ULM wins another one!!!! 26 national championship titles!!!

[gregy]

The best teams are going to recruit the best players period. I do think there should be a distinction between amateur and professional.

[gregy]

ULM has pushed other schools to step up I think.

[jcamp]

Be careful about pushing for "amateurs only" or "no pros" as every kid who got 25% off a ski or a free handle one time would be ruled ineligible under an NCAA-like system.

[ntx]

@Horton how is recruiting international skiers going to grow the sport here?

@webbdawg99‌ you forgot that Adam Pickos is also part of the ULM men's team.

Can you imagine what college football or basketball would look like if it was run like skiing???

I do like what FSC is doing. Everyone skis all three events. The coach told me he could not afford the travel expense to take single event skiers to last years nationals on the west coast. Fun to see KC Wilson put on a trick ski and a pair of jumpers. KC is a VERY accomplished overall skier.

[MattP]

FSC*

It's a college. Not to be confused with Florida State University which currently does not have a ski team.

[jipster43]

It seems to me that ULM has built the program and support that we would like given to all schools (and pros!). I don't see how artificially limiting their success will help other schools fund their own. If anything I would think it could help the argument for other universities to increase the amount they spend on water skiing.

[BK]

@webbdawg99‌ If it were the schools with huge endowments funding the scholarships, I might agree with regulating it. But it's not. The fact is there are many programs out there that have the potential for funding scholarships. Start there. Or wherever you want. Volunteering is commendable but it'll take funding (tax deductible, by the way) scholarships to build up programs. ULM won, but not by much. 12830 over ULL at 12415. Would we be having this conversation if ULL won?

[ntx]

@bk probably not. If ULL or anyone else has won, Horton would not have started this thread. Lol I expect to see a changing of the guard in a year or two. Someone with some deep pockets will try to put a stop to it. Should be interesting.

[Horton]

@ntx if ULM had not won we would be talking about how the title was stolen by cheaters. Those bastard cheating cheating Ragin Cajuns cheaters!

 

@luzz it is only a joke.

[Razorskier1]

Good to see there aren't any strong opinions on this site! @webbdawg99‌ I hope to see you at all stars in 2015!

[ntx]

@Horton‌ :D

[thager]

@Horton I heard it is a BS degree!!

[Horton]

@thager‌ more BS than you realize

[TylerR]

@horton admit the truth man, you really got a clown degree, didn't you?

[eleeski]

At least Horton's reply had correct spelling. Punctuation and proper use of capital letters - well we are talking ULM. @MattP‌ stops proofreading at the first typo - big mistake here. @Than_Bogan‌ is allowed grammar issues because his MIT numbers are spot on. Note that Stanford was part of the inaugural WICWSC college waterski conference - this is all my fault.

 

Eric

[Horton]

meh.

[Luzz]

@Horton‌ it's a cheap joke but ya... good job ULM. Their win this year clearly shows that depth is more than individual victories when it comes to winning Nationals.

 

and @MattP‌, FSU doesn't not have a ski team anymore... but there's someone there who may take the initiative and start it again..!

 

I briefly read the previous posts about performance and winning. As a former collegiate skier with ambitions to one day ski the Pro Tour, I can say that Collegiate skiing is much more than the final placement at Nationals. It's pure fun! Collegiate Nationals truly represent a raw enjoyment for the sport of water skiing that sadly I do not see anywhere else.

 

Thibault put it very nicely last week: "Everyone here is smiling and skiing against each other at the same time. When do you see that apart from Collegiate Nationals?!"

[webbdawg99]

@ntx The list I posted was a copy and paste from the "press release" regarding ULM's victory. Stinks that they left Adam off that list!

[MattP]

@Luzz‌ I was hoping you were going to pick up on that comment! It would be great to add another team to the Eastern Region!

[Chef23]

@jcamp collegiate athletes can get equipment now there was a revision to the amateur rules for collegiate athletes a few years ago. I know golfers who got several thousand dollars worth of free equipment that they get to keep. I am not sure what if anything the limit is but 25% off a ski or a free handle doesn't put their ability to compete collegiately at risk.

 

Of course Dave Goode (or any other owner of a ski mfg) buying them dinner would which just highlights how silly the NCAA system can be at times.

[RazorRoss3]

Where would the line be drawn? I know a few D3 sponsored skiers who while they are very good, I wouldn't call professional. Here in the Midwest we have Jenny Kaldor who had been on the nationals podium more times than not but isn't exactly competing with Regina.

 

So we have a sponsored skier, highly competitive in the nation, but isn't skiing o scholarship. My point is the line is very blurred.