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I think the University of Wisconsin Madison deserves to be the Midwest team of the year. Our team this year has welcomed 17 freshman members onto our team, and a total of 28 new members in the fall semester! On and off the water, we are a very active team with consistent social activities that include everyone. During the fall season we pull an average of 30 hours of practice sets per week, guaranteeing every member 2 sets per week although many take more. These are all driven voluntarily by members of our team that have put the time in to get certified. This is enough time to see some real improvement across the season, our members regularly pick up new tricks, slalom passes, and build consistency on jump. Outside of the fall season, we also run a spring break trip to Pickos and this year we ended up with a group of 21. Whether it’s practice sets, social events, or putting the dock in Madison shows up and shows out. The positivity and growth mindset of the team makes it something I’m proud to be a part of.
I would like to nominate Cal O’Callaghan as the most outstanding senior female. Not only have they won countless medals in all 3 events but they’ve been involved in just about every aspect of our ski team and collegiate skiing. Last year, Cal pulled more practice sets than the rest of the team combined. They also maintain connections throughout the waterski community to help us gain connections and grow the sport. This includes getting the team sets on private lakes as well as helping plan tournaments like Minnesota’s shredfest. On top of this they are always involved with team events and really enjoy watching their teammates improve. They have pulled sets for everyone on the team and sent everyone off the dock at tournaments for the last 4 years. Madison is a pretty big team but I know that Cal has made a big impact on everyone’s skiing abilities and put the team culture in a really positive place.
I would like to nominate Adam Gray as rookie of the year. Adam came onto our team as a freshman, confident in his skills, waterski knowledge, and wanting to get better. He skied A-team in 2 events at all the tournaments and consistently tricked over 1,000 and slalomed into 34 after not having competed in 4 years. When asked if he was nervous for his trick pass at shredfest, he responded with “No, I know I’m a good skier”. Looking ahead, he’s ready to improve for next year. He’s signed up for our spring break trip to Pickos and is looking to take his single cuts a lot further for next season.