What was the path to your first tournament?

[jgills88]

We all started somewhere, howd you find your way to that first tournament?

 

If you've never been to one, why not?

[MISkier]

Late bloomer here.

 

 

Free skiing from age 9 to 25.

First exposed to and learned the slalom course at age 25 over a couple seasons at a local ski school.

More free skiing with an occasional course opportunity from then until age 42.

Took a couple lessons and joined a ski club at age 42.

Participated in the ski club "league night" and experienced simulated, informal tournament setting.

First tournament at age 45 in 2010.

 

The league night in the ski club was key to preparing for a tournament.

 

As to why I actually decided to enter a tournament, I realized that I was getting older and should take the opportunity while I could (almost a "bucket list" item). I don't have any delusions of placing, winning, etc. I just ski against myself to increase my PB and achieve other "firsts". It would be nice to qualify for Nationals, but not required.

 

 

 

[thager]

In 1968 or so my dad bought a small 16' Larsen ThunderHawk with a 65hp Merc on the back. We bought a set of combo skis from a local marine dealer in Mankato, MN. Included with the skis was a post card advertising to join the American Water Ski Association. Although only eighth grade I scraped up the $15 and joined AWSA. A few weeks later I received my membership card and a packet of stickers, the AWSA magazine and a large packet of how to

pamplets, contacts, local tournaments etc. After watching a locals only tournament in my home town during our Rodeo Days Celebration hosted by the Prior Lake Ski Club, I became interested in slalom. My best friend John Ewalt and I, along with a few others installed a hylex bottle slalom course running N-S next to the cemetary. We started practicing. Shortly after that we met and began skiing with Jim Heins, a farm kid from Vernon Center. Jim really caught the slalom bug and bought an inboard ski boat. Was a Correct Craft Mustang with a 351 in it. As things progressed, we began to compete among ourselves and eventually we started to think about competing officially. I checked the contact listing and wrote a letter to Nito Quitavus requesting an entry and for Jim, John, and I, the rest is history. Thanks Nito! Had many wacky adventures and wondrous times. Met so many good friends! So glad I sent in that post card!

[harrison_343]

One day i went and did a come and try day at my local ski club, went up the weekend after for a ski and got talked into entering a tournament the next weekend. Was good

[jimbrake]

My path was the old Monterey Highway (US101) south of San Jose, CA. Literally. It went right by the Santa Clara County Water Ski Club pond. I was driving by in '75 and it was packed with cars. I stopped to see what was going on and found out it was a collegiate tournament. It was the summer before my senior year of high school and I knew a guy there from the local junior college. He said if I split the entry fee with him, he'd say I was from the JC.

 

Anyway, I was aware of tournament water skiing and aware of the SCCWSC, but wasn't a member and didn't know how to get involved, but really wanted to ski the slalom course badly. So, I kinda just lucked into it that day. My parents sent me to Mike Suyderhoud's ski school the next summer AND they got us into the water ski club and that was all she wrote.

[Rednucleus]

My 1st try at a course was a Lake Stevens Aquafest Tourny mid 80's - I was a decent skier, how hard could it be - after crashing at one ball I was hooked. The following three years did the INT league; lots of fun, met lots of great people. Haven't done the tourny thing since then.

[ForrestGump]

Spent a week at Bennet's in my mid 20s and got through 15 off 36mph consistently that week so came home and went straight to a tournament for the first time. And sucked. lol

 

[braindamage]

I was 17 and skied open water slalom since 12. I loved to ski and had a friend about my dad’s age who competed and would sell me his old skis cheap.

 

He told me about a competition about 20 mins away. I’d never skied a course, so I showed up a couple hours early and talked one of the drivers into giving me a few passes before the tourney. I made it through 1 pass officially. I didn’t ski a course for another 32 years and have never entered another tournament.

[Nickpep22]

A neighbor on the lake needed a third one day stopped and asked me I went. Never skied before in my life some how got up loved it 8-10 years later found Bennett’s. Last season a couple of the guys I ski with got me to enter a tournament loved that as well. This year it’s 12 tournaments lol. As for why I went it was a private ski lake no other boats…..sold!!!

[Cooper_Trelawney]

I grew up on a public lake (Lake McQueeney) that had a jump ramp and a cable slalom course but no real tournament skiers at the time. So I was self-taught on how to 3 event ski and if you ever saw me, you would see that! I joined the Southwest Texas waterski team the spring of my freshman year and went to my first tournament in Duckhill Mississippi. I jumped 93', ran 1 full pass in slalom and tricked about 700 points. I was hooked!

[MDB1056]

Grew up non a lake in southern Wisconsin. Helped our ski club build a slalom course in about 1970. Tires with wood and concrete with rebar anchors, sub anchors about 3ft below surface. Spent many mornings hopping out of the boat to connect buoys one at a time- then skiing for a few hours . Mostly behind a Johndon Reveler I/O. Great wake. Entered first tournament in about 1971. Wisconsin State at Tomahawk. AWSA was $15 yr and entry fees were I think $15-20. I was 15. Old wood Obrien Mach 1. Was $100 new. Hot stuff back in the day. There were 3 of us that started skiing tournaments. I was glad they were older and could drive. Got pulled behind a lot of very early Correct Craft’s with 318 Chryslers

[Zman]

Back in 2007, @Chad_Scott called me to come ski a tournament at the Ski Ranch. I hemmed and hawed how much I just liked skiing and hanging out on our own lake.

He paused, then called me something not nice. Keep in mind we were and are long time close friends. So, I said, OK, since you put it like that sign me up. And, so it began.

 

[swbca]

When I was 14, My dad replaced our worn out 45hp Mercury outboard with a Higgins inboard. It was just luck that it could pull 36mph at full throttle. Literally a gas pedal to the floor. I kept my dad, brothers and girl friend busy driving me whenever possible. Then I heard about "water ski tournaments" from a young neighbor women who was heading to the nationals.

 

Mary McBurney & Al Tollefson

were local skiers with National Titles. They got me hooked up with the Silver Spray ski club and some boys division tournament skiers in Minnesota. After a couple of years of local tournaments, I skied in all the Nationals from 1964 to 1968 until I moved to California for work. Resumed skiing after I moved back to Minnesota in 1975.

 

1962 year of first tournaments / Plywood Higgins / First boat with more than 45hp

[Stevie Boy]

In the UK there used to be a ski league with divisions 4, 3, 2, 1 and Premiere, there were numerous competitions available to enter and not to expensive, so we used to get a group of us together, go along for the day out and have a good laugh, the group consisted of various levels of skier.

Then they Knocked the League system on the head and went to Ranked Competitions, it immediately, reduced the number of events available and killed the competition scene.

Competitions became expensive to host and the availability of qualified officials and getting them to travel was a issue.

Without the Competitions people moved away from water skiing and became involved with other sports, predominantly Triathlon Events.

I remember skiing against a very young Freddie Winter, he could ski pretty good then, alas my ski buddies, myself included, could never get the better of him,

 

[6balls]

Hey--cool thread, cool stories!

 

@razorskier1 and I were skiing his outboard Barefoot Warrior and noticed a course--so we hacked it up a bit. Some guy was like "Hey, there's a tournament here tomorrow, you want to compete?" Well, he just asked two hyper competitive people if they want to compete. Neither of us had never skied an inboard before--they ran a ski supreme--had some 80's multiple box-style graphics on it behind the logo.

It was called the Bear-Knee Tri-a-lom. I remember b/c it was my first trophy--I won the novice division! I think I got a couple of balls at 34 mph 15 off after running 30 and 32 mph.

From there the college ski team (3-events, baby!) and more regular course work behind the '82 MC--soon through 28 off 36 and later some state titles, regional placings. Jim picked it up later than me, but also became better than me--maybe it was the several thousand passes the dude skied each year!

My first jump was collegiate regionals--our best blew his knee in practice the night before--so we needed a volunteer. Knees/trees/freeze they told me--landed my first jump 33 whopping feet. That was easy thinks me--took a big old cut at that jump second time--slid the skis out sideways off the jump, slalom pose with one hand on the handle in the air and me horizontal saying "oh F(&^$!" on the way down. Hey, next thing you know I'm jumper, too.

[2Valve]

I had a good friend that was going to start competing so I figured I would give it a try.

I know on one occasion I got a pretty cool trophy.

Memories:

Great drivers

Great new boats to ski behind

Really good people

[mike_mapple]

didn't really have a path, it was just something I knew I would have to do. I am 90% sure it was at mulberry though. I do know my sister has never even attempted the course, so there is that? lol

[jayski]

Highway mostly, then a little gravel road to the site....

[teammalibu]

@jayski that explains the road rash!

I blame it all on JD and Cottonwood!

 

[teammalibu]

@MDB1056 what lake are you referring to? I grew up in Silver Lake in Kenosha county!

[swbca]

At 16 years old, I was in my very first tournament in Waverly Iowa in boys division. My parents drove me there from Minnesota. I weighed about 150 pounds but broke two ski ropes. I was sitting in the water in the middle of the lake hearing the announcer complaining about all the trouble I was causing while another boat was bringing replacements from shore. 1st place, Crappy rope !

[6balls]

@swbca what year was that? I used to ski Waverly on that river site in Iowa while at the u of iowa for school. Shallow, current, basically had a hard right turn into the course slung you out into your gate glide on the one end. Waterloo was nicer--private but backwash and beachball style buoys. Pickle farm in Des Moines was nice, and then followed by Dream Lake Estates. You ever ski any of those?

[swbca]

@6balls It was in 1962. I don't remember much about the site . . or even skiing there. I just remember laying awake most of the night in a motel (first tournament excitement) and spending about 15 minutes treading water while they replaced broken ropes. At some point I also skied at Waterloo. Eventually Minnesota started having enough tournaments that traveling became less necessary.

[VONMAN]

1985 Clifford Lake, Montcalm County, Michigan. 3-event non-sanction fun tournament. Slalom skiing, tricks and barefoot figure eight. My bother Rick and I entered the slalom, and I also entered tricks and barefoot. Rick took first in slalom with me coming in fourth place.

He was on a Cyprus Gardens Tech-1, me on a Connelly Short Line. Never heard of figure eight barefoot till that day but I learned to foot a year before. So why not, well I went down in the third round. That was the first time and the last. Some young kid won wearing a knee brace on each leg. I saw him and notice scars on both knees. He said it from jumping crash's, so jumping came off my bucket list. At 35 I like to be able to walk at 71.

Tricking with two Connelly skis I did my routine, side slide L R, front to back L R, Back to front off the wake L R, and 360 L R and overhead handle 360 L R ALL without falling!! Rick and I stay so he can collect his first place Slalom trophy. As we are packing up I hear my name being announced for first place in Tricks. So Kids never leave early you never know what life will give you.

[MDB1056]

@teammalibu - Lauderdale Lakes. Between Elkhorn and Whitewater. Walworth County. I still have family and friends on the lake.

[Kimbymon]

I was at work one day (Delta Dental) and we had recently hired a bunch of contractors from a company and @MISkier was one of those contractors. We ended up talking and found out we both loved water skiing. I had never heard of private clubs before. A year or so later I was looking for a DD ski boat to rent for my annual vacation up on Secord Lake where I spent my childhood summers. MISkier hooked me up with his cousin, and I rented his boat. Later that summer MISkier had me out to his club to ski where he introduced me to my now best friend Maureen. I had been skiing at the local ski school once a week and when that closed I came into the weekly meeting both of us were in and was like "HELP". MISkier hooked me up with the club I now belong to, and then said that I had until I was 45 to start skiing tournaments ,because that is when he started, so I did my first tournament at 44. Now each year I get more and more involved in skiing.

Thank you @MISkier .

[ETskier]

1974, Walloon Lake, MI. Behind a Hydrodyne I/O Tournament Skier. Looked like a drag race car. Wow, what a ride. Didn't do another one until 1983 in Indy.

[teammalibu]

@MDB1056 yes I skied there many times in the 80s still have friends that live on the lake!

[Spencer_Shultz]

My first first tournament was in 2004 when I was in the 8th grade. Couldn’t run a single pass in a 3 round tournament. Went home and vowed I would never go to another event. Picked up wakeboarding.

Found out about the INT in 2012 and that’s what got me hooked. Got to ride my ski and my wakeboard.

2013, the INT didn’t exist in Missouri and by that time, I was all in on skiing. Skied my second USA waterski event and haven’t looked back.

So what changed everything? I learned how to kind of control my nerves with humor and talking! Y’all better lighten up on the starting dock ?

[sunperch]

I grew up wally skiing at the lake with my family. Met a guy at a bar, he asked me if I skied and what ski I skied on. I knew the name of my brother's ski so I claimed it. He asked me to come to the lake on Sat. of Memorial Day weekend. He asked another girl on Sunday, then a camp vote on who was invited back on Monday. I guess I won the vote. He started me skiing the course.

A year later, he cajoled me into skiing the Pomoma Lake Classic by promising me a new ski with matching wet suit and lift jacket if I made a full pass. 3 women judges (Kelly (Dlugosh) Kohler and 2 others) called me in a full pass even though I only rounded 3 ball. My nickname at the time was 26 longline.

[GaryJanzig]

I entered a few tournaments back in the 90's when I would have been in Men 1,2. My ski site is 73 miles from home so I only got out on the weekends. I felt I just did not get enough water time to be competitive. I did not have much vacation time back then so I skipped tournaments because I was losing too much water time. I was at several clinics at Dave's Pond in Edinboro PA during the mid 200's. Andy Mapple, Emma Shears, and Daniel Kennedy(April Coble's coach at the time) came up for some clinics. I was able to get into mid 32 off at 36MPH at the time. One of the club members who was the driver, Ed, asked why I never entered tournaments. I told him I did not think I was good enough for tournaments. He told me I would not make it to nationals at the time, but you would still be good at the local level. I tried it the next year, and qualified for my first Regionals in slalom and tricks. I almost did not go because a trip to Minnesota was expensive for me at the time. I ended up going. The Regionals were on the lakes where my cousin was an owner. Another cousin who also lived in Minneapolis talked me into coming up and let me stay at her place. I have skied in 3-4 regionals, and 1 nationals(2021). I can't make it to Regionals this year because of work(no vacation time allowed the last two days of the month). but plan to do some local tournaments in OH and PA.

[usaski1]

Started tournament skiing about age 14 (‘92 ish) after several people started to say I had potential. Initially, just disabled tournaments.. then started to go to some regular tournaments after my skiing coach/buddy started to notice I was getting better.. ‘96 ish. Won disabled nats in ‘97. Won the disabled worlds in England, slalom in ‘99. Won disabled worlds again in 2000 overall in Australia. Built a house on a ski lake in 2007. Was the first disabled skier to ski at “regular” nationals in San Marcos 2014, at age 37. Waterskiing changed my life forever. Still love it!

[MI3Eventer]

First tournament: September 2012 collegiate tournament in Michigan as a freshman that had been on the team for less than a week.

 

Drove to the campsite Friday night with the team in a thunder storm and it downpoured all night, slept in a tent with a leak and I think the high that night was in the 50s.

 

Long story short best time I had ever had between comradery, new friends and event. I've been hooked ever since.

[Kevin89MC]

Skied my first tournament about 12 years ago. First time behind zero off, didn't fare too well. Tried 2 more times after that, the last one a few years ago I decided to try a different ZO setting, not smart! Always seem to be too nervous skiing in front of a crowd, and never got to practice behind ZO outside of the tournament pulls. Finally got a newer boat with PPSG and Zbox 2 years ago. Getting it dialed in, so looking forward to trying again this year!

 

@swbca that is a sweet Higgins! Do you still have it? My wife's cousin had a yellow one growing up, he got it restored a few years ago and I got to drive it. Crazy with the gas pedal on the floor like a car! Such a cool boat though.

[swbca]

@Kevin89MC We had two of the Higgins over the years. The second one in the picture got replaced with a Glastron IO . . . it was back when they were still using Crosby Boats with Twin Engines at tournaments so we knew nothing about Inboards at the time.

 

A bit funny about the Glastron; Mickey Amsbry a recent World, National and European Trick Champion at the time came up to me at tournament asking if I needed a ski partner . . he had just moved to Minnesota with General Mills and wanted to ski. On the same afternoon I pulled a world trick champion on a trick ski behind an IO in whitecaps. His trick event was the next morning at the Minneapolis Aquatenial ski tournament.

 

He always said, "Its not the Boat | Its not the Ski | Its the Skier" . . period. We skied together for two summers at 8am every weekday morning. He was wrong about some of that . . he had a terrible slalom ski from a company he endorsed. If he had a decent slalom ski he would have beat me more than one time in the two summers we traveled to tournaments together.

 

A footnote about the Twin Rigs . . my Neighbor on the lake was the advertising agent for Scott Atwater Outboard motors. One day a Crosby Twin Rig with Scott Atwater motors pulled up at our dock and the agent asked my sister if she would ski for a Scott Atwater Ad. For $50 each she and her friend skied double around the lake for about 20 minutes being chased by a Helicopter for the picture. The AD was the full back outside cover of LIFE magazine with no life preservers to detract from the girl affect.

 

Water Skiing is a lot of fun with a lot of great people.

[503Kento]

Open water skier since I was about 10 and never got exposed to a course. Somehow late in my college years (maybe 1980?.). I became aware of slalom courses. Having a background in alpine racing, it sounded like great fun. Don’t remember how but I heard of a novice tournament nearby so went to check it out. I had the basic idea of what I was supposed to do but that is about it. Got out there ran a few buoys on practice day with guys from the boat yelling “pull hard” on every cut. Came back for the tournament the next day, don’t remember my score but loved it. Kept skiing tournaments for the next few years mostly to get course time then wife, kids, career, etc. I think I skied my last tournament in 1986 or 87.

[CptOriginal]

9-year-old me watched A LOT of Hot Summer Nights on ESPN and had just tried the course for the first time behind a Sea Star tri-hull with a 90hp Merc. I called the corporate office at EP Skis and asked what it would take to be a sponsored athlete. They told me I needed to earn an EP Rating as a start. Long story short, I've been chasing it ever since. A few local tournament skiers on Lake Miltmore, the public lake in northern IL where I grew up, got me started. A ski school trip when I was 15 led me to my first slalom tournament in Fort Wayne (INT), but I really discovered tournament skiing at Pleasant Shores in Van Wert, Ohio when I was a freshman at the University of Dayton. I was hooked. The next logical step was to found a collegiate team at Dayton, which we did in 1995 with our first tourney at OSU in April of 1996. It is an understatement to say that water skiing changed my life, and the collegiate experience was truly the start of it all. Water skiing introduced me to my closest friends and led me to my lovely wife, Miranda. My water ski family literally became my family and to this day I’m privileged to share lakes and water time with many of my collegiate teammates and competitors with new friends joining our ski family every season. Best of all, our children are going up together, united by our sport.

[mfjaegersr]

My path appears to be the most uncommon, yet most conventional? I started at 6 on my step-dad's lap though growing up I didn't get to ski more than a handful of times per summer. Bought my first boat right out of HS and yanked that thing all over the river for a couple summers. In 1984, it must've been via WaterSki mag that I found AWSA, whom in turn provided a list of 'local' clubs I could contact to find 'help', you know, people with a similar 'issue'. So - I wrote a letter - GASP! And I got one back, which led to a phone call. I joined the club and skied there two seasons, mostly with a kid about to graduate HS (and a great skier) - MMC! We went to a handful of tournaments together, including my first at Crescent Bar, WA - 2nd place in Novice. I moved across country in '87 and bought my first Nautique while living in Atlanta. Skied a tournament in Chattanooga in '88 (3rd in Novice). Resumed free skiing like a madman, no bouys, again from then until 2016 - see below.

 

A couple of 'small world' bits to bring it full circle:

 

I moved back to Portland, got married, and bought our first house in 1995. Went to the Boat Show that year and reconnected with MMC - and learned that we now lived about 200 yards apart! In 2001, we moved our family out to Banks, a mere 3 miles from the lake where it started...yet I never skied there and MMC and I lost touch again...until 2016 when we reconnected at Warman Lake. Looking forward to starting the season there soon...and this MAY be the year I finally enter another tournament too... :-)

 

 

 

 

[MrJones]

Started rec skiing in my mid teens. Probably Sr. year was getting oil and filter for our old Ebco IO and saw a flyer on the door for a water ski tournament.

 

It was a beginner/novice only tournament at Horseshoe Lake. Come try the course on Friday and ski on Saturday. Ran the first pass I ever tried at 26/LL and was hooked! The Bray, Varnell, and Latimer families took me in and started dragging me to tournaments around Oklahoma and North Texas. Man that was a long time ago...

[markn]

While doing some free skiing at age 35, a fraternity brother asked if I ever "shortened the rope"? (We were skiing behind our new Four Winns 180 Horizon I/O that I thought was the coolest thing on the water) Why would you do that?? He told me about "ESPN Hot Summer Nights" and it changed the trajectory of my life. After watching one ESPN episode, my wife and I bought a course and a Ski Nautique. Went to my first tournament, the Indiana State and took second place in novice. They asked for my handle at the dock....deer in the head-lights..no idea I was to bring my handle. Also got a re-ride...no idea what that was but figured I got to ski again..so cool. Became obsessed with the sport despite not having a clue what I was doing...grip it and rip it. Set a goal I wanted to ski at Nationals. Did everything I could to ski as much as I could...just loved it. We even moved to Florida as skiing became our obsession. Still the best sport on the planet.

[Jody_Seal]

Growing up with a father who was very much an outdoorsman brought me to the table. Very early years sitting on the banks of Long Beach marine stadium as well as Perris Skiland and many other southern California boat racing venues, I had the opportunity to watch speed skiers like Chuck Stearns and others race along with others in these combined boat race venues of the time.

My father also was an avid weekend ski warrior and bought a flatbottom v-drive for us to ski with.

Learning to ski on the Colorado River and weekend jaunts to other popular lakes gave me a jump start in the sport. Years of boat racing into my teens I would haul my ski to races we would attend in Utah and Montana I would beg the opc guys to pull me after racing had concluded for the day as many of these boats were family outboards that doubled as a race a boat.

However I think what really sparked my desire to make the sport a lifestyle was when Rob Shirley took his Company into mainstream TV with the first Pro tour and was covered by ESPN. I and the Mrs Joined a local ski club at Echo Lake Montana and the rest was and is until recently a very fun and great lifetime experiences.

Those that urged me on and mentored me are numerous. My life friend Greg, moose man Fred, Jack and Lelani, Cory along with Snook, Art and Steve Meloon were instrumental in my success.

My only title as a skier is men 2 Montana state slalom champion in 1986. otherwise just a hack skier trying to enjoy what the sport had to offer.

 

[Downunder]

Skied since I was 6 years old behind outboards and anything that could pull me up. Never entered a tournament, but ran the course a few times and loved skiing.

 

When our kids were about 4 and 5 they loved going to the lake with our friends and I managed to buy a 94 Ski Nautique to pull them on tubes, kneeboards and wakeboards. Didn't know much about tournament waterskiing, or what boat to buy, the boat just looked nice and clean and was the only inboard for sale at the time. But it turns out it was meant to be.

 

The kids wake boarded for the first 5 years and finally got curious and strapped on a slalom ski.

 

Last year a pro was coaching in our area and he introduced us to the course. My 11 year old son pleaded to enter a tournament. We entered our first tournament March 2021, my son and I both running the mini Course. My 10 year old daughter entered her first tournament mid last year after recovering from an injury and my wife is also skiing in a few tournaments now!

 

Now we are packing for Nationals in a week. My son qualified for all 3 events and my daughter qualified for slalom. Dad has been left behind in the scores but I still compete with my kids when I can, maybe next year for nationals though.

 

I still can't quite believe my son's progression - from 2 handed turns around the mini course to slaying the green monster in a year, kids always pick up new things so fast, but it will take me a few more years to get close to that (if ever, I think).

 

It took me 40 years to enter a tournament, but now I can't get enough, love this sport.

[swbca]

@Downunder That's a great story. Your kids are young so you will have many years practicing and competing together. Where do you practice ? You much live on a lake to have all the family experience with various water sports behind that Nautique. Really Great ! I relate because we had 4 kids, and all 6 of us skied in a few tournaments together.