UL Lafayette hosted Fleur de Ski 2019 and it was one for the books. It was the battle of the winds all weekend, but that didn’t stop the region from having a good time. Seven teams rolled into Cajun Country from around the region, with special guests from the University of Alabama. Hosts, University of Louisiana at Lafayette won, University of Louisiana Monroe came 2nd, and Texas A&M University rounded out the top three.
Who ordered the wind?
Saturday blew in strong with A-Team slalom starting with the women at 7:30AM. Jaimee Bull (ULL) took top spot with an impressive 2.5@38′ off in the winds, closely followed by teammate Bailey Austin (ULL) with 2@38′ and rounding out the top 3 for ULL was Allie Moodie with a score of 1@35′ off. Moving onto Men’s Slalom, the wind became very strong causing not a single A team Male skier to make it through their 2nd pass. This called for some tactical opening pass speed/rope combinations. Tom Poole (ULM) stepped up for his final slalom set as a Warhawk in A team by going out at 36mph and 32′ off for a final score of 4@35′ off, taking the win. Followed by another collegiate skier taking his final set, Jonah Shaffer (ULL) with a score of 5@32′ off which tied teammate, Arron Davies (ULL). Great skiing from our seniors in the challenging conditions.
Even though slalom finished, the wind surely wasn’t. A white capping headwind off the dock for the trick event caused many skiers to piece together trick runs that they thought would be best in the challenging conditions. The wind didn’t seem to faze Luiza Charnyshova (ULM) who won the trick event, having a stand up run with 2110 points. Followed by Marie-Lou Moulanier (ULL) with 1960 points and ULM’s Emma Brunel in 3rd with 1890 points. There was only 200 points separating 1st and 3rd. Some impressive tricking for the men.
Guillaume Tetreault (ULL) decided to not let the wind get to him and he threw down a run of 5130 points to take 1st place. Garrett Stallings (ULM) placed 2nd with a personal best score of 3940 points and following in 3rd place was teammate, Danylo Filchenko (ULM) with 3830 points.
Let’s Get Slippery!
With slalom and trick finishing by 2:00pm and the wind too strong to start the jump event, a team captains meeting was held, and a slippery slalom tournament was declared. 14 competitors from various teams decided to try and conquer the wind for the fun competition with the only rule being a 4-pass maximum. The extremely windy conditions called for some participants to don a jumpsuit and helmet for extra protection. The top 3 skiers all running into 41 off at a boat speed of 20mph. ULM’s Tom Poole took 3rd place with ½@41 off closely beaten by Harry Spavin (ULL) with 1@41 off, and the winner of the first Fleur de Ski Slippery Slalom Tournament was Arron Davies (ULL) with 3@41.
Crawfish Time!
Saturday night, everyone headed to Gator Cove for unlimited craw fish. Everybody’s favorite spring meal was once again a hit for all. Some lucky individuals even got to see the deer and the alligators in the back.
With the sun shining and the wind speed more manageable, Sunday morning got started with the jump event. Everyone moving a little slow, maybe from bellies full of crawfish from the night prior. The women’s jump event had some close scores with Mariah Fields coming all the way from Alabama taking 1st place with 109 feet, Alice Bagnoli (ULL) in 2nd with 102 feet, and Marylou Major (ULL) in 3rd with 92 feet. In men’s jump, Carlo Basic (ULL) placed 1st with 149 feet, Conley Pinette (ULL) in 2nd with 134 feet, and Dylan Melnar (ALA) in 3rd with 124 feet.
Farewell to Seniors
There were multiple skiers this weekend who took their last set as a collegiate skier. Many bums were on show during the jump event as skiers from University of Texas and Texas A&M University took their last jump. A tradition that the region has become accustomed to at the end of the season, sad to see everyone go, but always fun to watch the teams try and sink the dock by cheering on their teammates one last time! Among the many seniors finishing off their collegiate career at the 2019 Fleur de Ski were, Lexie Schueller (Texas), Benji Martinez (Texas), Colton Beyer (Texas), Paul Baker (Texas State), Jade Hanson (Texas A&M), Tom Poole (Louisiana Monroe), Jonah Shaffer (Louisiana at Lafayette), and I am sure their are a few more I missed.
No gators!
The weather kept the alligators away on Airport Lake this year, as there were no gator sightings throughout the weekend.
Full results on USA Water Ski
| Place | School Name | Slalom | Trick | Jump |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | University of Louisiana Monroe | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | University of Texas | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | University of Alabama | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | University of Arkansas | 7 | 6 | 6T |
| 7 | Texas State University | 6 | 7T | 6T |
The full scorebook can be viewed on the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports website.
Thank you to all the volunteers!
Thank you to the Ragin’ Cajuns Water Ski Team for hosting a fantastic weekend and to all the volunteers and judges for an efficient tournament!
- Skills Were Flexed Skiing at Aquaplex for South Central Regionals - October 5, 2019
- Louisiana at Lafayette Victorious at Fleur de Ski 2019 - April 25, 2019
You must be logged in to post a comment.