On the Water

We skied today...for the first time this year. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a painful day, waking up hibernating muscles. Still, it's worth it. The feeling of sliding across the water, finishing turn after turn as I work my way down the course, is like nothing else. I miss it in winter.

I learned to ski when I was a kid, but didn't really try to improve until after Ryan and I got married. We both became obsessed, and since that time 15 years ago, we have spent countless hours on the water. When we were young and childless, we typically started skiing in March. One spring, we went snowmobiling and waterskiing on the same weekend. We thought that was pretty cool.

Our first boat was a big yellow tub that we bought from my dad. I can't remember the name, but it was made by a company that built ocean liners, and while it wasn't an ocean boat, the wake was large for waterskiing. Still, when that's all you've got, and you're the only one with a boat, it feels good. Since then, we've had three different boats, each on an improvement on the last. We've settled on the Malibu as the boat of choice. It's all about the wake.

At first, we were just recreational skiers. Skiing was relatively new to both of us, but we both had the bug. In 1995, we went to Moose Country Waterski Camp, where we worked on conquering the slalom course. It was the beginning of a long journey.

Soon after, we decided to try a competition, and headed up to Long Lake to our first ever INT waterski competition. They set the course up in the launch area, and boats coming in and out of the marina made constant rollers in the course. It's a wonder we ever went back.

Slowly we became obsessed, I mean involved, with the INT, attending more competitions and getting to know the people. There are worse ways to spend a summer. In 1998, when I was pregnant with Emily, Ryan earned a trip to the national competition in waterskiing. It was a true highlight of our waterski career.

The following year, we joined the INT team, which means that we were the worker bees of the tournaments. We drove the boats, judged the skiers, and did all the set up and tear down of the equipment and signage. Being team members was not without its perks; we sometimes got to practice before anyone else, for free and more often than regular participants. The biggest perk, though, was in relationships. We made so many new friends, life-long friends, that are still so important to us today. Mark and Jenny, Little Mike and Big Mike, Kevin and Stephanie, Matt and Teresa, Kevin...people who we count among our dearest friends.

Maybe the best thing about waterskiing is that it's possible to be better as you get older. I did better last year than I have ever done before. In what other sport can you improve even as your body gives out? I love that. When I'm 60, I had better be awesome.