News Service

05-19-06

ISU water ski club to host national water ski championships

AMES, Iowa -- This weekend, the eyes of the water sports world will look to Huxley, Iowa.

Are you skeptical?

You think there's a better chance of David Hasselhoff and the "Baywatch" gang patrolling the beach at Peterson Park? Or the network TV doing a show on the Ames area called "The SC?"

It's true. (The Huxley part, not the Hasselhoff part.)

The Iowa State University Water Ski Club will host the National Collegiate Water Ski Association All-Stars competition at Dream Lakes Estates, north of Huxley 8 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21.

The competition is expected to draw more than 150 of the best collegiate water skiers from around the nation to take part in three events: slalom, trick skiing and ski jumping.

Five of the skiers will be from the Iowa State team, which has done well in the past.

"We placed eighth last year and tenth the year before," said Kevin Klingbeil, treasurer of the club, who is helping organize the weekend's activities. "We've got a pretty good team."

In the slalom event, skiers maneuver through a series of buoys. After each round, the rope is shortened and the speed of the boat is increased.

In trick skiing, the contestants perform two, 20-second trick routines and are judged on performance and difficulty. Some tricks include wake flips and turns.

In the jumping competition, a boat tows the skiers who jump over a five-foot ramp and try to jump as far as possible. Skiers can go as far as 200 feet in the air.

A map to the location of the competition can be found at http://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/waterski/lakes.htm.

-30-

Quick look

ISU's Water Ski Club will host the National Collegiate Water Ski Association All-Stars competition at Dream Lakes Estates, north of Huxley 8 a.m. -- 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21.