarships competed at a world level, while non-scholarship teams competed nationally. Schools with scholarship teams, could also have a club team without any scholarship support which could represent their school in the national arena.

 

Side topic...

For those skiers who are in grade school - I highly recommend skiing while at college. If your college career dreams take you to a school without a ski team, then start one! Don't worry about needing a team of 5 for every division. Just take what is there and invest in it. Ski on a public lake with some student's family boat if you must. But stay involved in skiing. Then, participate in the local tournaments as a small team. Who cares if you have no jumpers. Just enjoy the comradery of collegiate skiing. I am still friends with my ski teammates and other school skiers from back in the day. The great thing about our sport is that we are primarily competing against our own personal best - just trying to push it just a bit further each time.

 

Heck, maybe that is part of the opportunity at NCWSA - compare last year's scores to the current year and recognize the most improved team, most improved individual in each division/event.

[MattP]

@ToddL I have often thought about that as well regarding the International/Scholarship teams vs. club teams. But it is what it is and i doubt it will change.

 

I know I could be skiing A team at some of the top schools in the country but I chose to stay in state and went to a local school because of finical reasons/ scholarship money I got. Now in my third year I started a team this past season and I am working now making it an official club sport. We only had 3 skiers this season, we had a blast. There is truly nothing like college skiing. We finished 5th in our conference and 7th in the region. We made it to the wild card drawing as well. All great fun!

[ToddL]

@MattP - and thank you for sharing your story! That's what it is all about - having fun!

[6balls]

Team started a year before I got to U of Iowa...no boat just a few folks that would give a pull here and there. Local attorney who had a big houseboat donated to us his yellow w/brown metalflake prostar 190. Had 2K hours on it and was pretty rough around the edges. We rebuilt the carb, rebunked the trailer, changed belts/starter/alternator/manifold gaskets and she ran like a monster. 4 guys went to our first tourney in Kansas. We had a blast and of us skied all events in CRAPPY weather. Most scratched in jump, we all jumped. Myself and one guy from KS were the only one's who made a slalom pass in the white caps. We came in second!

Team slowly grew and added a Moomba Boomerang not to mention some ladies to the team. Now they have a MC 197 and the Boomerang. The team is still very club sport with only a few real tourney skiers, but it sounds like they have fun. Who wouldn't as a college kid with access to two inboards!

[jdarwin]

b) if NCWSA was limited to USA skiers (I know... a very touchy subject)

 

Take a look at D1 tennis and soccer programs. Often the international student is getting some financial assistance but often, is paying MORE out-of-pocket than the in-state student.

[jimbrake]

Same thing happens in NCAA alpine and cross-country ski racing. Teams are heavily euro and scandinavian dominated. I think that is the case for a lot of international sports as the majority of american athletes are in the baseball, football, basketball pipelines. That, plus do universities in other countries even have sports teams? Probably a stupid question, but I don't hear about them. They must have, but if you are a high-level athlete in any sport in any country you are probably looking at American universities to continue a high-level of training while going to school.

 

College skiing is a blast no matter what level your team is at.

[GK]

Just a shout out to my alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. They qualified and competed in D-I without one single skier who could run the slalom course, trick ski, or land a jump prior to coming to the University of Cincinnati. That's good team building!

[LeSkiAvantTout]

@jimbrake College sport in US is by and large on a whole different scale to elsewhere, certainly in the UK. Knocks me on my ass when I visit mid-west with my American wife and watch likes of Notre Dame draw a crowd of 80K, that's more than the England football team! On the other hand when college sport gets serious over here, best example the Oxford v Cambridge boat race, then it's a ULM situation, ie few if any British undergrads in the boat but lots Americans/Canadian/Germans (the Winklevoss twins of Facebook infamy rowed couple years back, no-one can tell me they were there to get a degree!).

 

Making college skiing US nationals only be a bad move IMO, it's a global world now guys!

[ToddL]

[MattP]

@ToddL I saw that video this morning. That right there defines college skiing. What better than seeing 200+ college kids and their drinking teams skiing teams together to hang out and do some skiing to pass the time. It is one of the few sports where so many teams can compete against each other at the same time that is also co-ed? It shows me that there is still hope to what @OB calls a dying sport. I think he might change his mind when he goes to a college tournament. Start them young make it fun and they will be around forever!

[ToddL]

If only they could afford to keep skiing while they start their careers, get married, and have their first kids... We loose about 80% of them during their M/W1 and 2 years.

[MattP]

@ToddL I know, it is one think I will get through. I think there is only 5 M1 and 1 M2 skiers in Ga.

[eleeski]

College skiing rocks!

 

Tournaments are about getting together with your peers for a challenge. Nothing is more challenging (or fun) than skiing against the best skiers in the world. There's nothing wrong with the scholarship programs at the top schools.

 

D2 is also wonderfully relevant. The competition is just as intense. Typically the players are not scholarship skiers (unless the scholarships are academic!). D2 champions are true champions.

 

Once out of school, many DO stay in the sport. Since our only other source of new skiers seems to be the children of established skiers, we really need these kids. San Diego's ski scene is driven by the ex college skiers. Thanks to these people and the schools that developed them.

 

To any kids out there making school choices: consider the whole school experience. If you love skiing and your favorite doesn't have a team, start one! There's nothing but suport for new, developing or rebuilding teams. Chances are that you'll have to work just as hard to keep an established team going, anyhow.

 

To the hosts out there: remember that college is a learning experience. There will be issues with these kids. Do your best to protect the kids (and yourself) but grow a thick skin. Noise, minor damage, messes and social transgressions will piss you off but the overall benefit to these kids from real life lessons is so valueable. Consider yourself as one of their professors! And thanks! (Bennetts, Imperial, Ironwood and all the other supporting sites of college skiing).

 

Eric

[Chef23]

@ToddL the bigger issue for me when I started my career was that I was out drinking and chasing girls instead of at tournaments. I spent my weekends in Newport, RI hanging out rather than at water ski tournaments in the middle of nowhere with no or few ladies around. When I had kids and they started skiing I got back into skiing. Personally I would have access to a boat as my Dad kept the boat until I stopped being around on weekends to ski.

[jdarwin]

I inquired w/ some of the collegiate skiers who attended the board meetings last January as to the best way to retain skiers once they graduate. Answer: Those who attained an official's rating while in college (judge/scorer) were much more apt to stay involved in the sport and compete. Therefore, finding an easy way for these skiers to fast track to a rating should be a major objective of USAWS/AWSA/NCWSA.

[ToddL]

Which comes first? Chicken or the egg?

 

I suspect that skiers who are already likely to stay engaged are the ones who became officials while in college. Probably not the other way around...

[webbdawg99]

@jdarwin I completely agree. In my humble opinion, USAWS makes us jump through way too many hoops to advance as officials. I've pulled over 30 tournaments and god knows how many hours of practice but am still an assistant driver. Why? Bc I have to attend ANOTHER clinic (good luck getting one of those put on annually) and I have to be an assistant chief (AGAIN) for another 3 event tournament. With the shortage of clinics and 3 event tournaments....its difficult to get all the checks in boxes. I'm passionate about skiing and want to contribute. However, someone with slightly less passion than I could easily become discouraged with the whole process and just say "screw it". This is a volunteer based sport. We need to make it easier for volunteers to volunteer!

[jcamp]

When I skied in college our coach required us to get a rating/become an official of some kind, but I'm sure that is probably not the case at the majority of schools.

 

Maybe the NCWSA could waive all or portions of tournament registration fees (subsidized by AWSA/USAWS if need be) on a sliding scale related to the number of rated officials a team has? I bet this would be a great incentive for some of the teams that struggle a bit more with funding.

[akale15]

Boiler Up!!