Our Crowdfunding Groups
The University of Arkansas Water Ski Club was founded over 30 years ago. We have qualified for nationals three times in that history, with two of those times being in the past two years. In the D2 category, we have placed 11th, then 9th, and most recently 6th, improving each year. This improvement resulted from significant team growth and an increase in dedication from our members. Most members are out at the lake practicing slalom, trick, and jump many times per week, putting in 20+ hours a week of skiing, boat driving, and site maintenance. We started out practicing on Beaver Lake when the team was founded and are now fortunate enough to practice on a private 3-event lake, owned by former U of A skier, Roger Boskus, paying dues to use the property, boat, and gas tanks.
We compete in the South Central region against teams like the University of Louisiana Lafayette and Monroe, the University of Texas, Texas State, Texas A&M, and Baylor. Three of these teams consistently qualify for D1 Nationals, and two hold many National Titles. This intense competition has caused us to grow in our abilities, but also tends to result in many expenses from a lot of traveling to Texas and Louisiana.
Like many other sports at the University of Arkansas, the Water Ski Club is loved by Razorback fans and consistently competes in nationals. However, as a club team, we do not receive the funding that other programs do and we must rely on payments from our members.
Most of our team gear is 15 or more years old and nearly every piece has a rip, crack, or some age-related damage. This did affect our performance at some tournaments when the equipment would break during or just prior to a member competing. Water ski gear is very expensive, we pay our own site fees, and each tournament has entrance fees. We have decided to launch this campaign in hopes that generous donors like yourself will help to keep our season funded and take some financial strain off of our skiers. With your support, our team will have access to more resources and achieve even greater success. We get to compete in the sport we love because of these donations and anything is appreciated!
There are many ways that you can help us prepare for our season and reach our goal of raising $5,000 by May 3rd. The biggest one is by donating to one of the levels listed on this page or making a custom gift of any size. Another way that you can help is by sharing our campaign on social media or emailing it to your friends and family to spread the word. The last way that you can help is by following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and supporting Razorback Water Ski at tournaments near you. Thank you for considering helping us out. From all of us in the organization, we appreciate you more than you will ever know for letting us live our dream!
“Having just graduated, looking back on the ski team has given me some of my greatest memories and will be one of the things I miss most about college. Being able to look forward to going out to the lake every week and spending time with newly found lifelong friends and participating in a sport I love is something you dream of. Then you get to the tournaments and that's what really hooks you. The collegiate water skiing atmosphere is unbeaten and safe to say good vibes at all times. It’s something I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of and it will be missed. Roger Boskus could not have been a better host and teacher for the UARK Waterski team and I have nothing but good things to say about him and his family. Also, a huge thanks to Alvin Neff for spending so much time with us and sharing his knowledge, and supporting us through it all. Life’s better at the lake.”
-Zack Carnes '22
Example of miscellaneous items we need as a club are chairs, ez up tents, ice chests, and other tournament essentials to keep us healthy and ready to ski.
This donation will help cover the average cost of entry fees for a member. Typically, the club covers these fees for members, which can add up quickly. Your donation will reduce that burden on the club.
Our team bindings are either torn, zip tied, or straight unusable, and we need to purchase new boots to replace the unusable ones. Your donation will help cover costs such as this and ensure our team has what we need to compete!
As with any private ski lake, it is expensive to get lake time, pay for gas, and maintain the boat. We can’t be successful without regular practice and your donation helps fund that!
Skis are our second most expensive cost. New jump skis can cost $3,400, slaloms around $1,500+, and trick skis $1,000. Your donation will help us cover some of the costs associated with purchasing new equipment.
When we compete at tournaments, our skiers need vests, gloves, and club jerseys. We want to show our team spirit while we’re on the water, and your donation will help us represent the U of A!
Our biggest expenses associated with travel are gas and hotel costs due to the significant distance most tournaments are from Fayetteville. With your donation, we will be able to fund our essential expenses and defend the Razorback name.
This past year, we left NCWSA nationals as the 18th ranked team, a 32-place jump from our rank in 2019. Our goal this year is to go to nationals and move to an even higher NCWSA ranking and your donation will help get us there.
