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ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - Knowing there's no "i" in team, the Lake City Skiers came together Saturday to take first place at the Central Region Show Ski Tournament, Division II, at Rock Island, Ill.
And in the process, the team put on their best show so far this year.
"Today's show was certainly a show we can go away with feeling very proud of ourselves," said skier Gary Hawblitzel Saturday after the show. "It was definitely one of the best shows all year as far as execution and flow. There were very few falls."
"I thought we did awesome. I think we showed we were a team tonight. The team spirit came out," said skier Tracey Patrick. "The falls were limited today."
"Today's show was our best show all year. The team came together and performed as a team," said skier Jakim Wilson.
"I think it's a great show. I definitely think it's the best show we skied all year," said skier Keith Farmer. He said the team was at a high performance level and the large crowd was really into the show.
"Overall," said skier Mark Skibowski, "it's probably the best of the season." He said they could easily compete with Division I teams if they perform at least as well as they did Saturday. "We had very few falls. The (boat) driving was on. The acting was on. The crowd was into it. We did great."
He said the crowd responded well to the show announcing by Michael Wilson with assistance by Dee Patrick. Even the skiers could feel the crowd support, he said.
With the first-place finish, the water ski team now qualifies to compete Aug. 2-4 at the national show ski tournament.
"This (regional competition) will mentally prepare us for nationals," said Patrick.
Even with such a great show and the first- place honors, team members know they've got to keep the bar high if they want to earn first place at the national competition.
"There's always room for improvement," Skibowski said of the overall show. "You never want to stop. We constantly want to raise the bar and improve."
Hawblitzel said the team needs to go back and take a look at what they need to improve on for nationals. At nationals, he said, they want to put on a show in which they can be proud. After doing their best, all they can do from that point, then, will be to watch the other teams and "let the chips fall as they may," he said.
For all the new skiers on the team, Chris Wilson said, regional competition gives them an "opportunity to see what competition is like."
"Everyone finally came together," Wilson said of Saturday's show, to achieve "what we've been striving for together all along."
Show director Kevin Hayes said, "The team is progressing. We still have some work to do but we're where we should be."
At national competition, Hayes said, he expects the team to peak. The regional tournament probably opened the eyes of the inexperienced members, Hayes said, so they know what to expect and what they need to improve on for nationals.
While he said everyone was happy with how the team did Saturday, he said the team knows they're not quite at their top level just yet. "Everyone is really happy with the job they did today." From there, they just have to keep improving.
The team's ski show total score for winning first place in regional competition was 1,430. Division I first-place winner was the ski show team of Wonder Lake from Wonder Lake, Ill., with a score of 1,955. Division I regionals were Sunday.
In addition to the team tournament, several members of the Lake City Skiers participated in individual competition Saturday.
And while there were no first-place winners this year in the individual competitions, Patrick said, "Overall, it was really good. ... Individuals went well. They could have been better. The jump team did an awesome job."
Competing in the swivel competition were Patrick and Erika Rainwater, who placed 11th and 16th, respectively, out of 18 competitors. The jump team came in third with 150 points, and team members included Jakim, Hawblitzel, Matt Barr and Mark Skibowski.
"We went out there with the attitude we were going to have fun and that's what we did. We weren't worried about the competition," said Jakim.
Skibowski said Jakim and Hawblitzel are experienced jumpers who work hard with less experienced jumpers like himself. When ski- jumper Jeff Estes returns from his medical leave, the jump team will be in a whole different world.
In doubles competition, the team of Ashley Wilson and Keith Farmer placed 10th, while Jakim and Kim Love took home sixth-place honors. Scoring was based on technical merit and artistic impression.
This was the first year Farmer and Ashley competed in individuals. Though they didn't do as well as they may have hoped, Patrick said, it was a good experience for them. They had some falls but they will continue to improve as they gain experience, she said.
Farmer said, "It was fun. You get the first one out of the way" and go from there. He said from the experience, he's learned what he can improve on to do better.
Saturday afternoon, 32 all-male skiers competed in a single elimination barefoot competition. Lake City Skier Chris Wilson took first place.
The team's remaining schedule includes: July 21, home show at Hidden Lake, Warsaw, at 5 p.m.; July 27, Michigan Invitation, Detroit, Mich.; July 28, home show, Hidden Lake; Aug. 2-4, nationals, no home show; Aug. 11, 18 and 25, home shows at Hidden Lake, all at 5 p.m.
For more information, photos, etc., visit the team's Web site at www.homier.com/~lcskiers
