Spring Break
Slalom, trick and jump
By: Megan Ryan
Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: Features
| |
|
The team includes skiers and wakeboarders who have the option to participate in three events: slalom, trick and jump.
Members have different reasons for participating, but are united by a passion for the sport.
"I love the water, first of all," said Amanda Hoffman, freshman biology major and team captain. "Also, there is something so individual about water skiing. If you do great on a run, it was all you, but if you crash, it's your fault, too."
Some skiers are intrigued by the uniqueness of the sport.
"I love water skiing because it is something I am truly passionate about," said Kaitlin Dunlap,
freshman English major. "It is a sport that not everyone has heard of, which gives me the chance to tell others about it when they ask what kind of activities I am involved in."
The team accepts skiers of every level.
"I have been wakeboarding for a little over a year," said Katie Coeckelenbergh, a sophomore general studies major.
However, some members have been up on skis since before they were in school.
"The first time I got up on the water, I was 4," Hoffman said. "You don't have to be an expert skier to come out. We love teaching new people."
The team went to nationals in October in Arizona and has since been practicing for the spring season.
"It was my first nationals," said Dunlap. "I felt so lucky to experience our team getting that far. I had the time of my life hanging out with friends, bonding with the team and, of course, the road trip itself was awesome."
Brent Norwood, a three-event competitor and senior economics major, won first in Division 2 at the competition.
"Whenever Brent comes out to the lake, he is always willing to help other people improve," Dunlap said. "He is a great skier and a good role model to others because he works hard and is determined to do his best whenever he competes."
The team won fourth place in Division 2, but members said they always have a good time.
"I just want the Aggies to know how much fun the team has," said Andy Parrish, a sophomore university studies major with a concentration in architecture and president of the water ski team.
The roughly 25 member team is a close group, who know how to work hard and play hard.
"Though we are the water ski club, we are open to everything," Coeckelenbergh said. "We've been known to pull whatever we can behind our boat."
The team practices on Lord's Lake in Carlos, Texas, about 20 minutes from College Station.
"We practice every weekday when the weather is warm," said Brian Harris, junior civil engineering major and vice president of the team.
But Harris said practicing does not compare to recruiting skiers interested in serious competition.
"The hardest part is getting people interested in competitive water skiing at the collegiate level," he said.
For others, the individual challenge of skiing is the most demanding aspect.
"It's very frustrating," Hoffman said. "People think that skiing is easy, and starting is, but it is hard to get better. Getting a personal best is a big deal."
The team competes regionally against Texas State, University of Texas, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas, Baylor, Texas Tech and Louisiana State University.
Dunlap says competing against those teams is an incentive to practice more.
"I try to go out to the lake as much as possible, which is usually about two to three times a week," she said. "A lot of it depends on how much school work I have, but lots of people bring their homework out to the lake."
Dunlap is a good example of the improvements new members can make by joining the team. As a freshman, she said she has learned things already.
"I slalom and I just started jumping over Christmas break," she said. "This semester I'm learning trick."
The team is looking forward to the competition they face this spring and hopes to recruit members.
Water sport words to know:
slalom: (v.) skiing in a zigzag or wavy course between upright obstacles
jump: (n.) a form of waterskiing where the skier guides the skis over an inclined ramp to achieve distance and height
trick: (n.) a form of waterskiing where the skier uses one or two small skis and has 20 seconds to perform tricks
wakeboard: (n.) a short board with foot bindings that allows lift off the wake, making a multitude of tricks possible
If you're interested:
For more information about the club and how to join, visit tamuwaterski.com.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com