Aqua Jays finish second at nationals
Event: 2008 Division I National Show Ski Championship Tournament.
Dates: Aug. 8-10.
Location: Lake Wazeecha, South Wood County Park, Wisconsin Rapids.
Results: Mad City Ski Team of Madison won with 2,069 points, followed by Rock Aqua Jays of Janesville with 1,981 points; Wonder Lake of Wonder Lake, Ill, 1,933; Water Bugs of Muskego, 1,593; Little Crow of New London, Minn., 1,563; Badgerland of Oconomowoc, 1,556; Webfooters of Fremont, 1,525; Backwater Gamblers of Rock Island, Ill., 1,507; Waterhawks Ski Team of Waterloo, Iowa, 1,491; Lake City Skiers of Warsaw, Ind., 1,408; Beaverland Must-Skis of Beaver Dam, 1,383; Ski Otters of White Bear Lake, Minn., 1,321; Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team of Chippewa Lake, Ohio, 1,302; Five Seasons Ski Team of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1,163.
The Rock Aqua Jays scored the highest in pyramid and strap doubles acts.
During Friday's Individual Competition, Rock Aqua Jays' Gary and Lindsey Geer placed third in strap doubles. Jacklyn Kumlien took 12th in swivel.
Hosts: Wisconsin Rapids Aqua Skiers.
Tournament highlight: "I'm proud of our performance. The team did well and had a very good, entertaining show. It's quite an amazing feat, if you look at the summer as a whole. The team pulled together well, rallied around everything and did an awesome job. We had 193 ski rides and 19 falls. Madison had 221 ski rides and 50 falls," said Gerry Luiting, Aqua Jays show director.
Quote of the day: "Quite a few teams came in spite of all the (flood) conditions and worked through all of that. It was a good tournament. The Aqua Skiers did a tremendous job (of hosting nationals) on very short notice. Our hat certainly goes off to them. We appreciate the opportunities they gave us to practice at their site to prepare better for the tournament and it paid off in the end," Luiting said.
Aug 11, 2008 at 6:21 p.m.
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They were awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aug 11, 2008 at 12:45 p.m.
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It is unfortunate that the Aqua Jays only came away with 2nd place when they had a much cleaner show than Madison did. They all should be very proud of themselves especailly the hardworking kids that are on the team. Great Job!
Aug 11, 2008 at 12:35 p.m.
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What this team accomplished this year is nothing short of amazing. Having to travel all over the state just to get some time on the water and finishing a close second at Nationals really shows the heart and determination of these young athletes. Now maybe they can get some support to help re-build their site so everyone in Janesville and surrounding areas can enjoy thier top-notch shows next year. They will need all the help they can get because of losing all of their income this year. With all the clean-up and some re-building they need to do, it will be a very large expense for a non-profit organization that brings so much to the community. Please help them with anything you can.
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