Mention the name Jay Bennett to any current or former collegiate water skier anywhere in the world and most will be eager to share a story of how Jay has impacted them in one way or another. Over his impressive career, Jay has coached many professional skiers to national and world titles/records… yet his passion burns brightest for collegiate skiing.
While I could simply list every tangible contribution he’s made to NCWSA — like the number of years he’s been involved (40+) or the different universities he’s coached (20+) — what I find most impressive about Jay is his support that cannot be measured.
For example…
On any given week from February through May, Bennett’s Water Ski School is packed with upwards of 50 college kids representing schools from the bulk of the Midwest to as far away as Japan (yes, Japan). This is the grassroots level of Jay’s support. He shows kids that they can learn to ski competitively one buoy, one trick, or one jump at a time. These skiers leave with a confidence and excitement for collegiate skiing that spreads exponentially.
Over the past 40 years Jay has hired hundreds of collegiate skiers to work at his ski school. Not only does he teach his staff coaching techniques that can be taken home to share with their teammates, he also mentors them in driving, judging, course maintenance, and running tournaments. These are the skills are essential to growing not just NCWSA, but water skiing as a whole.
Jay has been instrumental in forming, growing, and in some cases, reviving many collegiate teams over the years. Jay understands how expensive it is to ski and will do anything in his power to help fledgling teams. LSU and Mississippi State would not have seen a collegiate tournament in the last decade if it weren’t for his support. Recently I sat down with Jay to discuss his experiences throughout his extensive involvement with NCWSA…
How and when did you first get involved in collegiate water skiing?
In 1976 a gentleman named Bo Rougeau organized meetings to start the LSU Water Ski Team. Anne (Jay’s wife) was going to LSU at that time and joined the group. This was well before the other Louisiana teams started to form, as well as before collegiate regional and national tournaments began. LSU hosted a collegiate tournament on False River at our practice location, where Anne and I lived.
Why are you such a huge supporter of collegiate water skiing?
When I started competition water skiing, going to tournaments was as much about the camaraderie and visiting with friends as it was about actually competing. So when collegiate water skiing started to evolve it presented itself with the same type of atmosphere that I had enjoyed in my early years of tournament water skiing.
How many NCWSA Nationals have you hosted?
Our first Nationals was in 1986 – we loved that tournament and have continued to host and promote it as often as possible! The total number we believe is 10, but I don’t actually have records to back that up!
How do you feel to see how successful the Louisiana teams have become, due in large part to your support?
You always feel some pride when your home state schools establish a strong water ski program. I was fortunate enough to be a small part of the start-up of the NLU (ULM) program as well as the USL (ULL) program. Working with Dean Murphy at NLU and Jim Davidson at USL was not only fun, but very educating and I consider both of those gentlemen mentors. I have done my best to stay involved with both programs.
How do you feel collegiate water skiing can impact the future of our sport and industry as a whole?
Because I’ve had such a lengthy involvement over the years with collegiate skiing I can give you factual information of how it helps grow our sport. Skiers get involved at the collegiate level through the different teams’ recruiting processes. Most of them enjoy the camaraderie and competition for the years they are in college. Then I see many of them disappear from the sport during the time period they are establishing themselves in the “real world” with work and family. At the 5–7 year mark out of collegiate skiing we start seeing them resurfacing and not only buying water ski products and competition boats, but also getting their entire family involved in our sport. Then we begin seeing the second generation begin coming to ski school because their parents enjoyed it so much! It gives us great pride when we see former students bringing their children to our ski school and telling us of the fond memories they have of their time spent here as a child or young adult.
How does it feel to be inducted to the inaugural class of the NCWSA Hall of Fame?
I’m very excited and humbled to be a part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018! Never in my wildest dreams did I expect such an honor. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
On a personal note, I have known Jay and the Bennett family for most of my lifetime and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to work for them for several years during my career as a professional student. The lessons I learned from Jay have proven to be invaluable and I will carry them with me all my life.
Jay, you are an incredible mentor and I will forever cherish the experience and knowledge I gained during my time at Bennett’s. You couldn’t be more deserving of this award and your tireless efforts to improve our sport are greatly appreciated.
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