Behind the success of ASU's water ski team is a foundation of strong student leadership, the groundwork of which was laid a few seasons back.
About seven years ago, a new group of skiers discovered ASU’s dying club organization, and they were able to take the program and build it into what it is today. John Maitland, the club president, has spent his time with the team working to build on the foundation set by his peers.
"Every single year we try to build on that foundation, just to become a stronger, more stable team," Maitland said.
The continuous development of the team's foundation has given them the momentum to break through the top five of the National Collegiate Water Ski Association over the past few seasons.
The programs that typically dominate the NCWSA consist of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Alabama, Florida Southern College, University of Louisiana at Monroe and Rollins College. The Sun Devils currently rank No. 5, just above Rollins.
ASU doesn't have as many resources as other teams. The skiers receive less school funding and no scholarships, and the program is entirely student-run.
Kelly Hill, ASU alumna and former water ski club vice president, said she thinks ASU's emergence into the top five as a non-scholarship school has been huge for the program and hard work and consistency have helped take ASU to that next level alongside the best.
"For (us) to work our way into that group being completely student-run, not getting a lot of funding from the school, and not getting scholarships, that's huge for us," Hill said. "Just to prove that we can be up there with the big dogs too."
Hill said she believes it's important for leaders to focus on the team more than the individual to create a strong skier community.
"You have to truly put the team first and do it for the greater good, and I think everyone on our team was really spectacular about that," Hill said. "We have a really close-knit group that took the team seriously but had fun with it at the same time."
The student-run aspect of ASU's water ski team may seem like a disadvantage due to the lack of resources and extra responsibilities for each individual but Will Chafoulias, team treasurer, has seen how the team has taken this as an opportunity to grow.
"As far as not having school resources to where some of these scholarship teams do have, it's really just allowed us to manage ourselves and to grow," Chafoulias said. "So in some ways, I would say it's more of a gift because, at the end of the day, I think it's more important to look at what you get out of experience rather than just winning."
There is a feeling of satisfaction when the team overcomes obstacles and outperforms better-equipped programs, Hill said.
“It's much more meaningful for us to have a win in our eyes than other teams who don't have that student-run aspect because I think they don't understand the work that's behind it,” she said.
Edited by Henry Smardo, Alysa Horton and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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