The action at Trophy Lakes was non stop. The competition intense. The winners in doubt until the very end. Gamesmanship, shifting and demanding conditions and yes, drama. You should have been there.

     Where to start? The most logical place would be the great facility of Trophy Lakes. While it has no glitz and glamour, the setting reminds the average skier of the small private settings that many of us club skier’s use. The slalom and jump courses are so close you can see the intensity on the competitors faces as they whiz by. You can hear their screams of excitement as they made a good run, you could hear their groans of frustration as it happens.

     Sitting mere feet from the waters edge by number three ball, I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat more and more as the tournament progressed. The starting dock was to my left. Skier’s came in from our left with the crowd lining the bank on the skier’s right. Perfect seats.

     The Slalom field was set from Friday’s qualifying but the real action began early Saturday morning with the first round for the women being very early. My personal favorite was Natalie Hamrick. She and I are from the same hometown and even though she now lives and trains in Florida, to me she’s still the local girl gone big time. I talked with her between rounds and she appeared a little concerned as she hadn’t skied well in qualifying and the first round. She wasn’t in danger of not making the finals but wasn’t skiing to her potential. Conditions changed drastically from the smooth morning conditions of the first round to rough chop with a strong wind straight down the course for the second. Her second round was a good strong consistent run. Not her best but with the conditions, a very respectable run. She was solidly in the finals but seeded way down. Her finals run would come early.

     On the men’s side there was much drama building. In the first round Kris Lapoint ran a full 39 ½ off and one at 41 off. Setting a solid early round benchmark. The announcers stated that he was the oldest at 50 years old to run a full 39 ½ in a sanctioned event. The crowd was bussing after that run. My favorites in men’s are Jeff Rogers as he is from my area as well and Wade Cox just because I think he’s the coolest guy out there. First round of men’s was also run in relative calm and all skiers were consistent, the second round was another matter. 

     Coming after men’s first round jump and women’s second round slalom, they had to wait and watch as the wind became intense and constant. Several skier’s started opting up as their opening run of 32 off was with a strong tail wind and moderate chop. The biggest heartbreak came with Kris Lapoint. The way conditions were deteriorating it looked as if a full 38 may be all he needed to advance. He opted up to 38 bypassing 35 to give him the head wind. At number five ball his tournament came quickly to an end. Not getting the full 38 pass and having to take the 35 off buoy count was devastating for everyone watching. The crowd groaned when he missed. You can’t help but pull for this guy. But my favorites weathered the storm (literally) and advanced to Sundays finals.

     Sunday morning was looking like a repeat of Saturday. Overcast and cool, but relatively calm early. The opening ceremonies were great with Old Glory flying high above the Mastercraft as three boats ran a parade lap while the National Anthem played. Kids were playing at the waters edge as Zack the dog took up his traditional spot in the water watching the fish and growling at the jet-ski pick up boat. Good dog.

     Women’s finals started just as the wind made its return. But unlike Saturday where it was mostly constant, today it was shifting, gusting hard and then dying off. All in one 17 second pass. While tailwind one, two and three ball may be somewhat calm, four, five and six were in near whitecaps at times. Difficult conditions to say the least.

     Natalie was skiing early and no one had run deep into 38 so far. It looked as if a full 38 was going to be quite a mark for the women today. She made 28 and 32 look easy but 35 off with the tail wind even had me nervous just watching. Relief, she ran a good strong 35. Coming into the wind at 38, the one, two and three balls were in chop. She made a great one ball to set up a strong two and three. When I saw the look on her face coming at number four I knew she had this run made. As she rounded five and six and out the gate I think everyone knew this was the pass to beat. She came in for 39 ½ with a tail wind and had a tough number one putting her late at two. Although unable to cross over for three she set the standard for the rest of the field. 2 @ 39 ½. She left the door open but only cracked. It would take a phenomenal run to beat her score.

     Skier after skier tried and finally Emma Sheers broke through and ran a full 38. Everyone was excited. But she had a bad tail wind and ½ was all she could get at 39. A couple more skier’s tried and then Geraldine Jamine laid down the gutsiest pass I think I have ever seen. Slamming into the water at the three and five ball she held on to complete the headwind 38. Truly an awesome looking run. Coming back in at 39 she made a great one ball but broke at two and was unable to get outside of three. We now had a tie. Karen Truelove was the last skier out and I think everyone was expecting at worst a three way runoff but the head wind kicked up and knocked her down early on her 38 pass. It was between Natalie and Geraldine. Natalie had to ski first and after waiting on the dock for close to an hour, she had to go out cold and starting at 38 off with a strong tailwind. I don’t think anyone was expecting a full pass. However, as she rounded four and headed for five, the crowd started cheering, but she hooked five and came away with four and a half. The door was still open but just barely cracked. 

     Geraldine started great and after turning four I thought she may get it but she broke crossing the wake, she was able to throw the ski around five and start her pull but went down hard. No one knew the score. We thought we had another tie. It took several minutes for the judges to view the videotape and finally declare Natalie the winner with 4 ½ @ 38, Geraldine was scored at 4 @ 38. The winning margin literally was inches. WOW.  I could have called it a day with that but we still had the men’s event to run.

     The conditions for the men were about the same with shifting, swirling winds and it looked early on as though a full 39 ½ pass would be near impossible. With the wind conditions and this being the finals, no one opted up today. Everyone wanted the head wind 39 pass.  Chris Parrish’s run came to an earlier than expected end. Seeded low he went out early and was down going into the five ball on his 39 pass. He stayed and sat on the far side of the lake just watching for the remainder of the tournament. Disappointed I’m sure. 
Wade Cox came out and set down a full 39 pass that had everyone pumped up but coming in at 41 he broke at one and we could all hear him groan. He knew he had more in him. But today conditions dictated everything.

     When Jeff Rogers came out he made routine work of 32 and 35 but had a tough and exciting 38 tail wind pass. Judging by that pass and conditions I thought a full 39 pass was out of the question. Coming into a strong head wind he was getting behind and with the pull he got coming off of two I didn’t see anyway for him to scrub off that much speed and even attempt three. But he made what I call the hardest turn I have ever seen. So hard that the subsequent pull put him early at four, you knew then he had this pass made. Five and six and out the gate. Wow! Coming in at 41 he made a good tailwind one ball but got down course and late at two. Only by sacrificing his body would he have been able to get the tip around three. With age comes wisdom. He would post a score that would be tough to beat. 2 @ 41 off. Several skiers fought the course and conditions and were beaten back. Jamie Beauchesne got close and he posted a good solid 1 ½ @ 41 with some textbook skiing. William Asher came out and got the crowd buzzing with a great 39 pass. But could only manage 1 @ 41. And with the number one seed Andy Mapple skiing last, Jeff’s win was nowhere near certain. Andy made the routine 32, 35 and 38 passes with relative ease. The 39 headwind was another story. Looking late at every ball, until he rounded six and out the gate I wasn’t sure if he’d make it. Coming in at 41 he made a great one ball, you knew two was a given but he broke coming across for three but had just enough angle to get the tip around three and score the win. The co-world record holders today had shown they are still very equal athletes. A real gutsy performance for both men.

     At the Awards presentation the smile on Natalie’s face lit up the place. All three women had put on an awesome performance. Each a deserving place on the podium. It was great to see Jeff on the podium again and a well deserved second place. He and Jamie gave an outstanding performance. Andy did what he had to do to win and proved why he is still the man to beat. But even he acknowledged there’s a lot of talent coming after him now.

     The Pro Waterski Tour stop at Trophy Lakes is a must attend tournament. The pro shop is well stocked and prices are reasonable. The outside vendors had plenty of items on hand as well as knowledgeable people to answer any questions. Malibu and Nautique had boats on display as well as a large showing from Mastercraft and with Trophy Lakes set just outside the historic city of Charleston S.C. you are in an area that has so much to offer beyond just the tournament. If you’re not drained after watching these great athletes there is plenty to see and do. From the carriage ride tours down the cobble stone streets of the city, to the Patriots Point Naval Museum, or take a boat tour of the harbor and Fort Sumter, the history and culture in this city is undeniable. Browse the shops on King Street, or the old city market with its street vendors and great beer, shrimp and oysters at Shucks Raw bar or many other fine restaurants throughout this grand old city.  This is one event I hope can continue for years to come. You should have been there.

     Oh; did I mention they also had a jumping competition. But that’s another story.

_{Gordon Slingerland}

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