WINTER CONFERENCE XIII

Winter Conference XIII proved itself strong confirming things only get better with age. THE Ohio State University did an amazing job of hosting. Huge thanks to the Ohio State team for everything they contributed to make the conference a huge success.

The day started off with the captains meeting to discuss a wide range of items beginning with a few rule changes.  

° To accommodate each region for Winter Conference, it was decided that teams interested in hosting WC must submit a bid by April 1^st. If no bids are received by this deadline or the board deems the bids unacceptable the deadline will be extended by 1 month and this sequence will continue until a successful bid and vote is reached. By May 1^st each conference (Great Lake and Great Plains) will vote via email ballot on the top two bids from their conference, respectively. The region will then vote from the four bids (two from each conference) and determine the hosting school.

° Do No Harm Rule was also added into the bylaws. This meaning, if you have only one score for All-Star qualifications you get a 25% penalty on that one score. If you have two scores and the average of those two scores is lower than a 25% penalty on your highest score - then the 25% penalty on one score will be used as your All-Stars average. Therefore-do no harm by skiing another tournament.

Elections were next. Congratulations to: Christy Kingsmill, newly voted Regional Vice Chairman, Shelly Tranchita, newly voted Board Secretary, Jim Grabowski, newly voted Great Plains Chairman, Gretchen Storm, newly voted Team Recruitment Chair, Andy Hipskind, newly voted Team Development Chair, Tom Stelzer newly voted Alumni Liaison, and Stephanie Elfhoffer, newly voted Officials Chairman.  Cris Kodiak remains Regional Chairman, Jon Bice remains Board Treasurer, and Dan Pabst remains Great Lakes Chairman.

Following elections were the clinic sessions given by professional water skiers Scot Ellis (website), Thomas T-Mo Moore (website), Billy Susi (website), and Ryan Dodd (website). Thanks to all of professionals for leaving their sunny locations to make the trip to deliver great advice.

                                               The theme of the evening was Fallen Favorites and the Lord (Jim Grabowski) knows that Team Midwest did not disappoint. It was the only place where you could have had Bob Ross paint you a picture, witness the birth of Jesus, and have Billy Mays sell you some Oxyclean! What a night. Thanks to everyone who came out and made the conference a memorable experience! Looking forward to WC XIV!

ALL STARS

Gear up Team Midwest, All Stars is a few short months before us! We are the defending champions; lets bring home another victory!

Congrats to the Team Midwest All Star Team:

Men Slalom: 

Women Slalom: 

Men Trick:

Women Trick:

Men Jump:

Women Jump:

All Stars will take place in Elk Grove, CA at Shortline Lake hosted by the St. Marys College of California on May 21-23, 2010. Refer to ncwsa.com for more information.

SKI AMMYS

And now for everyone’s favorite awards….THE SKI AMMYS!

Male Rookie of the Year: Michael Bullock, Purdue University

Female Rookie of the Year: Devin Cassidy, University of Illinois

Most Improved Skier: Kevin Klingbeil, Iowa State University 

Best Team Captain: Tom Stelzer, University of Iowa 

Most Valuable Male Skier: Tyler Lorenz, University of Wisconsin, Madison 

Most Valuable Female Skier: Maggie Tierney, Iowa State University 

Most Outstanding Senior Male: Mark Cassidy, University of Illinois 

Most Outstanding Senior Female: Kayla McClure, Ball State University 

Most Likely to Go Pro: Tyler Lorenz, University of Wisconsin, Madison 

Most Likely to Hit the Sidecurtain: Austin Voss, Missouri State University 

Most Consistent Skier: Matt Knafla, Iowa State University 

Happy Award (Most Supportive Alumnus): Jim Grabowski, Marquette University 

Hardest Worker Award: Adam Koehler, Marquette University 

Anne Kiedrowski Award (Most Supportive Skier): Heather Donen, University of Wisconsin, Madison 

Jeff Surgej Award: Jim Grabowski, Marquette University 

Thanks to everyone for nominating and voting & congratulations to all the winners!

THIS & THAT

For updates on Kyle Eade, please visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kyleeade, to make a donation or purchase merchandise with proceeds going to Kyle, go to www.skifly.com.

Join NCWSA on Facebook!

http://www.ncwsa.com/index.php/latest-news/519-ncwsa-facebook-fan-page-join

Jim Grabowski defeats the Dagwood at The Ohio Deli!

 Jim ate 3.5 lbs of a deli sandwich and 1.5 lbs of fries in a half hour! 

On the eight hour ride home from Winter Conference, your Midwest Board wrote down a few memorable quotes:

1)  Winter Conference is like a game and I just wanna beat it!! – Billy Susi

2)  I was awesome last night. – Everyone

Look out for the next newsletter in April 2010! Be sure to check back to MCWSA for more updates.

Full Slate of Professional Speakers on board for MCWSA Winter Conference XIII

4 professional skiers have signed on the dotted line as speakers for Winter Conference XIII. Winter Conference XIII is hosted by THE Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. These pros are taking time out of their busy training schedule to come and spread their wealth of knowledge with us!

Scot Ellis – Scot is a familiar name to Winter Conference. This is his 10th Winter Conference. Scot currently is ranked # 8 in the world in the men’s jump event, with an average of 224 feet.

Ryan Dodd – This is Ryan’s 2nd Winter Conference. Ryan is ranked #19 in the world in tricks with an average over 10,000 points. Ryan also boasts a #6 world ranking in jump with an average of 228 feet! He is also fresh off his wedding with wife/skier Breanne (Wagner) Dodd.

Thomas Moore – This is going to be T-Mo’s first Winter Conference. He is ranked #17 in the world in slalom with an average of 1.5 @ 41 off.

Billy Susi – Billy is also brand new to Winter Conference. He is currently ranked #25 in the world with an average of 5 @ 39.5 off.

Registration for Winter Conference XIII will be available on www.mcwsa.com very soon. Stay Tuned for more details.

If you would like to get the collegiate skier discount for the hotel, here is the information.
Varsity Inn North
3246 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, OH 43202
Ph: 614-267-4646

Hotel Rooms are just $59!! For the group rate, reservations must be made by Friday – January 29, 2010. Use the code “Waterski Winter Conference” or “WSKI”.

Any questions, feel free to contact MCWSA Director Cris Kodiak This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Ohio State Contact Derek McLachlan This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dottie Troeger of North Bend, OH passed away on Wednesday morning, January 20th, 2010 at the age of 72 years old after a hard fought six month battle with cancer.  Dottie is one of the most senior and well known skiers in the State of Ohio and is sure to have touched the heart of anyone who came in contact with her. Dottie is the grandmother of MCWSA skiers Chris Van Treese and Ben Van Treese.

Dottie skied in her first National Championship in 1969 at Myers Lake in Canton, OH.  In 1972 she bought her first pair of "store bought" trick skis, prior to that she competed on homemade skied built by her husband Ron.  Throughout the 70's Dottie and Ron skied at Happy Lake in Fairfield, OH which was eventually moved to Morrow, OH.  Around 2000, the Troeger's started skiing in Walton, KY at Cruises Creek where they skied every afternoon through last summer.  From 1998 to 2008 Dottie took Top 3 in tricks at Nationals and Top 5 in slalom every year with National Trick Titles in 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007.  Dottie currently holds the midwest all tournament records for W7 & W8 Tricks with 2,170 & 1,860 points respectively.  She also holds the W8 midwest championship record in trick and the W7 and W8 midwest record capable tournament records in trick.  With so many top regional and national performances, it's no surprise that Dottie also holds the W6, W7, & W8 State Records in both trick & slalom.  On top of so many skiing accomplishments, Dottie also found time to be a senior rated 3-event judge and was also a scorer.

It's hard to describe in words how much Dottie will be missed at the lake every weekend but there are a number of skiers whose lives Dottie has touched:

"Such a fun & loving woman. I'll always cherish the things I learned from her. RIP"  -- Calli Newman, Cincinnati, OH

"I am one of very few that goes back into the mid 1960's as a young boy remembering Dottie. Her and Ron and later Miss Libby , always would attend the Athens Boat and Ski Club tournaments on the Ohio river. She was a goddess on the water. The countless years of service she has dedicated to water skiing in Ohio, makes her the godmother of water skiing in Ohio.  She will never be forgotton and I will truly miss her."  -- Mike Meek, Albany, OH

"I will always hear her yelling from the boat....PULL!"  -- Debbie Kern, Fairfield, OH

"I feel like I didn't even know her that long but she was one of the coolest people I've ever met. I will miss her."  -- Brad Ruff, Cincinnati, OH

"Tournaments will always be missing a little something without Dottie there.  I still remember the first time I met Dottie.  It was my first AWSA tournament ever and was held at Hidden Lake in 1999.  Not only was she the first skier to come up and ask me how I did after I skied but she was by far the most energetic person at the lake and was always excited when the kids skied."  -- Greg Kuenning, Cincinnati, OH

"Water skiing has lost another great friend and ambassador."  -- Tim McKune, Lexington, KY

"She was a great lady."  -- Karl Dammeyer, St Marys, OH

"She was an amazing woman, I learned so much from her."  -- Casey Thress, Cincinnati, OH

Our hearts and prayers go out to Dottie's husband Ron, her only daughter Libby Van Treese, along with Dottie's son-in-law Jeff and Dottie's four grandchildren Adam, Chris, Ben, & Emily.  Dottie is also survived by her 93 year old mother and a brother.  Rest In Peace Dottie.

Winter Conference XIII has been awarded to The Ohio State University Buckeye Water Ski Team.

The date for the big event is February 20, 2010.

Hotel rooms are just $59!!!  In order to get the group rate of $59, the reservations must be made by 1/29/2010.  Students can call the hotel at 614-267-4646 and ask for the “Waterski Winter Conference” or by the code of “WSKI”.  The hotel’s address is:

Our long-time Vice Chairman - Kurtis Threlkeld - has decided that after a number of years of dedicated and selfless service to the MCWSA, he will be stepping down.

Kurtis has served as the Vice Chairman for 3 years now, and has been a member of the MCWSA board for longer than that. As the Vice Chairman, he is also one of the two Midwest Representatives on the NCWSA National Board.

This spot is now vacated and needs to be filled by early January.

For all those interested in running for Midwest Regional Vice Chairman:
a. Please send Cris Kodiak ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) a "resume/speech" for your interest in the position. Please remember that while many teams may know you, there are many that may not know you as well, so the more information you can give, the better. The rest of the board and I will come up with a couple stock questions that we will ask all candidates that can hopefully shed some light on questions that the whole region might have.

b. If you would like to ask the outgoing Regional Vice-Chairman any questions feel free to contact him. His email is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . I was Vice -Chairman for a number of years before becoming Chairman, so feel free to ask me any questions as well.

c. I need to have those interested to get their speeches/resumes in to me by Sunday - Jan 3. Then we will have one week of dicussion and voting, and the new Regional Vice-Chairman will be named by Sunday Jan 10.

Here are the eligibility requirements (per the MCWSA bylaws):

Section 2-Eligibility.  No person shall be eligible for election of National Director or Regional Chairman unless such person meets the following qualifications:

            A.        Mandatory Qualifications

                        Candidates for Board membership must possess:

                        1.         Current valid USA Water Ski membership.

                        In addition, they must meet at least two (2) of the following qualifications:

                        1.         Previous member on the MCWSA or NCWSA Board of Directors.

                        2.         Current rated USA Water Ski judge, scorer or boat driver; or past or present collegiate skier.

                        3.         Approval of the Board.

            B.        Desirable Qualifications

                        In addition to the mandatory qualifications, the following background factors are to be considered as desirable for Board membership.

                        1.         Ability to travel and attend NCWSA and MCWSA Board meetings.

                        2.         Good knowledge of the functions of MCWSA and NCWSA.

                        3.         Good organizational background.

                        4.         Good character and personality traits.

                        5.         Ability to communicate well.

                        6.         Active in the sport of water skiing in some capacity on the collegiate level.

Any questions: please feel free to contact current Chairman - Cris Kodiak. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Team Midwest - You have the opportunity to honor those skiers in the NCWSA with the 5 most prestigous awards in the collegiate skiing community. Below are the descriptions of the awards. Send all nominations to me - at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Male and Female Athlete of the Year Award.
This award is for the greatest performing male and female athlete in the NCWSA for ALL of the 2009 calendar year, this includes the Spring AND Fall of 2009. This award should be based on only scores acheived in NCWSA events. Athletes will be recognized at the January USA Water Ski Awards Ceremony, on www.ncwsa.com, on www.usawaterski.org, and with a crystal trophy of achievement.
 
Team of the Year Award
This award goes to the team that personified all that NCWSA stands for this season and the team that stood out among their peers as a model of organization and performance.
The Team will be recognized at the January USA Water Ski Awards Ceremony, on www.ncwsa.com, on www.usawaterski.org, and with a crystal trophy of achievement.
 
Male and Female Most Outstanding Leadership Award.
This award goes to the male and female skier that contributed the most to the NCWSA off the water. Whether it be through their team, their conference, their region, or the nation, these skiers provided leadership off the water and gave of their time and effort to improve our sport. Athletes will be recognized at the January USA Water Ski Awards Ceremony, on www.ncwsa.com, on www.usawaterski.org, and with a crystal trophy of achievement.
 
What I need from you, are nominations for these awards. Anyone is able to nominate. Please spread the word to your teams. The nomination period runs from November 17, until 8:00pm Sunday November 29.  After Sunday, the nominees will be assembled and then voting will take place the following week.
 
When nominating, please provide information as to why they should be the award winners.
If they are for athlete of the year, please provide skiing stats for that skier. All scorebooks are on ncwsa.com. For team of the year, explain what sets them apart, and show how they have advanced. For outstanding leadership please provide specific examples as to why the nominee should be recognized.

Thank you!

There are 2 wildcards spots that are awarded to teams from across the country for the NCWSA Collegiate National Championships.

The Midwest already earned the one wildcard spot based on the region's D2 performance at Nationals last year. So the first wildcard spot went to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats.

The 2nd wildcard goes to the winner of the psuedo-tournament that features the top three teams from each regionals, that did not qualify for Nationals. The scores are based off of their averages from the fall season.

We knew the midwest had a good chance of taking the last wildcard spot. What we didn't know, is that the midwest teams would go 1-2-3 in the tournament! After some ups and downs in the scores last night on the live selection show, along with numerous lead changes, the midwest ended up 1,2,3. Missouri State (last year's wild card winner) took 3rd. Wisconsin Stout in a bid for their first trip to nationals fell one spot short in 2nd. And the Wolverines of Michigan took the crown! For the first time in history, the midwest will have 7 teams at Nationals!

As amazing as it sounds - Michigan and Cincinnati, our two wildcard teams, have a very legitimate shot at winning Division 2.  Kansas and Wisconsin are also poised for a strong D2 finish. Honestly, any of those teams could take the crown.

Those D2 schools will join their Midwest D1 counterparts - Purdue, Iowa State, and Illinois. Any of those D1 teams, could place as high as 5th in country!

Here are the results from the psuedo tournament. See the breakdown event by event on www.ncwsa.com

1 University of Michigan MCH M GL 9825

2 Univ of Wisc Stout WST M GP 9120

3 Missouri State Univ MOS M GP 8965

4 Sacramento State Univ SAC W NW 7825

5 Saint Marys College SMC W NW 6910

6 Auburn University AUB E SA 6470

7 UC Davis UCD W NW 6395

8 Univ of NC Chapel Hill NCH E SA 5615

9 University of Arkansas ARK SC 5525

10 Georgia Southern GAS E SA 4315

11 Baylor University BAY SC 2090

NCWSA.com has put up the team ranking list for all teams in the USA. When customizing the rankings, we were able to create the Top 16 list of teams in the midwest. So if Regionals were to happen today, this would be the top 16. The Conference championships will decide who gets to march on to Decatur, IL for the Midwest Regionals.

Please don't forget, the midwest is guranteed a 6th team at Nationals this year, with a chance at a 7th team based on the mock tournament. Right now, that would mean Wisconsin Stout Blue Devils would be punching a ticket to Bakersfield for the first time in their team history! But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Without further ado, here is your Midwest Top 16, heading into the Conference Championships.

With all of the multiple tournaments this year in the midwest, we have made it so that everyone will be able to bring full B-Teams to ski, and your drives will be more manageable this year as well.

Here is the list of what teams are going to each tournament.

Team Midwest is ready to defend their All-Star title.

The team is complete and looks very dangerous.

There are 33 athletes that come from 16 different teams.

Isaiah's Run ski school in Missouri is running a collegiate ski school special just for Team Midwest ski team members.

The dates are May 18-22, right after Collegiate All-Stars.

Check out their website for more information.

http://isaiahsrun.com/IsaiahsRun/TeamMidwest.html

Please head over to the forums and nominate your favorite midwest skiers for the 2008 Skiammy Awards!!!

There are 14 Awards in all, including Senior of the Year, Rookie of the year, Captain of the Year, Most Valuable Skier, Most Likely to hit the Side Curtain and many more.

The link is www.mcwsa.com/forums

Please hurry! Nominations close on February 1, and the voting will take place here next week.

You can also clink the link at the top of the homepage to "Forums"

Team Midwest, 

We've been made aware of a new opportunity to be a waterski instructor at a summer camp this upcoming summer, along with some more information about the previous opportunity that was posted here on MCWSA.com and we'd like to pass it along. Ellyn Black from Camp Fernwood in Poland, Maine sent us this email about this newest opportunity:

Tomorrow starts the new year, and what better way to ring it in than with a full schedule of tournament fun! As 2008 comes to a close the 2009 schedule has been set and ready to go. We witnessed one of the best years and most productive years in Midwest history last year and 2009 looks to be even better! The Midwest is going to be treated to 13 tournaments in the 2009 calendar year, AT 11 DIFFERENT SITES!!!!

This is a record on both accounts and truly a big big step forward for the midwest. Thank you to all of the sites that are set for tournaments: Neosho (Lacrosse), Dream Lakes (2 Tournaments - Iowa State), Waterhawks (2 tournaments - Iowa), Pleasant Shores (Ball State), Lake Jepawhit (NEW! - UM-Flint), Lake Freddie (Missouri State), Tivoli Gardens (Michigan State), Lake Lottawatta (Cincinnati), Placid Waters (NEW! - Grand Valley State), Waters Edge Estates (Wisconsin Madison), P.I.T.S. (Illinois).

We have seen tournaments at most of these sites before, but there are two sites that are new to collegiate water skiing, complete with two teams that are hosting their very first tournaments!

UM-Flint is hosting a tournament at Lake Jepawhit in Gaines Township, MI on the opening weekend of the fall season. This is a nationally recognized site (as seen in Water Ski Magazine in “Sites to See”) and has been the host site for the past "Big Dawgs" tournaments. Other tournaments held here are the Michigan 3 event State, the Michigan Barefoot Championships & Mastercraft Pro Tour Michigan Stop of 2008. This will be the second fully lighted lake to host collegiate water skiing, and skiing on a lighted lake after dark is truly a one of a kind experience! This also permits an extra long practice session friday night, as practice can be run after dark as well.

The Great Lakes Conference Championships are moving north this year as well, as Grand Valley State hosts their first tournament on a brand new site! They will host conference at Placid Waters in Allendale, MI about 25 minutes west of Grand Rapids. Placid Waters is a brand new water ski development that currently has 3 ski lakes, with 3 more being built. Two of the lakes have courses and the other has the jump.  It will be possible to run 2 events at once and there is a peninsula between the lakes so there is great specatator seating. It sounds like it is set up along similar lines as Waters Edge, but includes a third lake. This should give plenty of opportunity to complete all of B-team with time to spare! This new development also boasts of being secluded with hills around the lakes to block the wind so the water is perfect in almost any weather condition, and the pro-tour is scheduled to be held here in the future. 

The full 2009 Schedule (spring and fall) is as follows:

Congratulations to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats water ski team, and Adam Koehler of Marquette University who were named National Team of the Year and Male Most Outstanding Leader, respectively, by the National Collegiate Water Ski Association.

Both won against numerous very qualified candidates around the country.

For a full list of the award winners and a summary about each winner: http://www.ncwsa.com/index.php/latest-news/360-2008-ncwsa-award-winners

Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners, especially those from Team Midwest!

It is with deep sadness that I report the loss of a long-time friend of Midwest Collegiate Water Skiing.

Scott Coley - President of the Wisconsin Water Ski Federation - has passed away at the age of 57. On Friday December 19 - Scott was driving to work, when his heart failed on him.

For those of you that do not know the name of Scott Coley - you certainly have seen the effects of his work. He is responsible for starting most every collegiate water ski team in the state of Wisconsin. In 1999, there was not one ski team in the state of Wisconsin. Now Wisconsin boasts more collegiate ski teams than any other state in the United States. That is because of the tireless efforts of Scott Coley. He was the mastermind behind the Collegiate Extreme Challenge which showcased collegiate wakeboarding and barefooting as well. With his connections and in his presidency of the Wisconsin Water Ski Federation, he was also able to provide a program where many college teams were able to get a boat for practice and for their own use. This exchange program allowed college teams, from not only wisconsin but as far as Kansas and Michigan, to get a new boat each year for team use. Without his program and forward thinking, many of these schools would not have a boat to use.

Below are two links to obituaries celebrating the life and accomplishments of Mr. Scott Coley.

http://shimonfuneralhome.com/obituaries.asp?q=1041

http://wwsf.waterski.org/news/story.php?id=134

Also if you would like to pay your respects, or send a message to his family, here is that contact information.

Visitation and Funeral are on Tuesday December 23.

St. Michael's Lutheran Church
Hustisford
visitation from 3:00pm - 7:00pm
Funeral service at 7:00pm

St. Michaels Lutheran Church
N4911 Gray Rd.
Iron Ridge (Hustisford), WI

http://www.legacy.com/JSOnline/DeathNotices.asp?Page=LifeStoryPrint&PersonID=121686010

Adam Cord - standout skier for Purdue University from 2002-2006 - was just interviewed on a water ski website called www.ballofspray.com, about his work with Obrien Water Skis and development of the new Elite ski from Obrien.

Take a look at a very cool interview! 

http://ballofspray.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47:adam-cord-interview&catid=34:ballofspray-water-ski-interviews&Itemid=72

The NCWSA every year, has 5 end-of-the-year awards.

They are:

* Male and Female Athlete of the Year. This award is for the greatest performing male and female athlete in the NCWSA for ALL of the 2008 calendar year, this includes the Spring AND Fall of 2008. This award is based on only scores acheived in NCWSA events.

* Male and Female Most Outstanding Leader. This award goes to the male and female skier that contributed the most to the NCWSA off the water. Whether it be through their team, their conference, their region, or the nation, these skiers provided leadership off the water and gave of their time and effort to improve our sport.

* Team of the Year. This award goes to the team that personified all that NCWSA stands for this season and the team that stood out among their peers as a model of organization and performance.

Team Midwest was well represented with 5 nominees.

Melanie Cyra from Wisconsin Madison is nominated for Female Athlete of the Year. She skied 8 collegiate tournaments in 2008, including All-Stars and Division 1 Nationals. Her season was highlighted by joining the very exclusive female collegiate century club for the first time, on her last jump at D1 Nationals, and set a new conference jump record in the process/

There were three teams nominated for Team of the Year.

Cincinnati Bearcats - Quite Possibly the cinderella story of the year. Never qualified for Nationals in the history of the team, yet have a very successful year, taking 2nd at conference, coming in 4th at regionals (after 11th last year) and winning the Division 2 National Tournament. ON top of that, they were always around dock starting, announcing, helping in any way they could at Conference and Nationals, even though they weren't hosting.

Wisconsin Madison Badgers - Have you ever wanted something so bad you can taste it? Has that want been consuming you for 6 years? Did you finally achieve that milestone that you were looking for? Then you know what Wisconsin Madison felt like, when they beat the Purdue Boilermakers at Collegiate Nationals. By a mere 30 points, the teams were neck and neck all weekend long. It was a great culmination for a team that had one goal, and achieved it on the grandest of stages. The team also did a great job snagging homegrown talent Tyler Lorenz for the team as well.

Iowa State Cyclones - The Cyclones came out of seemingly nowhere to be a very consistent team in 2008. They hosted two tournaments at their 2-lake site and gave a lot of time and effort to pull that off. Not only that, but they may have had the most improved off-season of any team in the land. Skiers that were improving by multiple passes, hundreds of trick points, and over 80 feet in jump for some. They have a strong balance of men and women, and will be even stronger next year.

Adam Koehler of Marquette is nominated for Male Most Outstanding Leader. Adam was the brainchild which got 2 more wildcard teams to Collegiate Nationals. An idea that Team Midwest has directly benefitted from by bringing a 6th team last year, and for sure 6, maybe even 7 for next year. He also is working on an idea of NCWSA Medical Redshirting, as well as revisiting the NCWSA scoring system to make sure it is as fair as possible. On top of this, he is the website coordinator for the Marquette team as well as their alumni liasion.

So please join me in giving these fine candidates a well deserved round of applause. Stay tuned to here and www.ncwsa.com to see who brings home the hardware and gets invited to the USAWS awards ceremony in Orlando in January.