Despite the threat of rain, chilly weather and rough water conditions the Mad-City Ski Team kicked off our 2008 season on a positive note May 25th at Law Park.

Following last seasons dissapointing end to the season, that saw torrential rains and flooding put a premature end to our year, we were all ancy to get back on the water, in front of a very nice crowd, and begin our summer long journey to provide great entertainment!!

We have FREE ski shows every Sunday at Law Park at 6:00, all summer long!!  We are expecting and looking forward to a great summer with a bigger and better show, even better then last years National Championship team!

We are very lucky to welcome some great new members to the Mad-City Ski Team and the return of the majority of our best skiers who are yearning to show their wares on the water.

Please make sure to check out Jimsphotos.org for a complete recap of our show and keep checking in throughout the season to see his fantastic photography!

On June 19th the Mad-City Ski Team is to be recognized by the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission as the 2008 Water Champion!

This award is for Mad-City’s efforts with the Clean Lakes Festival, to be held this year June 7th at Olin Park.

Their will be an awards ceremony on June 19th at the Madison Club plus special recognition by Dane County!!

We are all very pleased to be receiving this special honor and have worked very hard to raise money and organize this very special event to help out our most precious of resources, our local lakes.

Please remember to attend the Clean Lakes Festival on June 7th, for more information please visit the Clean Lakes Website, or the Watershed Commission Website.

Waters Champion

The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission has announced its 2007 Dane County Waters Champion Award recipients. The awards are given annually recognizing individuals, organizations, businesses, and youth that have made outstanding contributions towards the protection and improvement of Dane County’s water resources. Their work has made a positive impact on water quality as well as the scenic, economic, recreational and environmental value of those lakes and streams.

Paul O’Connor, who won the biggest individual award at last years National Tournament, has been profiled in the latest issue of “The Waterskiier”, which is a publication from USA Waterski, the sports governing body.

Those of us within the Mad-City family are already well aware of Paul’s talents on and off the water, including his incredible devotion to the sport, desire to push the boundaries of what is possible on the water and his devotion to his family off the water.

“Show skiing has been a big part of my life for a long time,” he says. “I truly love this sport that has brought me friends, experiences, taught me drive and perseverance, and has shown me my own strengths and weaknesses It has given me ore wonderful memories out on the water that anyone could ever ask for. But most importantly, it led me to my beautiful wife Joey, which is why I will forever be grateful to this sport.

Click the link below for the full article (opens in .PDF)

Modest O’Connor Winner of Gilkerson Award

The Mad-City Ski Team of Madison, WI was named co-team of the year for 2007 by the USA Water Ski Association on December 11, 2007. The team is made up of dedicated individuals who perform water ski shows weekly in the summer at Law Park on John Nolen Drive on Sunday nights. The team qualified for the Team of the Year award by being named Team of the Month for August shortly after winning the 33rd Malibu Division 1 Show Ski National Championships. It was their 2nd consecutive championship and 3rd in the past 4 years.

The team also won the Wisconsin State Show Ski Tournament in 2007. Like the National Championship, it too was their 2nd consecutive Wisconsin State Title and 3rd title in 4 years. The state tournament was held in Wisconsin Rapids and is the largest water ski tournament in the world.

Commenting on this award, Senior Judge Tom Ghiloni (who was one of the judges at Nationals) said “This is a first for NSSA (National Show Ski Association) to have a team honored by USAWS as team of the year and to be co-team with the U.S. Elite Team I think is a great honor and recognition of Show Ski. Thanks, and congratulations.”

In addition to competing in tournaments and providing free weekly shows, the team also hosts a disabled skier clinic and offers a learn to ski program in conjunction with the Madison School & Community Recreation department.

Links:

Mad-City Press Release
USA Water Ski Press Release
US Olympic Team Press Release

In the most recent issue of “The Water Skier”, the magazine for all USA Waterski Members is a great article about Mad-City and our National Championship!!

Click on the link below for the article in PDF format.

Earning Their Stripes - The Water Skier

Following our second straight National Title, the Mad-City Ski Team was named USA Water Ski Team of the Month for August 2007!!! We also also received this honor last year in August. The full press release shown below.Link: USA Water Ski Press Release

August Athletes Of The Month Selected
* Posted by: usaws
* On: 08/30/2007 14:53:36
* In: USA-WS

USA Water Ski has selected Keith St. Onge (Winter Haven, Fla.) and Brittany Greenwood (Little Rock, Ark.) as its Male and Female Athletes of the Month for August. The Mad City Ski Team (Madison, Wis.) was selected as Team of the Month. St. Onge, Greenwood and the Mad City Ski Team will now be eligible for the United States Olympic Committee’s Athletes and Team of the Month honors.

St. Onge won the Open Pro Men national overall title for the second consecutive year and for the sixth time in the past nine years at the 30th annual Lake Elmo Sports Barefoot Water Ski National Championships, Aug. 14-18, in Alma Center, Wis. St. Onge also won the national slalom and tricks titles during the five-day event. His winning score of 18.6 points in slalom was just two points shy of his current world slalom record, while his winning score of 10,150 points in the tricks event was just 730 points shy of his current world tricks record.

Greenwood won the Girls 2 national overall and jumping titles at the 65th GOODE Water Ski National Championships, Aug. 13-18, in Arvin, Calif. Greenwood, who also placed fifth in tricks and sixth in slalom, finished with 4,217.3 overall points. Her winning leap of 106 feet in the jumping event is a pending Girls 2 national record. It was the second time in the month of August and fifth time this season that Greenwood has set or tied the Girls 2 national jumping record.

The Mad City Ski Team won its third national title in the past four years at the 33rd Malibu Division 1 Show Ski National Championships, Aug. 10-12, at Shorewood Park in Loves Park, Ill. Mad City earned top awards for ballet line, freestyle jumping, swivel skiing, showmanship, overall show, dock and equipment crew, pick-up boat crew, towboat driving and sound crew in finishing with a tournament-high 2,184.5 points in the 14-team field. Mad City’s Paul O’Connor (Madison, Wis.) was named the tournament’s top male performer.

All the rain in Madison and the surrounding areas ended Mad-City’s ski season rather abruptly. Following our performance at the National Ski Tournament just over three weeks ago, we returned to Madison excited and looking forward to performing back on Lake Monona.

However, Mother Nature had other ideas as high winds and rainy conditions canceled our first show, post-championship.

Those of you that live in the area know what came next, days and days of rain, which subsequently caused the lake levels in the area to rise up to near-record heights and cause thousands of dollars in damage to the surrounding area.

For us, the Mad-City Ski Team, it also caused the abrupt end to our ski season. One of our most successful and enjoyable years ever!!

While it is incredibly disappointing to have our season end on this wet and dreary note, we also understand the circumstances surrounding the decision to keep our lakes Slow-No-Wake, to prevent any further damage to the shoreline and peoples property.

We will certainly be rearing and ready to go in 2008!!

The Mad-City Ski Team thanks everyone who came out to see our ski show and supported our team this year!!

After the jump is our pictorial of our ski site and the effects the high water has had. We have added two more photo gallery’s on the Mad-City Picasa Site

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The Mad-City Ski Team will be presenting a check for $21,800 to the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission today at 4:00 PM at Law Park.

Last year the Mad-City Ski Team founded and began the Clean Lakes Festival, an event to raise money and awareness regarding the quality of our local lakes. The first annual Clean Lakes Festival was held at Warner Park in Madison and featured a 5K run/walk, sound stage with four bands, refreshments, kids play area, canoe and kayak demos, and a lakes education center.

The full press release is below and for more information on this event please visit www.cleanlakesfestival.com.

Links:
Clean Lakes Festival
Press Release

Mad-City Ski Team to Present Check for $21,800 to Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission

On August 28 at 4 p.m. at Law Park, the Mad-City Ski Team will present a check for $21,800 to the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission, representating a portion of the proceeds from the first annual Clean Lakes Festival.

In keeping with the Teams wishes, this years check will support the Countys aquatic plant harvesting program.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said, We are delighted that the award-winning Mad-City Ski Team is working with the County to protect and improve our lakes, and we appreciate its generous contribution.

In order to raise these funds for maintaining and improving some of Dane Countys most treasured assets, the Ski Team held the first annual Clean Lakes Festival on June 9, 2007 at Warner Park. This event, which kicked off the Lakes and Watershed Commissions 2007 Take a Stake in the Lakes Week, featured a 5K run/walk, sound stage with four bands, refreshments, kids play area, canoe and kayak demos, and a lakes education center.

“The Mad-City Ski Team has made it our mission to promote the health and well being of our lakes. We are proud to be able to assist the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission in their ongoing efforts to effect change in the water quality of our lakes,” said Adam Schaller.

Brett Hulsey, Chair of the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission, said, Dane Countys aquatic plant management program provides for reasonable use of the lakes for boating, fishing and swimming, while preserving the health and balance of the lake ecosystem. Thanks to the Mad-City Ski Team for supporting this important work!

About the Mad-City Ski Team

• The Mad-City Ski Team began in 1963, and has a long record of winning state, regional and national ski competitions.
• The Mad-City Ski Team puts on FREE waterski shows every Sunday evening at 6:00 PM at Law Park in Madison on beautiful Lake Monona. The teams final show of the season will be on September 2.
• In recent years the Team has claimed both the Wisconsin and National Championships in 2004, 2006, and 2007.
• Learn more about the Team at http://madcityskiteam.com/
• About the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission
• The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission was created in 1988. A coordinating and advisory agency within Dane County government, the Commission’s charge is to protect and improve water quality, as well as the scenic, economic, recreational, and environmental value of Dane County’s water resources.
•  The Commission has 10 members, representing urban and rural areas.
• Learn more about Dane County waters, the Commissions work, and the County aquatic plant management program at www.danewaters.com

Beaverland Must-Skis accept award as Division 2 Wisconsin State Champions!

Due to the high water levels on Lake Monona we, the Mad-City Ski Team, have been forced to cancel our regular Sunday night show.

However!! Our friends just to the north, the two-time defending Division 2 champions, Beaverland Must-Skis from Beaver Dam, have graciously invited us to come ski with them.

Here is a great chance to see both the Division 1 State and National Champions and the Division 2 State Champions combine forces for one fantastic ski show!!

Beaverland skis at Tahoe Park on Beaver Dam lake in Beaver Dam and this Sundays show is scheduled to begin at 5:30.

We have had a long and friendly relation with Beaverland and thank them in advance for the invite to come ski with them, we hope you join us as well. It always proves to be a great time and we look forward to hopefully seeing you there!

Links:
Beaverland Must-Skis Website
Directions to Tahoe Park

The recent rain storms in Madison have provided quite a headache for us all.  For the Mad-City Ski Team, who rely on Lake Monona for our ski shows and practice, the recent rains and resulting high water have played havoc with our site!

Below are some pictures highlighting what has happened to our site at Law Park. The full album is available on the Mad-City Picasa Site.

Our landing area…normally the water is another two feet further down

The ducks are certainly enjoying the high waters!

View of the shoreline from the end of our dock

Closer view of shoreline

Our third dock (right side of showcourse) is being pulled underwater by the tight anchor lines!!

Even the boat landing at Law Park isn’t immune!

Links:
Photo Gallery on Picasa