Arkansas' Water Ski Club Announces FundRazor Campaign; Help Support Their Fundraising Efforts

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Team members of the Water Ski Club at a tournament in Monroe, Louisiana.

The U of A Water Ski Club was founded over 30 years ago. The club members have qualified for nationals three times in that history, with two of those times being in the past two years. In the D2 category, the team has placed 11th, then ninth and most recently, sixth, 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-plus 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 three-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. 

Why Are We Raising Money? 

Like many other sports at the U of A, 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! 

How Can You Help? 

There are many ways that you can help us prepare for our season and reach our goal of raising $5,000 by May 3. 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! 

Thank You, Seniors 

"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 life-long 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 Water Ski 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