The Ragin' Cajuns Water Ski Team has won the last four national championships for a total of 10, the second-most national titles by any team in the intercollegiate club sport's history. Had COVID-19 not canceled the 2020 National Collegiate Water Ski Association championships, "I'm confident we'd have 11 titles and five in a row," said Ryan Gonzales, the team's volunteer head coach.
Gonzales, UL Lafayette's assistant director of Veteran and Military Student Services, makes a good point. The team hasn't been beaten in competition of any kind since 2019, a nod to the sort of dominance that brought it national championships in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2015, 2010, 2005, 2003, 1997 and 1995. The dynasty took shape quickly after the team's founding in 1988. Since 1994, it has placed first or second at the national championships every year but two, carving out an international reputation as a collegiate powerhouse. "We've become known around the world as the place to send your kids to become champions," Gonzales said.
Last year's championship team included student-athletes from nine countries – the U.S., Argentina, Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Switzerland. Among them were Kennedy Hansen, who is from Florida, and Edoardo Marenzi, who is from Italy. The skiers claimed overall 2023 national championships in women's and men's individual competition, respectively. Assistant coach Harry Spavin, a former team member from England, cited "word of mouth" as the reason "so many high-level water skiers from across the globe choose to enroll at the University."
"Waterskiing is a small world. Everyone hears about our success, our degree programs, the city, the campus, the people, the way of life. We're an attractive pick for the world's best junior skiers, who want a good education and to train with the best," said Spavin, who earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University in 2020.
Ragin' Cajuns water skiers also want chances to prove they're the best – and why. That happens at the national championships, where spots are claimed based on regular season tournament performances. As with track and field, how a team finishes depends on points accumulated by individual competitors. Scores of water skiers boosted the Ragin' Cajuns to the team championship in 2023, but none more heavily than Hansen. She placed first in jumping and second in both slalom and tricks, the three events in which collegiate water skiers compete.
That gave Hansen, a junior majoring in kinesiology, her second individual title as overall women's national champion in as many years. Beyond innate ability and a tireless devotion to a sport she picked up at age 3, Hansen attributes her success, in part, to the fact that "I love it here and the people here. Definitely the people. The ski team is really close. We're a family."
It's a family that does more than study, practice and compete together. Club sports, which the NCAA doesn't regulate, are dependent on grassroots efforts. While the University is among just a handful of schools that offer scholarships to water skiers, the team is largely self-run and self-supported. Like all club sports, it's responsible for recruiting; coordinating its tournament schedule and practices; and securing sponsorships and raising money for everything from boats and gear to travel and lodging.
Student-athletes shoulder much of the load, and in ways that can be measured beyond championships, Gonzales said. Case in point: a recent documentary film – The Unknown Sport of Waterskiing. A company led by several former water ski team members created the film to counter assumptions that the sport is strictly a recreational pursuit. UL Lafayette features prominently, in interviews and in shots of academic halls, athletics facilities and research labs. There's also footage of skiing on Airport Lake, which gives the team, unlike at many other universities, a place to train without having to drive far distances.
"The beauty of this team and what we've built is that the students deserve the bulk of the credit for their success, and I'm not talking only about on the water," Gonzales said. "They're ambassadors. They help with recruiting, train and support each other, conduct community service and shine in the classroom, too. You name it. Oh, and they win."
Read more: Ragin’ Cajuns Water Ski Team wins fourth national title in a row, 10th overall
Photo captions: (from top) Ragin' Cajuns waterskier Kennedy Hansen, a junior, has carved out a reputation as the country's best, winning two straight individual national championships. / The Ragin' Cajuns Water Ski Team is turning the sport upside down. Photo credit: (from top) Doug Dugas, Paul Kieu / University of Louisiana at Lafayette
