Although winter is approaching, several Illinois State alumni bring back the thoughts of summer with their passion for water skiing.
This past August, the National Collegiate Water Ski Association held the first-ever Midwest Collegiate Alumni Regionals at Waters Edge Estates in Wilmington. Any Midwest alumni could compete on a team representing their university regardless of water skiing experience. That’s exactly what Janet (Jacobi) Madden ’75 did as she competed alongside her son, Andy Madden ’11, and other Illinois State alums. “It was such an amazing opportunity for me to be able to compete along with Andy and to represent Illinois State University,” Janet Madden said.
Competitors for Illinois State included Team Captain Michelle Tranchita ’10, Kayla Smalter ‘14, Emily Doyle ‘14, Mark Bohlin ’14, and the Maddens. Many of the Illinois State team members also took part in Campus Recreations’ water skiing sports club during their time at Illinois State.
There were 28 schools that competed in the two-day event and over 150 competitors ranging in age from 21 to 61 years old. Teams came from Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Florida. Skiers competed in slalom, jumping, and trick skiing.
The alums should be proud as Andy Madden took a spot on the podium, placing fourth in the men’s jump in a field of over 90 competitors, and Illinois State placed seventh overall.
