The UNCW Waterski and Wakeboard Team plans to start their season off with a splash at their first fall tournament Sept. 6-7. The club sport team consists of about 10-15 active members who participate in regional collegiate competitions, team captain Tim Block said.

“It’s a group of friends who go out to have a good time and improve in selective water sports,” he said.

The team competes within the South Atlantic Conference in eight regional tournaments a year. The best of those teams compete in the Collegiate Nationals, Block said. Events include slalom, jump ski and trick ski.

A separate national tournament, the Collegiate All-Stars, features the top ten individuals from each conference for each event.

Although UNCW did not rank high enough to compete in the Collegiate Nationals last year, Block competed in the jump ski event at the Collegiate All-Stars in Beaver Lake, N.C. May 10-11.

The UNCW Waterski and Wakeboard Team is open to students at any skill level. “It’s only as competitive as you want it to be,” Block said.

In addition to support and instruction, the club team provides all of the necessary equipment: water skis, wakeboards, a boat and a private lake. Malibu, a performance ski company, donates a new boat to the team every year; this year it’s a 19-foot Malibu Response.

Another sponsor, International Paper, gave the team a private lake in Brunswick County about 30 minutes away from campus, and team members meet there to practice whenever they can.

In addition to the individually scheduled practices, the team meets every Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the University Union.

For more information email the team at [email protected].