2007 KENTUCKY STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The weather was coolish for July, but the water skiing was about as hot as it gets at the 2007 Kentucky State Water Ski Championships, held July 14 & 15 at Twin Oaks Lakes in Paducah.

Six new state records were established, a seventh was tied, and EP performances were practically the norm rather than the exception, as skiers took advantage of excellent water conditions and good competition to maximize performances.

Tournament Director Bob Harris was on top of preparations for the tournament, making sure the site, lake, and facilities were in top notch condition. Chief Judge Carl Marquess kept the action moving with help from an excellent staff of appointed and other rated judges. Chief Scorer Cathy Burkhead and her helpers had scores summarized and posted almost before any skier left the water. Chief Driver Bob Archambeau kept the boats running in a straight line with minimum rerides. And Safety Director Mark Coomes made sure the tournament was conducted under the safest possible conditions.

Some of the most notable highlights of the tournament:
Records were established in five different divisions and six events

o Lauren Harris set a new 52 kph record in Girls 2 Slalom with 74 buoys (Brit Collins still holds the 55K mark at 80 buoys).
o Brittany Collins set a new mark in Women 1 Jump with a leap of 82 feet.
o Suzanne Webb raised the bar in Women 5 Tricks to 310 points.
o Dale Coffey smashed the Men 5 Slalom record with 98½ buoys.
o Joe Burkhead raised the Men 5 Tricks record to 2330 points.
o Errol Bryant set a new slalom record in Men 7 with 78½ buoys.
o In addition, Joe Duff matched his Men 8 Tricks record with 700 points.

While the total entrant number for the state was down from last year, participation in the junior divisions was outstanding. A total of 15 skiers competed in the Girls and Boys 1/2/3 divisions, many skiers skiing in multiple events (including jumping). Competition was intense (e.g., all four Girls 2 Slalom skiers skied into shortline, and all four were qualified for Nationals). This bodes well for the future of 3-event water skiing in our state.

Men 5 (age 53-59) grabbed the top spot for most total entrants, with six Men 5 skiers competing in slalom. Boys 2 and Men 4 were close behind with five entrants each. By contrast, Men 3 - for many years the most heavily populated division - had only four entrants. Men 3 skiers, WHERE ARE YOU??

Notably, entrants of the female persuasion held their own in numbers, with 6 adult skiers and 5 junior skiers, or over one-fourth of the total entry. This is an encouraging trend, as well, showing a good rebound from "down" numbers in the 1990's. Keep it up, ladies!

A special thanks goes out to Keith Williams and the Outback Steakhouse of Paducah. Outback provided the main course for the Saturday night banquet - grilled chicken and sirloins (enough for everybody to have some of each) - at no charge to the Ski Nuts or to competitors. Several members of the Ski Nuts took charge of supplemental courses (corn on the cob, potatoes, baked beans, desserts, etc.). As a result, we were able to provide an outstanding banquet on site for a minimal charge to all comers.

One additional thanks and pat on the back goes to those who are working hard to get ratings in scoring, judging, driving, and safety. Some of you are pursuing this with a reckless passion, and this will help tremendously in the future to run smooth and effortless state tournaments. Since you know who you are, no names will be listed (at the risk of leaving someone out), but a big, big "THANK YOU", and 10 "atta-boys" each. For the state to grow in 3-event skiing, this is crucial!

For complete results of the 2007 State Championships, go to www.awsasouth.com and click on "SCORE BOOKS" (listed in the left column) and then "2007 SCORE BOOKS".

For pictures of all winners at the 2007 State, click on the right column menu item titled "State Championship Pictures".