Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Yeee-haw!
Lake City Skiers won second place in Division II over the weekend in their own City of Lakes/Great Lakes Show Ski Tournament. Their show theme this year is "The Dukes of Hazzard."
"I had a blast today," said Ty Patrick, show announcer, of the tournament. "It was a fun show. Our staggered pyramid was beautiful. Our skiers did a great job. ... This is the most entertaining ski show I've been in."
In less than three weeks, the show skiers hope to improve that ranking to No. 1 as they host the Central Regional Tournament July 9-10. This year will be the first time the show ski team has hosted regional competition, with teams coming from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.
"This is the first time we've ever done this and all the teams that came (for City of Lakes tournament) thought this was a good site and good location," said Chris Wilson, skier.
The City of Lakes tournament featured four teams in division II and two teams in division I. All scores include Backwater Gamblers (Div. I), 1,920 points; Chippewa Lake (Div. I), 1,624; Spray Masters (Div. II), 1,433; Lake City Skiers (Div. II), 1,364; Grand City (Div II), 1,105; and Silver Lake (Div. II), 964.
The Lake City Skiers also won four individual awards, including ballet line (178 points), dock and equipment (48), pick-up boat (154) and tow boat (398), and additionally scored highest in showmanship (385) and overall show (813).
"I thought that it was a decent show for as much as we got to practice," said Keaton Patrick, who plays Enus in the show. "We skied pretty well."
The two-day tournament started Saturday morning with an individual swivel ski competition. Two Lake City skiers placed, including Tracey Patrick, third with 14.93 points, and Viki Hunziker, fourth with 13.33 points. The top finisher had 17.97 points.
"The tournament went really well," said Chris. "I think it brought in money for the community. Everyone had a good time that came."
Second-year show director Jakim Wilson said he believes the LCS did a great job and he was proud of their accomplishment. With the team focusing on preparing the site since last winter to host two tournaments this year, he said they didn't concentrate as much as they'd like with their own show and skiing. Now that the site is ready, they plan to improve on their stage show and water skiing for regional and then national competition (Aug. 13-14).
"There's going to be some awesome shows, some top-ranked teams skiing at this site," said Jakim of the Warsaw-hosted regional competition. He said the team's goal for regionals are to be the "best regional hosts" they can be while winning in their division.
And the community will benefit as possibly thousands of skiers and show ski fans will converge on the area for the regional competition, spending money in the community on gas, food, restaurants and other items. Hotels for regional weekend already are booked up.
"Plus," Jakim said, "it's bringing a great sport to our county that has over 100 lakes."
The water skiing team also is promoting their "Learn to Ski" clinics, to be held July 17 and 24, and Aug. 21 and 28. Registration is from noon to 12:30 p.m. each of those days and beginner skiers can select their skiing times when they register. For more information, see the team before or after a ski show or visit online at www.lakecityskiers.org
To make all of it possible, Wilson said the team's thanks goes out to all of its sponsors, including Boathouse Restaurant, American Table Restaurant, Ramada Plaza Hotel, Hampton Inn, the city of Warsaw, Griffith Wawasee Marina and the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau commission.
The LCS host a regular home show every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sundays at Hidden Lake, Ind. 15N, behind Smith Tire, Warsaw. The public is invited and there is no admission charge. LCS are a non-profit organization and donations are accepted.
