2017 Award Winner: NCWSA Team of the Year – Miami University

When it comes to keeping your water ski team afloat, it is no secret that teamwork is key. If there’s no way to practice, no spirit, and no unity —there’s no team.

The Miami University Club Water Ski Team was awarded 2017 NCWSA Team of the Year due to its success both on and off the water, team spirit, and true appreciation for what it means to be a ski family.

Like most teams in the Midwest, Miami University Water Ski is comprised of members with no competitive water ski experience before college. Jared Lutz, incoming team president, says “Finding students who want to compete, finding coaches to help skiers learn, and finding leaders to bring everything together to compete at a high level is relatively difficult to do.”

Well, the team must be doing something right, as they captured the DII 2017 National Collegiate Water Ski title, making it their second title in a row! Perhaps this success could be attributed to their fully self-funded 2017 MasterCraft Pro Star. Over 100 hours of practice were logged on the new vessel in just its first three months of ownership! While many teams in the Midwest were “slightly” green with envy, the shiny new toy was truly a team, both past and present, effort.

Kelsy Schultz, outgoing president, says, “Purchasing the boat took a lot of number crunching, fundraising, planning, emailing the right people at our school, and communicating with the team so that they were fully aware of the task we were undertaking. Everyone believed we could do it and was passionate enough about the team that we were able to reach that fundraising goal and work off and with each other to purchase the boat.”

If a second national title and brand new boat don’t have you convinced Miami Univeristy deserves the award, perhaps a vision of skiers running down a beach yelling at the top of their lungs all while dressed in outrageous costumes could convince you. That’s right, Miami Water Ski oozes team spirit, and everyone from the Great Lakes Conference to the National Level knows it. The team won the spirit award at the GL Conference and Midwest Regional Tournament, and took home 3rd prize for the HO Spirit Award at Nationals. For Lutz, team spirit isn’t about winning awards, but about winning people’s hearts over to water ski.

“In my eyes, there is no better way to unify a team than by enjoying our time on and off the water and supporting each other. At Miami we are a family and we work hard to create and keep a highly enthusiastic culture, so spirit for our team and each other is something that comes naturally. Spirit also helps with out recruitment and retaining processes. When new prospective skiers come to tournaments and see the happiness that comes from the sport, they are more likely to stay. There is always something to celebrate at a tournament whether it be an individual PB, a higher than normal placement for a skier, or a new member at the tournament, so it’s easy to be enthusiastic when we celebrate the little wins. ”

While team members show a love for the sport that’s uncanny, incoming president Maggie Peplow attributes the team’s success to its support for each other both on and off the water.

“…most importantly what has made us so successful is our support for one another on and off the water. Whether it was a good or bad ski set, or a tough exam, I know I can call on any of my teammates to pick me up and make me feel better. It’s these things that make people want to be a part of the team, which in turn makes it so successful.”

Miami University Water Ski has gone above and beyond as a team, both on the water and off, and Lutz can speak for their entire team when he says receiving 2017 NCWSA Team of the Year is “a huge honor for us all”. But he also knows the team wouldn’t be where it is today without past team members.

“Watching the work that skiers have put into this team over the past few years and seeing the pride that alumni still have in this team shows that this team is not just about skiing; this team is devoted to each other and building a team for students to enjoy for years down the road. We have been reaching new milestones on the team every year and it is exciting that the water ski community has noticed that.”

A main theme for the Miami University Water Ski Team is that team spirit and support lead to success on and off the water. While we can agree the new boat, national titles, and awards are impressive, Maggie Peplow says it best.

“What I think it comes down to at the end of the day is that we are just having fun with our best friends.”