ULM Water Ski Team News
MAN DOWN!
11.14.2008 We have a man down. Kyle Dammann got his ACL surgery done early this morning. Kyle feels good, and we can expect him back in shape next spring!
ULM WINS 21th NATIONAL TITLE!
The ULM Water Ski Team has won 21 of the 30 years the competition has been held. This is the third consecutive year for the Division 1 Team Overall title. Twenty-two teams from across the nation competed in the NCWSA National Championship Tournament, demonstrating some of the best of collegiate skiing. The ULM team won the tournament by a solid 530 points, dominating with an overall point total of 12,360. This score is determined by 30 different ski performances over three days, with skiing starting at 7 a.m. and continuing until 6 p.m. The performances seen at the National Championship Tournament are the culmination of the team developing a rhythm that allows them to move together well, develop a positive team dynamic and facilitate strong performances, according to Treina Landrum, ULM Water Ski Team coach and director of Recreational Services. “ULM Skiers set the standard for outstanding team performance in all three events: slalom, trick and jump. We were the team to watch in skiing, school spirit and good sportsmanship. “This victory is a group effort; you win as a team or you lose as a team, no one performance determines the outcome. We were proud to wear our Homecoming shirts on the last day of the tournament. Everyone knows who the ULM Water Skiers are - they are the team that is skiing well, having the best time, supporting the other competitors, and holding that championship trophy.” ULM team members placed in the top five in several categories, making them members of the All American team in those events. The men’s team won first in the slalom and tricks categories and second in jumping, winning second place overall. In men’s slalom, Daniel Odvarko (Czech Republic) finished first, scoring two-and-a-half buoys at 39.5 feet off; Adam Sedlmajer (Czech Republic) finished second; and Martin Bartalsky (Slovakia) tied for fifth. In men’s tricks, Sedlmajer scored a first place victory, tallying 5,370 points; Odvarko tied for fourth. Overall, Sedlmajer won second place in the men’s portion. The women’s team won first in the women’s slalom competition; Kate Adriaensen (Belgium) placed third and Karen Stevens (Canada) tied for fourth. In women’s tricks, ULM scored a first place victory; Adriaensen individually won third place. In women’s jumping, the team tied for second; Adriaensen earned a fourth place win. In the Division 1 women’s category, Adriaensen won second place and Stevens fifth, as individuals. The women’s team won second place overall.
ULM Alumni Association Organizing 30 Year Anniversary Reunion of the NLU/ULM Water Ski Team
The ULM Alumni Association is in the process of organizing a ULM Water Ski Alumni Chapter. There are a total of 161 alumni of the ski team, which boasts the most storied record in collegiate water ski history, capturing 20 National Championship titles in the 28 year history of the National Collegiate Water Ski Association. It goes beyond that.....in the eight years that ULM did not win a national title, they placed second seven times and third only once.
In order to get the ski team alumni chapter initiated, the Alumni Relations Office is requesting that all ULM ski team alumnus register online at www.ulm.edu/alumni and UPDATE YOUR ULM INFORMATION. The online update form contains a section which asks you to list any group you were a member of while at ULM....please type in WATER SKI TEAM and the years that you were a member of the team.
If you earned at least 24 hours at ULM, you are eligible to be added to the ski team database. The first ULM WATER SKI TEAM ALUMNI REUNION is scheduled next October 25th on the Bayou Desiard...which just happens to be one week after the NCWSA National Championships. Please encourage all former NLU/ULM Skiers that you know to update their information! We'll keep you posted with the details about the upcoming reunion.
New season is under the gun!
Ulm waterski team is going to be back on the water next week to defend dynasty they made. It was very good winter break for our team members who took part in U21 Worlds Championship in Santiago, Chile. Adam Sedlmajer took silver in tricks and overall, and Martin Bartalsky placed fourth in his favorite jump event. Warhawks always look for new members. If you are interested in being a member of the team, please check the recruiting tab and contact our Coach & Advisor Treina Landrum at landrum@ulm.edu.
ULM Water Ski Team wins 20th Nationals
The ULM Water Ski Team triumphed, scoring its 20th national championship in the 2007 National Collegiate Water Ski Association National Championship Tournament at Bennett’s Water Ski and Wakeboard School in Zachary Oct. 25 – 27.
The ULM Water Ski Team is the current national champion and now holds 20 NCWSA titles; winning 20 of the 28 years the competition has been held. This is the second consecutive year for the Division 1 Team Overall title.
The ULM team dominated with an overall point total of 12,860; the University of Louisiana at Lafayette came in second with 12,350, and Arizona State won third with 12,060 points. Twenty-eight teams from across the nation competed in the NCWSA National Championship Tournament, demonstrating some of the best of collegiate skiing.
ULM team members placed in the top five in every category, making them members of the All American team in each event.
ULM finished first in all three men’s events. In men’s slalom, Adam Seldmajer (Prague, Czech Republic) finished third, and Aliaksei Zharnasek (Novopolotsk, Belarus) tied for fifth. In men’s tricks, Zharnasek scored a first-place victory, while Sedlmajer came in second. In men’s jumping, Sedlmajer won third place, and Martin Bartalsky (Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia) won fourth. Overall, Sedlmajer won first place in the men’s portion, and Bartalsky won fourth.
The women’s team won first place, overall. The team tied for first in the women’s slalom competition; Natallia Berdnikava (Novopolotsk, Belarus) placed first, Tatiana Hernandez (Bogota, Colombia) second, and Karen Stevens (Morrisburg, Canada) third. In women’s tricks, ULM scored a first-place victory, with Berdnikava earning a clear first-place win. In women’s jumping, the team earned second place; Berdnikava won first place again. In the Division 1 women’s category, Berdinakava won first place, Stevens fourth, and Hernandez fifth.
Treina Landrum, Water Ski Team coach and director of Recreational Services, said, “We had an outstanding performance from our freshman in this competition. It is exceptional for young skiers to make All American in their first year.”
Concerning the All American team ranking, ULM is first in Division 1 with a combined total of 10,630 points after five events. Berdnikava is team captain for the women.
Landrum issued her personal appreciation. “The ULM Water Ski Team wishes to thank the ULM students, faculty/staff, administration and business community for their continued support. A special thanks goes to the ULM Student Government Association, the ULM Campus Activities Board and Gus Campbell WaterSports and Boating Center for their continued generous support. Go Warhawks!”
ULM Water Ski Team to Compete In National Championship Tournament
Past and present team members performed very well at both events, bringing home medals and international acclaim.
At the 2007 Water Ski World Championships in Linz, Austria Aug. 28 – Sept. 2, Ryan Dodd (Olds, Alberta, Canada) placed fourth in men’s jump; Natalia Berdnikova (Novopolotsk, Belarus) placed second in women’s trick, earning the silver medal, and third in women’s jump, earning the bronze; Aliaksei Zharnasek placed second in men’s trick, earning the silver medal.
Former ULM Water Ski Team member Thomas Degasperi (who graduated last year) placed first in men’s slalom, winning the gold medal, and another alum, Freddy Krueger, won the gold medal in men’s jump.
“It’s an Olympic-scale event for water ski competitions,” said Treina Landrum, the team’s coach and director of Recreational Services. “More than 120 athletes competed from at least 40 countries, each of which selects its best representatives to send to the world championships.”
Other current and former ULM skiers participating were: Martin Bartalsky (Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia), Adam Sedlmajer (Prague, Czech Republic), Regina Jaquess (U.S.), and Breanne Wagner (Canada).
According to the International Water Ski Federation World Cup Web site, “Slalom, tricks and jumping are the three events of traditional water skiing that make up the oldest and most original discipline of water skiing…International water ski competitions have been held since 1949 with the first World Championships in Juan-les-Pins, France. The World Championships are held every two years.”
Age does not determine what categories participants compete in—it’s all about skill, Landrum explained. The ULM team members work on their skiing year-round. The competitive skiing season is collegiate in the fall and spring; otherwise they compete for their countries at tournaments in the intervening time.
“It’s pretty amazing to have so many skiers at the Olympics of waterskiing also be on the ULM team, and have achieved that high a level as athletes,” Landrum said.
ULM team members also accounted very well for themselves at the 20th U.S. Open Water Ski Championships in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Sept. 13 – 15.
“All of the finals in that tournament were held on the Disney property with thousands of people watching,” Landrum said. “All of the best professional water skiers are invited, regardless of age and nationalities. You have to qualify to get into the preliminaries—it’s very elite. It was very gratifying to have such a large audience and have so many people on my team do so well.”
Zharnasek placed first in men’s trick, Berdnikova won second place in women’s jump, and Dodd won second place in men’s jump. Alumnus Krueger won third place in that event.
According to www.usolympicteam.com the official site of the U.S. Olympic Team, “in its 20th year, the U.S. Open attracted more than 75 of the world’s top water ski athletes from more than a dozen countries. It has long been considered the most prestigious tournament in three-event water skiing. Male and female athletes competed for titles in slalom, tricks and jumping. Athletes competing in all three events were eligible for the coveted U.S. Open overall title.”
Members of the ULM Water Ski Team this fall are:
- Berdnikava, Natallia Novopolotsk, Belarus
- Collins, Brittany Murray, Ky.
- Hernandez, Tatiana Bogota, Columbia
- Marquess, Carly Paducah, Ky.
- Stevens, Karen Morrisburg, Canada
- Bartalsky, Martin Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia
- Boyd, Tyler Houston, Texas
- Collins, Tyler Murray, Ky.
- Dammann, Kyle Lynchberg, Tenn.
- Odvarko, Daniel Prague, Czech Republic
- Sedlmajer, Adam Prague, Czech Republic
- Zharnasek, Aleksei Novopolotsk, Belarus
Landrum sees this reflected in sponsorships from ULM groups like the Campus Activities Board and the Student Government Association, as well as in community ones like Gus Campbell Water Sports and Boating Center and the Monroe-West Monroe Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Their support is vastly appreciated—we could not do this without them.”
Top row (l-r): Kyle Dammann, Aliaksei Zharnasek, Tyler Collins, Tyler Boyd, Daniel Odvarko, Adam Sedlmajer, Martin Bartalsky
Bottom row (l-r): Tatiana Hernandez, Karen Stevens, Carly Marquess, Brittany Collins, Natallia Berdnikava, Treina Landrum (coach)