Mad-City Ski Team Takes Third Place in State Waterski Show Tournament

The Mad-City Ski Team competed against 23 other waterski show teams at the 36th Annual largest State Waterski Show Tournament on Lake Wazeecha in Wisconsin Rapids, WI on Sunday, July 21, 2002, winning third place among 23 other waterski show teams in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Rapids, WI -- July 23, 2002 - The 103-degree temperature wasnt the only thing heating things up at Lake Wazeecha last Sunday. The Mad-City Ski Team proudly performed in the 36th Annual State Waterski Show Tournament in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, and skied away with third place.

The show is judged on many different criteria, such as difficulty of acts performed, comedy routine, and sportsmanship. Earning a spot in the top three requires not only skill, but creativity. The judges look for a skiers ability to execute the traditional act, as well as ones that have never before been done in a tournament," says Chris Coupland, Mad-City show co-director and waterskier. This year, we came up with something that we like to call the One-Act Show. We take a 3-high pyramid, add in a barefoot waterskier on either side, and a jump skier doing a flip off the 5 and 1/2-foot jump ramp. At 40-plus miles per hour, its a thrill for everyone!"

Although the One-Act Show didnt win the Most Original Act award, it did get a standing ovation from the crowd. The tournament audience is different," says Coupland. Most of them are show skiers themselves, and can appreciate the difficulty in the act. When we do our job well, we make it look easy to our home audience. Fellow skiers arent easily fooled."
Nor are they easily amused. But Mad-City had them holding their sides in laughter during their performance on Sunday. And they received the Best Comedy award in recognition.

Best comedy wasnt one that we were expecting to win," says Adam Schaller, team announcer and member of the Mad-City Ski Team since 1996. The judges havent always appreciated our sense of humor." Schaller is referring to one particular act, for which Mad-City is well known.

Every waterski show team performs a Girls Ballet Line, in which up to 20 or more of the women on the team ski in unison to a popular song. Only Mad-City has performed a Guys Ballet Line, and for years has been the laughing stock among fellow teams," says Schaller.

But this year, Mad-City is having the last laugh. The team is not performing the Guys Ballet Line, and they make a point of it during the show. The guys all line up on the dock with the skis as if they were going to do the act," says Schaller. Just like the Girls Ballet Line, they dance in costume prior to skiing. The costume? Speedo swimsuits and cut-off tank tops. The song? YMCA."

After the dance, but before the guys can get out onto the water, Coupland breaks up the party. I let everyone know that Im tired of being the brunt of all the jokes at the waterski association meetings, and once and for all, I cancel the act. The audience gets really fired up as the guys carry their skis off the dock in disappointment. Its fun to see their enthusiasm. Many of them boo me off the stage."

We really enjoy entertaining the crowd, and the audiences enthusiasm keeps us motivated," says Matt Heilman, Mad-City show co-director and waterskier. Our next competition is less than three weeks away, on Sunday, August 11, when Mad-City will compete at the National Waterski Show Tournament. Although there wont be a show at Law Park that evening, we welcome our Madison fans to cheer us on at Traxler Park in Janesville, when we and other teams from across the nation will be doing our best to bring home the championship title."

Until then, we encourage everyone to watch us perform at Law Park for the regularly scheduled 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening show, through Labor Day weekend.

The Mad-City Water Ski Team (a 501(c)3 non-profit organization), performs free shows on Sundays at 6:00 p.m. at Law Park, next to the Monona Terrace and Convention Center. The Team was formed in 1995 by the consolidation of the Madison Water Ski Show Team and Capitol City Ski Team, and is a Division 1 championship water ski show team that competes at a State and National level. The teams annual operating budget of $100,000 is supported primarily through sponsorships and donations, as well as participation in year-round community fundraisers.

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