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Josh Cyphers- Ohio State
If anyone on our team were to go pro, it would definitely be Josh. He is an amazing slalomer with an impressive resume! As only a sophomore, he took first place in slalom at Midwest Regionals! Josh is by far one of the most consistent skiers on the team, scoring within a few buoys of his PB at every tournament. His dedication to the sport of waterskiing and his consistency will take him really far! We are very lucky to have him and excited to see what he does in the next two years 🙂
Luke Sclamberg-OSU
Sclam is literally a wild man. I don’t know if any of you saw his jump set at regionals, but all of OSU was pooping themselves. He technically didn’t hit the side curtain, but dang did he come close.
His first jump, he hit 100 and broke into the century club. Everyone on shore was going wild, and he was obviously really pumped up. He comes in for his second jump, so high on adrenaline from his first jump that he cuts SO late, realizes his mistake, lets go of the rope with NO control and barely misses the ramp. Truly one of the most exciting jump sets I’ve ever seen. Coach Debbie no longer trusts him to three quarter. Proud of him for taking 5th at regionals!!!
Sam Reifsteck from OSU!
Sam is absolutely the most deserving candidate for this award. Sam did everything that makes an outstanding senior so outstanding- posted huge scores, helped grow the team, organized, lead, and supported everyone. Everyone in the Midwest knows that Sam has incredible skiing ability. At D1 Nationals, he had the second highest jump score for non-scholarship athletes. (133 ft, WHATTT). Also a killer slalomer. As our president this year, Sam went above and beyond his duties. He organized every event, drove the boat at seriously almost every practice, and would skip taking sets for himself so new recruits could ski. He did practically all the boat maintenance by himself and just really went above and beyond in every facet of collegiate waterskiing! He is an outstanding senior, teammate, and prez!
Stephanie Crandall- OSU!
Steph is a light in everyone’s life. It’s hard to believe that this was her first year on the team. I know I speak for all of Ohio state when I say that it feels like she’s been around for years! Steph is one of the smiliest, most supportive people I know. Always giving words of encouragement, and cheering people on at tournaments and practices. She is always positive. All of our girls, including me, aspire to be as great as Steph! She is eager to learn more about waterskiing, and picked up some mad tricking and jlaloming skills. Before the season even started, without anyone asking, she was super willing to help me organize and gather items for the auction at our Fundraiser tournament. This is a real testament to how supportive Steph is! We are so lucky to have her 🙂
Evan Monaghan was another crucial asset for Ohio State’s success. For everyone who knows Evan, they can agree that he is a super strong skier in all three events. He almost always brought in more team points than any other OSU skier! Evan’s best event is Slalom, where he slays buoys into 28 off. Evan also put up big jump scores, coming really close to breaking into the century club! And despite his blatant hatred for trick, he went out every weekend and put up a solid 500 pt trick score. Evan is definitely an MVP!
After spending some time at Swerve last summer, Kathryn “Kit Kat” Miller came in this season with some big scores for the team! She was our 5th round slalomer and tricker, and broke that 50’ mark in Jump! Kathryn was a three event rockstar and put up crucial team points all season long! Only a sophomore, I can’t wait to see how Kit Kat continues to improve as a skier during her next two years!!
Matt Kalbacher (Ohio State) was an outstanding team captain this year. Known for his awesome tricking, Matt led by example by showing how hard work and consistency is the recipe for success in skiing. Matt’s tricking ability, which led him to 3rd place at Regionals, played a big part in Ohio State’s success this year. Matt was always up early in the morning to cheer on the girls, and was supporting the team all day long until B-slalom wrapped up. Matt is a great leader, who we will miss a lot next year!
For the boys, I’d have to say Matt Duncan (Ohio State) really stood out as an outstanding rookie. Matt came into school with no experience jumping. Literally within a few weeks he was booting 70s consistently, and got a PB of 82 feet at nationals. By his second tournament he was beating out 3rd and 4th year veterans. His natural athletic ability is crazy, and he’ll be a huge asset for the team for years to come. Matt is a natural leader, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future!
Evan Monaghan- OSU
Although Evan did not have an insane jump wipeout this season, I believe he deserves the award for “Most Likely To Hit The Side Curtain” for the sheer awkwardness that was his jump crash at Nationals. Picture this: Evan is cruising down the lake, approaching big red, full of confidence and excitement. He makes his turn towards the jump but decides he doesn’t feel comfortable hitting it this time around. He decides to pass, but doesn’t quite make it all the way past big red. His right ski clips the left side of the jump, and he comes flying out from behind the jump for everyone to see. I’ve gotta say, it was pretty embarrassing. Just give the man the award to make him feel better about himself, alright? (See picture below)
Kathryn Miller- OSU
Kathryn “Kit Kat” Miller is by far the best candidate to receive the Rookie of the Year Award. Kat came in to Ohio State this fall with a ton of energy and excitement to be on the team, but with no experience in competitive skiing. Since then, Kathryn has worked tremendously hard to earn an A team spot for all three events. In one season, she learned how to run the slalom course, land a jump, and trick 140. Kat could also be nominated for the hardest worker award, as she was out at the lake practicing almost every day during the fall. Seriously, she probably went to the lake more times than 95% of our team. Kathryn is a natural leader, and I know she’ll be an important part of our team for years to come.
Claire Hansel- OSU
Claire is the definition of outstanding! This girl has worked extremely hard all four years on the team to not only improve as a skier, but to grow OSU’s team and the sport. This past summer, Claire worked down in Tennessee at Swerve. She immediately became our 5th round skier for every event, and consistently earned a spot on the podium at every tournament. In one summer, Claire went from running 32mph to getting into short line, tricking 20 (yes, 20) points to 910, and jumping in the 40s to 75ft. Claire’s fantastic athleticism was huge for our team, contributing more team points than any other skier on the team. Claire is not only a stellar skier, but a great leader as well! Claire is the President of our team, and she has worked tremendously hard to lead our team on and off the water. Claire is looked up to by everyone I know, and I definitely think she deserves this award!