One of the more unique extracurricular activities offered at UW-La Crosse is the UW-L Water Ski and Wakeboard team. Only a handful of the UW System schools have a team, so our university is truly fortunate to be able to offer this to students. The team is co-ed and for anyone who enjoys these water sports.

Experience or talent level does not matter as the team ranges from first timers who just want to learn the ropes to some members who are able to jump 150 feet on water skis, reach speeds of 50 mph on a slalom, or perform an array of acrobatic aerials on a wakeboard.

The team is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Water Ski Association where they compete against all other UW schools, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado and Missouri schools. It is one of the very few sports on campus that is expected to compete with, if not beat, Big Ten schools. In the current USA Waterski 2011 Division I Ski Year Rankings, UW-L is ranked fifth.

This ranking is evidence that the team's hard work is paying off. They spend about five to six hours practicing from 2 p.m. until dusk Monday through Thursday during the competition season. The practices are held at Air Port Beach on the Black River in French Island or sometimes on Lake Neshonoc if the team wants to practice going through the slalom course.

The coaching is done primarily by the team captains and other veteran team members. "It is up to us to coach everybody," said Andrew Armington, the men's captain. "Even though coaching can be stressful it is just another aspect that makes this sport great. Not only do I get to say that I am a competitor on the best team in the Midwest, I, along with others, have played a role in coaching and training the same great team."  

The team competes in five tournaments during the fall and four more in the spring, including one, which they host in Neosho, Wis. The competitions consist of either a three-event water ski tournament including jump, slalom and trick or a wakeboard contest where it is all about stringing together lines of impressive tricks. "There are five slots in each event that count towards your team overall score. So some skiers may ski all three events but we can change the lineup to put the five people that will ski the best in that specific event," said Armington.  

The A team consists of the top five of both men's and women's competitors, the rest of the team making up the B team. For this reason, everyone gets to compete at the competitions. The guys and girls compete separately, but the scores are combined for the overall team score. "This is one of the best aspects of the team, and I think it is a strong reason why it makes it such a successful and fun collegiate sport," said Armington.

The team leaves for these tournaments Friday after class, they ski and board all day Saturday and early Sunday, and make it back to campus late Sunday afternoon. It is very enjoyable for the team as they get to be by the water all weekend and do what they love.

The team has placed first in their four competitions this fall. Most recently, the team won the Midwest Regional Championship over the likes of UW-Madison and Purdue to earn their first ever trip to the Division I National Championship. The team of 20 competed for the national championship Oct. 12-16 in Louisiana. Results were unavailable at the time of publishing. They will be published in next week's issue.

If you're interested in joining the team or have any other questions, contact President Jemma Wahl at wahl.jemm@uwlax.edu.