This past weekend, February 19th-20th, the Illini Water Ski Team traveled to Columbus, Ohio for Winter Conference, which was hosted by Ohio State University. On Friday night, we arrived in Ohio and reunited with the other Team Midwest skiers. Saturday afternoon, the actual conference took place. Four professional skiers, Billy Susi, Scot Ellis, Ryan Dodd, and Thomas Moore, traveled all the way to Ohio to speak with us and give us tips. We had four breakout sessions that afternoon, each geared towards a specific topic. We received tips on slalom, trick, and jump, as well as off-season training tips and fundraising ideas. 

     Once the four breakout sessions were complete, Team Midwest gathered in an auditorium to hear the results of the Skiammy nominations. We are proud to have a few winners from our team! Devin Cassidy won Female Rookie of the Year, and Mark Cassidy won Most Outstanding Senior Male. These two also both made the All-Star Team, of which Mark is captain, and they have the opportunity to compete in the All-Star Tournament in California this summer. The theme for Saturday night was “Fallen Favorites,” and we all had a blast dressing up as our favorite fallen celebrities.