Mad-City Ski Team overcomes weather to win another state title

Bobbi Jo Snethen  —  8/22/2008 9:58 pm

On the eve of last weekend's Wisconsin State Water Ski Competition, Matt Baumler, the first-year show director for the Mad-City Ski Team, described himself as "uncharacteristically nervous."

After all, his team claimed both state and national Division 1 titles in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

But this season, there was justification for Baumler's anxiety. Plagued with unfavorable weather, team practices and performances were frequently moved or canceled, hindering skiers' repetition on the water.

Mid-June flooding came just after the team kicked off its weekly Sunday night shows at Law Park on Lake Monona.

"When flooding first hit, the water levels rose and we were left without a place to ski," Baumler said. "We immediately began looking for an alternate site."

The 100-member squad temporarily relocated to Lake Wisconsin Country Club in Prairie du Sac until it found out -- after transporting equipment to the site -- that the country club did not own the area the team planned to use.

Longtime member and former show director Matt Heilman said his teammates were determined to overcome adversity.

"We moved to another area on the golf course, but it wasn't conducive to what we needed to accomplish," Heilman said. "The show is such a big production with many elements. There are things we can work on outside the water, like choreography, but we definitely missed out on the repetition we're used to getting before the state competition."

The show, comprised of 13 acts, is highlighted by a 36-person pyramid and the "Big Act," which features 52 skiers simultaneously pulled behind four boats.

After just three practices, blue green algae bloomed on Lake Wisconsin, forcing the team out of the water in the final days before the state show on Lake Wazeecha in Wisconsin Rapids. The competition is the largest water ski show in the world.

"We keep finding solutions and then we find more roadblocks," co-director Kristen Block said. "It's like one thing after another, and it's getting to the point where it's comical."

Although Mad-City skiers seem to have a disastrous target upon their backs, Block said other ski teams suffered as well.

"The entire southern portion of the state has endured similar problems, so we're definitely not alone," Block said.

The Rock Aqua Jays, based in Janesville, were scheduled to host next month's national tournament at Traxler Park, but Rock River flooding moved the event to Wisconsin Rapids.

Baumler said the team had to count on its experienced members.

"A lack of practice of course has the potential to negatively affect us, but we have a strong veteran membership that can hopefully pull us together," Baumler said. "The energy, in my opinion, is at an all-time high and we've really come together and stayed positive."

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, Baumler and the Mad-City Ski Team accepted their first-place trophy ahead of 13 other Division 1 teams. Continuing tradition, the crew hopped into Lake Wazeecha with a sense of relief.

"It was the first time I've been nervous throughout an entire show since we didn't have that repetition going into it," said Baumler, who has over 20 years of experience in show skiing. "After all we endured, I can say I've never felt better about taking the cake on this one."

The team will return to Wisconsin Rapids Aug. 8-10 in hopes of recapturing a national title.

"We weren't on the water much but we obviously did something right, and now it's time to perfect our show because the competition will be a little more stiff," Baumler said. "Teams haven't had the same water conditions that we've had to face."

Bobbi Jo Snethen  —  8/22/2008 9:58 pm