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Cale
Burdick wins Mens Slalom
Newsflash from Zachary:
First hand account of Cale Burdick’s
amazing win at Collegiate Nationals.
Wind and rain was present as Division I
skiers slalomed into the final round.
Cale started at 28 off and opted up to 35
off to have 38 pass into the wind.
Cleaned 38 pass and the crowd was all
down at lakeside waiting to see if he could better 2.5 at 39
which was in first place at the time. Cale came around 2
ball , bobbled and fought back to the wake and got a full 3
which was his personal best and enough to win first place in
Mens Slalom. This was the first MW skier ever to place in
top 5 and medal and therefore earn All American status. And
all this as a freshman.
Congratulations to Cale and the entire
Purdue Water Ski Team
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Our Purdue Water Ski Team left bright and
early on Monday morning for some serious practice in the
southern states with friends of the Threlkeld family in
Alabama. Although practice was good and the skiing was a
great tuner for the Nationals, rumors reported that the
lodging accommodations were just a little on the shady
side. To top that off, the team took a short little tour
through the party city of New Orleans and also found that to
be more than just a little on the shady side. However, all
survived and arrived safely at the Embassy Suites in Baton
Rouge, LA. A beautiful hotel with a grand atrium and
plenty of room for the team to stretch and relax. Arrival
was just shortly before the managers complimentary happy
hour, so all of us found time to sit and talk and finish up
with skier registration papers. After trailing the team
with the trailer, Bill Farrington was found in one piece and
enjoying himself with this 7 day excursion.
Day 1
Thursday October 14th at
Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary, LA
Weather was 70 degrees, no sun, light
rain, slight breeze
Start time 7:30am
Women’s Slalom results from
Nationals
20th Bridget
Murphy 1 ½ buoys @28 off
23rd Abby
Schmidt 4 buoys @ 22 off
28th Annie
Aff 2 buoys @ 15 off
36th Haley
Hissong 1 ½ buoys @ 32mph
45th Jennifer
Sylva 3 ½ buoys @28mph
Bill Farrington brought one canopy and
the team bought a second Purdue canopy, so the Purdue camp
was looking awfully sharp. Top that off with a 3’ x 8’
Purdue banner donated by Debbie Duckart, a Purdue flag, the
team food tables, the ole Purdue banner, balloons, hair
ties, ….. We are definitely the best equipped camp at the
2004 Nationals. And the presence of so many parents is
very rewarding to these skiers who have worked so hard
throughout this season. Slalom skiing this season has
stepped up a bit and not just for Purdue. Many schools had
girls skiing full passes at 32 off . Annie Aff may have
said it best, “How come I’m skiing faster this year, but
placed lower than last year.” The light rain did not slow
many skiers down and performance was still outstanding.
Most of the skiers at Nationals make this ski course look so
easy and they have so much time before the next ball. The
winning pull was 3 buoys @38 off at 34 mph.
Thursday October 14th at
Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary, LA
Weather was 62 degrees and falling, no
sun, light rain, winds picking up to10 mph
Finished time 6:30pm
Men’s Slalom results from
Nationals
1st Cale
Burdick 3 buoys @39 ½ off
24th T.C.
Baker 1 buoy @ 32 off
26th Adam
Cord 1 ½ buoys @28 off
39th Chris
Godfrey ½ buoy @ 36mph
39th Kurtis
Threlkeld ½ buoy @ 36mph
Men’s slalom was absolutely amazing.
Many of these skiers opened their first pass at 22 off and
several skiers made full passes at 35 off. The last two
rounds of men skiers had to fight thru a 10mph wind and
colder weather as the day wore on. Our men skied well and
maintained the consistency that the women had started
earlier in the day. The last men’s skier finished his pass
at 6pm and upon that fall, Cale Burdick was hoisted up and
tossed into the lake by teammates in celebration of his
National championship. A little strategy by Cale was to
skip his 32 off pass and attack the 38 off pass into the
wind, if he could make the 35 off run with the wind. A wise
move as he completed a full pass to be one of 5 skiers in
the 39½ off league and a chance to win. In that last pass,
he found himself behind on the second ball, pulled thru the
wake, hooked the three ball and made it back to the boat
wake in time to claim three buoys. With a raised fist in
the air, he was the new leader of Men’s Slalom and only 4
skiers were left. Thursday night after Purdue claimed its
first ever NCWSA National Champion in slalom competition,
the Purdue team got to enjoy a little southern hospitality
at Boutin’s. Cajun style cookin, live music with dancing
and Cajun shrimp and spicy alligator appetizers. The 50
plus party of Purdue enjoyed the Louisiana atmosphere and
the first day of skiing accomplishments. The parental
support has been a big surprise to the skiers and Bridget
Murphy made a toast in honor of those attending parents.
Parents in attendance are
Kent and Polly
Pollack Doug and Jan
Godfrey Tim and Beth Murphy
Chip and Carol
Kodiak Don and Cathy
Christianson Bill Farrington – driver
Dick and Michelle
Threlkeld Vaughn and Tina
Sylva Mark and Jean Schmidt
Craig
Hissong John and Qwen
Cord Chad Kodiak and Jennifer
Brian Sylva and Carrie Sylva
Tim Murray (Happy)
Day 2
Friday October 15th at
Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary, LA
Weather was 55 degrees, fog turning over
to sunshine, slight breeze
Start time 7:15am
Men’s Trick Results from Nationals
11th Cale
Burdick 1990 pts
20th Chris
Godfrey 740 pts
20th Tom
Pollack 740 pts
28th Cris
Kodiak 650 pts
37th Jim
Ruden 450 pts
Purdue is currently 4th place
overall in team standings. Trick skiing is definitely the
weak spot for the Midwest. These men skiers from the south
come into this tournament scoring in excess of 5000 points,
with the winner scoring 6170. In 20 seconds, these
southerners will do rope jumps, toe holds, 3 to 4 different
types of flips, and more. It is something that you have to
see to appreciate the effort that these men put into their
performance. Cale Burdick was our highest finisher in trick
with 1990 points and finished 11th. Our Purdue
men tricked well and we continue to be a very consistent
team throughout all 5 spots. Congrats to senior Jim Ruden
in his last pull representing the Purdue Water Ski Team.
Off the water, Purdue is holding
the winning court in sand volleyball moving into the
semi-finals with wins over the Bennett’s staff and Texas A &
M. Team members include Noele, Chris, Haley, Cris, Jim,
Michelle, Matt and they even let Kurtis play every once in a
while.
Friday October 15th afternoon
at Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary, LA
Weather was 75 degrees, sunshine, 10 mph
wind out of the west
Finished time 6:00 pm
Women’s Jump Results
15th Bridget
Murphy 98 ft
26th Abby
Schmidt 64 ft
31st Jade
Duckart 56 ft
35th Ashley
Shively 47 ft
50th Jennifer
Sylva
Women’s jump was a pleasant surprise for
Purdue with four girls landing their jumps. Except for
Jennifer fighting off a stomach problem and being sick most
of the evening before, all went well. Hats off to Jennifer
for winning the GUTS award, no pun intended. Nothing was
going to hold her back from competing in this National
tournament. Ashley Shively suffered a bad landing this
week practicing in Alabama leaving a nice bloody gash on her
forehead. Needless to say, Ashley was back on her heels as
she left the ramp and was unable to land her first two
attempts. To make matters worse, in Ashley’s third attempt
the boat ran out of gas. The judges awarded Ashley a
warm-up jump, but again she fell. How many times can a
person fall in one day? While most may say enough is enough
or would throw the skis in disgust, Ashley’s last attempt
landed her at 47 ft. Many girls had complaints that the
jump event ran too late into the day and the setting sun
created a blinding glare. Bridget claimed she just took a
guess and made a cut for the ramp. That guess landed a 98
foot jump. Winning jump for women was 138 ft with the top
five ladies landing over 120 ft.
Off the water, the volleyball team
played the semi-final game, but got screwed by a Texas team
on illegal rotations, poor line calls, and not allowing
their girls to serve. Even so, the Purdue team handled the
loss with extreme sportsmanship. They played a consolation
game later in the day and pounded their opponents for a 3rd
place. Dinner was provided by the Bennett’s staff at the
pavilion on the site with fried catfish, grits and free
drinks for everyone, including the parents. This Louisiana
hospitality is definitely something to write home about.
Day 3
Saturday October 16th at
Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary, LA
Weather was 65 degrees, fog turning over
to sunshine, no breeze
Start time 7:30am
Women’s Trick Results
16th Abby
Schmidt 1150 points
23rd Bridget
Murphy 730 points
29th Jade
Duckart 500 points
31st Haley
Hissong 460 points
34th Jennifer
Sylva 410 points
Once again, the south rules when it comes
to trick skiing. These girls from the south score in excess
of 3000 points and do much of the same tricks as the guys
with toe holds, line jumps, flips, wake 360’s and more.
However, the Purdue consistency remains and all of our girls
made full passes. Abby’s hand passes proved to be Purdue’s
best of the day as she finished in the top 20. The Purdue
team seems to be getting better with each day of
competition, but Florida Southern moved farther ahead in the
overall team standings. Fourth place may be out reach after
the trick skiing results. Three senior girls, Bridget, Jade
& Haley, finished their last pull for Purdue on full
passes. Outstanding 4 year run for these ladies with record
accomplishments for the Midwest. They have brought this
team to a very high level of competition.
Saturday October 16th
afternoon at Bennett’s Ski School in Zachary, LA
Weather was 85 degrees, sunshine, slight
breeze, if any
Finish time 5:30pm
Men’s Jump Results
13th Cale
Burdick 153 ft
20th Kurtis
Threlkeld 134 ft
21st Cris
Kodiak 126 ft
42nd Brian
Scott 84 ft
46th Chris
Godfrey 76 ft
The jump competition is always the main
event, especially when you have men jumping over 180 feet.
They seem to almost glide in the air. The farther they
jump, the softer the landing. Purdue has had its share of
troubles the past two years at Nationals. Something always
seemed to go bad on the water and we would miss out on an
opportunity to improve our team standings. But not this
year, not this Nationals, we actually got better. Skiers in
the last two days were getting very close to their personal
best and nowhere was this more true than the last event of
the tournament. Chris Godfrey was only 1 foot away, Cris
Kodiak busted a 126 ft jump, Kurtis Threlkeld landed a 134
ft jump. Cale popped off a personal best of 153 ft. Where
did all this come from? What a show these Purdue jumpers
put on. It was great and the fans loved it. This was the
last pull for senior Cris Kodiak, and what a way to go, a
grand finale to be remembered for a long time. And if you
ever want to know about Purdue’s waterski team history, now
you know where I have been getting all my facts. Kodiak
really is full of it.
Purdue Water Ski Team places 5th
at Nationals
This has been an amazing tournament for
this team. Outstanding leadership has everything going
well. The meals, the lodging, keeping the parents informed,
the skiing, the transportation, and….. What is the biggest
surprise to me is the team’s enthusiasm. And not just those
who are skiing, but everybody. This team understands the
true meaning of team. Working together, cheering for each
other, and pumping up those competing makes this tourney all
the more fun. Quoting Dana Farrington about her duties as
sounding off the horn, “I would feel terrible if I missed
just one skier as they leave the dock.” And this enthusiasm
lasted for all 3 days, Purdue was relentless. They even
found some crazy fathers and painted their chest with PURDUE
logos. Not to stop there, but these poor fathers had to
ride a cart, jog up and down a lake, do crazy chants, wear
capes,…… And don’t forget, we even found Tina Sylva doing
the splits in front of the announcers stand just to win a
T-shirt. Plus Purdue skiers were found winning the
headstand contest, the Pyramid contest, the worm crawl,…..
Purdue became the leader of the tournament in organization
and team modeling. They had fun. So much fun that WaterSki
magazine and Water Skier wanted a special shoot of the
Wisconsin-Purdue feud, several shots taken of the two most
enthusiastic teams at the tourney. Renew your subscription
early, so you don’t miss the Cale Burdick interview and the
Purdue team pictures. To top things off on this trip,
Purdue claimed the ‘spirit award’ of this Nationals
tournament. This squad made history in placing 5th
at this tournament. Never before has any Midwest team
placed higher than 7th and that was accomplished
by Purdue three times. This team is making headlines and
letting America know that the Purdue Water Ski Team is for
real.
Purdue claims the Spirit
Award |
