The second of four stops for the 2015 Nautique Big Dawg World Tour presented by O’Brien came to Okeeheelee Park on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28.
The event draws the best of the best — only the top 45 skiers are eligible to compete.
Spots are reserved based on world ranking scores to guarantee that the best skiers have a chance to compete.
Of the 42 competitors last weekend, eight were from the local club, said John Shealy, president of the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches.
Top amateur slalom skiers 35 and older compete for a spot in the finals. Club member Charlotte Melchers explained that, for every run, the skiers need to go through the opening gates in the water, then navigate around six buoys.
Because of the size of the water area and the skill of the skiers competing, Shealy said, this particular race starts with the 75-foot rope with 32 feet taken off. For each subsequent run through the buoys, the rope shortens, requiring the skiers to take sharper turns with less room. The boat goes at a max of 34.2 miles, or 55 kilometers, an hour.
Shealy, who skied while nursing an injury, scored two buoys at 39 off. “It’s not my best, but it was pretty good for today,” he said.
If you lose the handle, he explained, your ride is over, but, your ride can also end if you don’t get around one of the six buoys.
South Carolina’s Jeff Rogers claimed first place with a score of four buoys at 41 feet off the line. Rogers beat out Andy Mapple of Great Britain (currently living in Orlando) by half a buoy.
Local skiers Jeff Kepchia of Wellington posted a score of 3-and-a-half buoys at 39 off; followed by Shealy, who scored two buoys at 39 off; Shelby Coke, who scored one buoy at 39 off; George Levien, who scored two buoys at 38 off; and Steve Krigbaum, who scored half a buoy at 38 off.
Sponsored by Ski Nautique and O’Brien, the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches was thrilled to host the second qualifier before Orlando’s final.
The national championships are in August, and state championships are coming up in July. There will be approximately 600 competitors at the national championships, Shealy said.
“This will be the 14th time that we’ve held it here at Okeeheelee Park, more than any other site in the world,” he said, noting that during the weeklong event, the national championships fill hotels and have a huge impact on the local economy during the off season.
With approximately 100 members, club members work hard to improve the park while enjoying their sport. “Our water is in a county park,” he said, “so we want to do whatever we can to give back to them.”
Shealy explained that the stadium lighting, so they can ski when it is dark, was added in the 1990s and cost the club, not the county, $60,000. The club members also donated and built the boat ramps, buoys, lookout towers and more to enhance the area.
“If you look around… everything you see for skiing here has been paid for and built by the ski club,” he said. “They give us the water, and we make the most of it.”
The club is for competitive water skiers, he said, noting that other parks do offer lessons and equipment rental. For more information, visit www.okeeski.com.
ABOVE: Jeff Rodgers of South Carolina won the event. Photo courtesy Zenon Bilas
