Regional water ski championships underway in Caldwell
Written by KTVB.COM
Thursday, 22 July 2010 16:47
CALDWELL -- Four-hundred of the best water skiers in the region were out on the water today in Caldwell.
The 2010 Western Regional Water Ski Championships attracted skiers of all ages from 13 western states.
They will compete for regional titles in Jump, Slalom, Tricks and overall events.
Skiers pulled out their fanciest moves to impress the judges and the crowds.
Organizers say there has not been an event of this kind and size before anywhere in Idaho.
"We bid on the event two years ago. The Western Region Council just like any other large event, they take the bids into consideration, different sites. Whether they think the event best be held. They obviously like our site. And so we had about two years to prepare and get ready for it and it's here now and hopefully we could host it again in future," said organizer Mike Young.
If you want to catch some of the action, the championships continue Friday and Saturday.
They start at 7:30 a.m. at the Broadside Harbor in Caldwell. It is free to the public.
Rio Linda teen trains hard to stay on top of water-skiing world
Written by Matt Kawahara
Friday, 23 July 2010 16:10
A part of Makayla Haw wants nothing more than to spend time this summer with her friends, going to the movies and the mall and on day trips.
The other part knows that if the 16-year-old wants to remain one of the world's top junior water-skiers, she must spend her free time training in the man-made lakes behind her Rio Linda home. That's the part that usually wins.
"I love the sport way too much to quit," she said. Right now, she's at the pinnacle.
Haw is the world's top-ranked water-skier for her age group in the slalom – similar to the Olympic skiing event – and No. 3 in the jump.
She was featured on Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" page in the magazine's July 19 issue. From Aug. 5-8, she will represent the United States at the 2010 Water Ski Junior Worlds in Brescia, Italy.
"I'm gonna be stressed out that week," she said. Not that that's out of the ordinary.
Haw's passion for water-skiing is like an addiction, she said. She likes the individual aspect of the sport because – water and weather conditions aside – she controls her fate. She feels at home in the competitive water-skiing community, which is like a big family.
Colorado prepares for the Big Dawgs of waterskiing
Written by Laurie Lindsey
Wednesday, 11 August 2010 21:03
Fifty top skiers over the age of 35 from the United States, Canada and Europe will battle in a head to head water ski competition near Denver, Colorado on August 28th and 29th, 2010.
The second qualifier for the Big Dawg competition will be at Laku Landing in Windsor, Colorado and will feature Big Dawg skiers on Lake 1 in
addition to a class C slalom event for local Colorado Skiers and Big Dawg
contestant family members on Lake 2.
Laku Landing is a competition water ski site located in Windsor, Colorado, near
Fort Collins. Laku consists of two lakes, the first completed in 1991, the second in
1994. The property is run by the Laku Tournament Water Ski Association (LTWSA),
and is the host of several sanctioned tournaments a year.
Ben Favret, Dave Miller, Chet Raley, Todd Johnson, and Bruce Dodd are among the top skiers on the list competing at Laku for a chance at the finals for the $12,000 purse to be held at Isles of Hancock in Orlando, Florida on September 25th and 26th.
2010 has been an incredible spring and summer with more great guests and memories than we could imagine! Time has passed so quickly, that here we are it's the first of August and there are only 3 more months left in our 2010 season! We have been so busy with all of our guests there just has not been enough hours in the days to get our blog posts out! We finally did it...another awesome lesson from Terry a relevent pro skier and coach(and now neighbor) that spends everyday thinking about our sport and ways to improve his water skiing and ours! Those of you who have been here know exactly what I'm taking about...
Last Updated on Friday, 30 July 2010 21:52
Mulberry Woman Celebrates 80th Birthday On Water Skis
Written by Scott Smith
Monday, 23 August 2010 19:27
By Scott Smith
TIMES RECORD
For her 80th birthday, Chloe Kirksey wanted to feel warm sun rays, a steady breeze and the cool splash from water skiing, and so she did.
The Mulberry resident spent all of Aug. 2 celebrating the dawn of her eighth decade with friends and family at her family's condo at Lake Hamilton. Kirksey did what she frequently does - water ski on one board, which is called slalom - and she can't wait to go back.
"I told myself that on my 80th birthday, I would stop water skiing," said the 1948 Fort Smith High School graduate. "There's nothing like water skiing — that feeling — so I later told myself that if I still wanted to do it, then I guess I would."
Kirksey and her husband, Joe, make it a tradition to spend the summer, holidays, birthdays and other occasions with family and friends at the lake. Their condo is frequented by their three children and nine grandchildren.
"I taught all of our children to water ski, and I was allowed to teach our grandchildren how to water ski, as well," said Chloe Kirksey, a native of Lamar. "It was my place for our children to teach their children how to do it, but they wanted Cocoa — that's what the grandkids call me — to do it. They and their parents knew how much I love water skiing, so they wanted me to teach them."
Kirksey used to be active at the gym, on walking trails and in a yoga class, but these days, her main form of exercise is water skiing.
"A lot of people think that slalom is hard, and, yes, it is, but it is easier than being on two skis," she said with a laugh. "It's harder to come up, and a lot of people think it's amazing that I can still come up."
A part of Makayla Haw wants nothing more than to spend time this summer with her friends, going to the movies and the mall and on day trips.
Fifty top skiers over the age of 35 from the United States, Canada and Europe will battle in a head to head water ski competition near Denver, Colorado on August 28th and 29th, 2010.
