Following a successful run at nationals in the fall, the UCLA Water Ski Team has begun preparations for their spring campaign.
At the annual WCWSA meeting, the tournament schedule for this spring was finalized. This year's spring tournaments will take place for four consecutive weekends from Mid-April through the beginning of March.
The Bruins look forward to hosting the first tournament on April 12-14 at Ski West in Arvin, CA. The team returns to Ski West the following weekend, April 19-21, for the second tournament hosted by Cal Poly. The Bruins then travel to Wet Set in Newberry Springs for SDSU's tournament on April 26-28. For the final tournament, the team will make the long trek up to Bell Acqua in Rio Linda as UCD hosts on May 3-5.
During tournaments, skiers compete in three events: slalom, trick, and jump. In the slalom competition, skiers travel through a multi-buoy course, with their score dependent on the number of successful buoys cleared, the speed of the boat, and the length of the rope. In the trick competition, skiers are pulled for a 20-second run in which they perform a series of chosen tricks of varying difficulty. In the jump competition, skiers ride over a five foot tall ramp and attempt to travel the farthest through the air.
After the spring tournaments, the Bruins will break for summer, and return to the water in the fall with the goal of reaching nationals for a second year in a row.
