Confidence, dedication and domination are just a few words that can be used to describe the ULM water ski team.
Sports fans would be hard pressed to find another program in America (no matter what the sport) that has won 24 national titles. There have only been 34 national water ski championship tournaments. This means that the Warhawks have won over 70 percent of the national championships possible.
The team travels all across the country competing in three tournaments before the national championship in El Centro, California.
The first tournament of the year was in Hutto, Texas. ULM won the tournament beating out schools including the University of Texas, UL-Lafayette and Texas A&M.
“The past two years we’ve been able to ski good and win,” said Eleanor Benjamin. “This year we’re going to have to ski to the best of our abilities to win. It’s not going to be a walk in the park.”
In addition to winning 24 championships, the Warhawks have won the last two years in a row.
“This year we’re looking at winning it obviously. It’s going to be closer due to the fact of how many people Lafayette have recruited,” said men’s team captain Will Oliver.
The tournaments have three different styles of skiing showcased: slalom, trick, and jump. The total scores of each individual in each style are added up to make the team total for the tournament.
This weekend, ULM hosted their annual Bayou Classic tournament in Bayou Desiard. Their next tournament will be in San Marcos, Texas where they have to finish highly in order to qualify for the national championships.
Winning the championship for the 25th time and the third time in a row is of the most importance to everyone on the team.
“We want to win it really bad. We’ve been skiing ridiculous hours of the day,” Benjamin said.
Having the bayou within walking distance of class and dorms plays as a huge advantage to the Warhawks.
“It’s so nice to have these facilities here. It what sets us apart from everyone else because we have the bayou on our doorstep that allows us to come and train in between classes,” Benjamin said.
Oliver mentioned the advantage of having the facilities her as well.
“The reason we like it here and the reason most people come here is because of the bayou right here on campus. It’s convenient. It makes it really nice to be able to come here on a bike,” Oliver said.
Hours of early morning and late evening training are expected to pay off in the team’s venture to win a third consecutive national title and 25th overall.
“The respect we get makes us want to go out and make sure we get another one because when we come back home and people are cheering for us,” said Oliver. “This is number 25. It the biggest one I guess because 25 is a big number.”
