All-Stars 2018: The Best is on the Bayou

The spring tournament season closed on a high note with the 2018 NCWSA All-Stars, hosted by the reigning Division 1 National Champions, the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). Skiers from all over the nation closed their books for the semester, and headed to the infamous Bayou Desiard on the beautiful ULM campus.

The annual collegiate All-Stars brings the ten best men and 10 best women skiers in each event (jump, slalom, trick) to compete in the ultimate battle of regional supremacy. The Midwest held the All-Star title for four years, but as interest in the tournament has grown, so does the level of competition. If you tuned into the live webcast (thanks Kelvin Kelm) you know the competition was the fiercest we’ve seen in many years.

Saturday kicked off bright and early at 7:30, with Iowa State skier and Midwest rep, Amber Aho (IWS) first off the dock in women’s slalom. The conditions were almost perfect, with the exception of a short-lived glare that hit skiers on their opening passes. The South Central region took a strong winning lead, with skier Taryn Grant (ULL) taking first with 2 buoys at 38 off, Siani Oliver (ULM) with 1 buoy at 38 off, and tying for third, Jade Hanson (TAM) and Marie-Lou Moulanier (ULL) with 4.5 buoys at 32 off. Snagging fifth place for the Eastern region was Samantha Stackpole (FSC) with 1 buoy at 32 off.

Following womens slalom was mens trick. The South Central region held strong with skier Danylo Filchenko (ULM) winning first with a score of 5770, and region-mate Harry Spavin (ULL) winning second with a score of 4050. Eastern Region snagged the bronze with skier Samuel Greenwood (ALA) with a score of 3610 points. But the South Central region picked it back up with skier Tom Poole (ULM) taking fourth with a score of 3300, followed by teammate Tycho Hof (ULM) who won fifth with a score of 1930.

With the University of Louisiana Monroe’s commencement ceremony ending, we thought we’d give the passers-by a little taste of the most extreme water ski event; Jump. We ran through the first five rotations of women’s and men’s jump, leaving rotations six through ten for Sunday.

Following the little jump sneak peek was women’s trick. South Central claimed the first three podium spots, Katerina Svecova (ULM) coming in first with a score of 3410, region-mate Taryn Grant (ULL) coming in second with a score of 2700, and coming in third was region-mate Marie-Lou Moulanier with a score of 2220. Following the South Central region was Midwest skier Kristen Dammeyer (OHS) with a score of 1930. She was followed by West Coast skier Kari McCollum (SDSU) with a score of 1630, earning her the fifth and final podium spot.

Off the water, skiers and spectators kept cool in the 92 degree heat by lounging in hammocks, on various food-floats on the Bayou, or enjoyed barbecue, grilled on site by the local AWSA waterski team. Others played cornhole, purchased merchandise and raffle tickets, while many helped with tournament functions like manning the cameras, and helping on the start dock. Following the tournament was a group dinner of poboys and fried chicken.

Sunday morning began early with men’s slalom, Midwest taking the first plunge again with skier Dan Greene (KAN). The gold medal went to South Central skier Tom Poole (ULM) with 4 buoys at 38 off followed by region-mate Harry Spavin (ULL) who came in second with 5 buoys at 35 off. Eastern regain represented winning third with skier Payton Phillips (ALA) with 3.5 buoys at 35 off. He was followed by South Central skiers Danylo Filchenko (ULM) and Alex King (ULM) tying for fourth with 2.5 buoys at 35 off.

We concluded the 2018 All Star tournament with the remaining top-seeded jump rotations. The South Central women got “Extra Sendy” winning first through fourth. Coming in first was Taryn Grant (ULL) with 150ft followed by region-mate Emma Brunel (ULM) with 135ft, Marie-Lou Moulanier (ULL) with 121ft and in fourth, Katerina Svecova (ULM) with 108ft. snagging the last podium spot was Eastern region skier Samantha Stackpole (FSC) with 108 feet. The ladies put on a traffic-stopping performance.

Mens jump proved thrilling as always with South Central skier Danylo Filchinko (ULM) breaking the Bayou record on the final jump of the tournament with an outstanding 187ft! There was a nail-biter for second place as well, with Eastern region skier Samuel Greenwood (ALA) and South Central skiers Alex King (ULM) and Brandon Schipper (ULM) all jumping 164 feet. Second place had to be determined by meters with Samuel Greenwood (ALA) narrowly edging out the South Central region with a jump of 50 meters! South Central region-mates Alex King (ULM) and Brandon Schipper (ULM) tied for third with 49.90 meters! Winning the last podium spot was South Central skier Harry Spavin (ULL) with 158ft.

Before the final winners were announced, South Central Region Chair, Grace Kelm had a special suprise! Every year, All-Stars inevitably falls on the same weekend as many universities’ commencement ceremonies. Kelm decided to hold a graduation ceremony for all the graduates who skipped commencement to ski in their last All-Stars. Madison Hayden (ARK) and Austin Kolodejcak (TAM) donned their caps and gowns as they received BA’s in Water Skiing.

Final award ceremonies followed as skiers anxiously waited to hear who was the best on the bayou! Coming in fourth with a total score of 1,230 points was the West Region. In third, with a score of 2,685 points was the Eastern Region! And coming in second with a score of 5,2685 points was **drumroll* the Midwest Region. Leaving our new All Star champs the South Central Region winning the gold with a score of 6995!

Huge thanks to everyone that made this tournament a success! Special thanks to the ULM WarHawk Water Ski Team and their coach Joey McNamara for sharing their beautiful campus and hosting an amazing tournament. Also thanks to all of the judges, scorers and officials who dedicate their free time to helping a bunch of collegiate hooligans, we couldn’t do what we do without y’all! Congrats to the new 2018 NCWSA All-Stars Champions – The South Central Region!

See you next year in Tennessee!

 

The full scorebook can be found on USA Water Ski & Wake Sports website.

Drone footage from the tourney by Ryan Musick

Photos available from the OFFICIAL ULM photographer, or “unofficial” photos from Mickley’s Custom Photos.