The South Carolina waterski team is active again and getting back in the water for the first time since 2020.
USC’s waterski team holds weekly practice at Bud Lake and is open to all levels of water skiers. They compete in the South Atlantic Conference of collegiate water skiing, according to their Garnet Gate page.
“We practice 30 minutes from campus out at Bud Lake. There's a very nice gentleman who lets us ski behind his boat,” club president Jaime Torres said.
Torres is a graduate student at USC and started waterskiing as an undergraduate. He said that despite the size difference of USC's new team, he knows what a waterski team is supposed to look like.
The club holds practice whenever anyone wants to go out, as long as the lake's owner can pull them, Torres said.
The lake is both named after and built by the owner, Bud, club secretary Mia Balistreri said.
The club became inactive during the COVID-19 pandemic when the university shut down, Torres said.
Members of the club carpool to Bud Lake and ski all year round. During the colder months, they wear wet suits and dry suits while out on the water, Balistreri said.
When asked about her favorite part about being in the club, Balistreri said it was the first practice. She had no idea that a waterski club at USC existed beforehand, she said.
“I saw someone’s story, and that day I was out skiing with them,” Balistreri said. “So that was super fun to just be thrown into it super quick.”
Some members take longer to get the hang of it than others, but they make sure everyone gets a chance to ski, Torres said.
Depending on levels of experience, they will put you on either one or two skis at the start, Torres said. After that, they just feel it out for each member.
Torres said it's a matter of being patient with the new members and helping them learn. They take as much time as new members need.
“We’ll take you around the lake, and slowly you start incorporating more and more of the basics,” Torres said.
The club, despite being new, is starting off strong and already participating in tournaments, Torres said. He said there are lots of other new teams in the region who they compete against.
“It’s not like we’re competing against the very best," Torres said. "We always have competition at our level — people who are just starting out, building their teams and have a lot of different people of skill levels.”
Fundraising officer Carlie Fisher said that her favorite part of being a member comes from the fact that anyone can join. She said it’s fun to watch the excitement, especially that of new members.
“Everyone gets so, so excited. When you get up on skis for the first time, it's such a crazy thing,” Fisher said. “There’s so many different milestones that everyone’s hitting throughout. That’s just kind of exciting, and it’s fun to watch.”
Fisher said her role as fundraising officer involves reaching out to different "ski brand companies" for equipment. Recently, she has started a GoFundMe which will go towards funding a boat for the team, she said.
Even though the club is slowly growing in membership after being revitalized, Balistreri said that an aspect of family is still present.
Being from Wisconsin where many people water ski, she was able to find a community of those who love being out on the water such as herself, she said.
Torres said that his favorite part of the club is watching members try something new. He sees it as the most rewarding part too, both in his own role and as a member.
“I like bringing new people into the sport. It’s probably my favorite thing. It’s always really been my favorite thing, even when I wasn’t president,” Torres said.
Torres started water skiing in college himself, so he knows what it's like to not be brought up in the sport and try something new.
“Seeing the happiness it brings people. That’s untouched,” Torres said.