As seventeen teams busted their way to Regionals, the weather on the highway couldn’t make up it’s mind. Hot and humid nights turned to shivering mornings on the lakeside campsite (or should I say hill of tents?). After the clouds burned off Saturday morning, we were in plain view of a beautiful day of skiing with a hint of sunburn.
SATURDAYS ARE FOR THE BUOYS
The day kicked off at 7:15am, after a late night of practice sets in the dark. Women’s slalom started cruising as a few more straggling campers rolled out of their tents to watch the events. Purdue University’s women wracked in the points, taking first place just ahead of Indiana University’s womens team. Anjelica Werning (WMU) took the top of the podium after completing 4 passes and reaching a PB of 2 balls at 34 MPH 22′ off.
In the midst of women’s slalom, our B team trick skiers head out to a nearby lake to keep up pace on this insanely efficient tournament schedule.
The weather remained beautiful until halfway through men’s slalom when a ten minute downpour rolled through, leaving a few of our Men’s skiers to battle rain pellets as they blindly took on the slalom course. After fighting unusual wind and rain conditions, Ohio State University took the first place marking for Men’s slalom. Meanwhile, Purdue University’s Jose Luis Tejada took first place on the podium with an astonishing 2.5 buoys at 36 MPH 35′ off.
LAKESIDE
Truck horns blared as the passed by on the freeway, adding to the cheer and excitement throughout slalom. (Fun Fact: Pleasant Shores’ construction provided the gravel that built the overpass, which feels like just a few yards away).
Teams joined together at the water slide, making suds at the bottom as they break out the soap. Team lake baths are the about the only thing keeping our skiers from feeling slimy from the afternoon heat.
LET’S GET TRICKY
Trick skiers lined up on the docks as mid day hit. Men’s and Women’s A trick ran from both ends of the lake as spectators anxiously watched from the middle. Trick skis (single and double), wake boards, and knee boards all made an appearance on the water, as well as on bicycles as they were carried from one team member to the next. Ohio teams swept us away as Miami of Ohio stole first place in women’s trick and Ohio State University topped the charts for Men’s trick. Jessica Carr (Indiana University) took first for women’s trickers with a score of 660.00. Jose Luis Tejada (Purdue University) made us dizzy watching as he took the top of the podium with a score of 1570.00. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many spins and flips in 20 seconds!
With two boats going at all times of the day, we made our way through all Saturday A team events before the sun went down…barely. Our B team slalom skiers fought through the darkness of the night on the course. With a light shutting off by the gates, skiers faced an interesting new factor while feeling their way through the course. Night vision might’ve come in handy for both the skiers and the boat drivers that night.
SOARIN’, FLYIN’, JUMPIN’
Big red stood tall in the water as skiers faced their fears. Some first and second round rookies let out screams as they braced for impact of some sort with the red ‘wall’ in front of their skis. First time lands were celebrated with tackles in the water and butt smacks for good luck. I myself landed my first tournament jump, and shortly after was rescued from the water after folding in half backwards like the Mexican tacos we ate the night before. (Special thank you to Chief Safety Jeffery Van Treese for making sure I didn’t need to go to the hospital, and both safety swimmers who pulled me to shore). Shortly after, our top Women’s jumpers took their ride off the ramp, with Sonja Konzen (University of Michigan) taking first place at a distance of 66 feet. Indiana University took first for the women’s teams as they launched over big red. Men’s jump followed shortly after, with Ohio State University once again taking the lead. Jose Luis Tejada took his third first place podium finish of the weekend after a jump of 136 feet. I’m not sure if this is considered jumping or flying at this point.
OVERALL TEAM SCORES, QUALIFYING FOR MIDWEST REGIONALS
- Ohio State University
- Miami of Ohio
- University of Michigan
- Purdue University
- University of Cincinnati
- Grand Valley State University
- Indiana University
- Michigan State University
Congratulations to our top skiers!
Men’s: Jose Luis Tejada of Purdue University with an overall score of 2080.
Women’s: Anjelica Werning of Western Michigan University with an overall score of 1670.
Huge thank you to Pleasant Shores for hosting this years Great Lakes Conference Championships. With late-night practice sets, a slip n slide, concessions, apparel, and on site-camping, you truly provide it all and create an amazing experience for us as skiers. Thank you to all of our boat drivers, judges, and officials for making this event happen, and run so smoothly.
The full scorebook and tournament information can be found on USA Water Ski & Wake Sports website.
Product Design and Marketing student at WMU
- 2019 Great Lakes Conference Championships - October 1, 2019
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