Page Cnrtffc Nelwaskan
6 L y I / 1 Thursday, July 21,1988
Water ski tour pairs best with the rest
By Nick Hodge
Staff Reporter
Hot-shot local water skiers will
have a chance to compare themselves
to professionals this weekend, when
30 world-class skiers will be in Lin
coln.
The 1988 Coors Light Water Ski
Tour presents the Hy-Vec Tourna
ment of Champions this Saturday and
Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at Capital
Beach Lake. The lour, in its fifth
season, features world-class skiers
pitted against each other in the
world’s only professional and cash
pri/e circuit.
The 11-city tour, making its first
— stop in Lincoln, showcases lop skiers
from nine nations in five different
events — eight in men’s slalom, four
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long distance jumping, four in
women’s long distance jumping and
four in freestyle jumping.
Tickets for this weekends tourna
ment action may be purchased at any
Hy-Vcc Food Stores and Burden's
Outdoor Outfitters.
One of the tour’s top skiers, Mike
Fla/elwood, holds the world and tour
distance jump record of203 feet set in
i l>h6. Hazelwood docs not bcl icvc the
sport of water skiing has gotten the
public attention it deserves.
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golfers, but golf gets more public
aitcntion and media coverage,” Ha
zelwood said. “People need to get into
the competitive side of skiing and find
out how much fun it really is.
“,:>cople should come out and see a
competition. Most people think water
skiing is something you only do to
cool off and have a good time. It gets
boring just whacking golf balls down
the course, so people need to compete
to get the most fun out of it.”
Hazelwood, a native of Lin
■ - ^ III—
Eric Gregory/Daily Nebraskan
Ron Bonebriaht is silhouetted in front of a wall of water as he makes a run through the slalom course set up at Capitol Beach
for a stop of the 1988 Coors Light Water Ski Tour on July 23 and 24.
colnshire, Eng., who now lives in
Leesburg, Fla., said more people need
to go beyond the leisure sport of water
skiing and become active in competi
tive skiing.
“It’s more fun to slalom and jump
and freestyle when skiing than simply
being pulled around behind a boat,”
Hazelwood said. “If people do more
stuff when they ski, they II gel more
interested.”
Hazelwood, 30, began skiing in
most U S. water ski tournaments
when he was 21. He first skied when
he was eight years old in a gravel pit
near his family’s residence in Eng
land. He came to the United States at
the age of 17 to train. He entered his
nrsi tournament, tnc u.a. Masters in
Georgia, when he was 18.
Hazelwood said his age is both a
help and a hindrance at the profes
sional level.
“It helps in that 1 have the experi
ence in knowing what to do in most
situations,” Hazelwood said. “I’m not
as fast as when I was 21, but I know
how to train. I do have to be more
careful at my age.”
Hazelwood, the men’s long dis
tance jump champion of the tour the
past two seasons, was last season’s
overall male leading money winner
with $18,850. Over the last three
seasons, Hazelwood, who also com
petes in slalom, has won $55,570.
Hazelwood said he and Sammy
Duvall, his lop competitor on the tour,
have been jumping head to head since
1979.
“Sammy’s jumping really well
right now,” Hazelwood said. “He’s
won all but one meet this year.”
Hazelwood said he enjoys skiing
and will stay with the tour as long as
he can.
“I’m taking one year at a time,” he
said. “1 enjoy the tour and skiing as a
living. It’s a good job with my spon
sors, and I’ll ski until I’m forced to
quit by injury or somebody beats me
out.”
Hazelwood aggravated a heredi
tary lowei back problem last season,
which has hindered his performance
so far this season.
“I’m about 80 percent now, but
I’m on a weight program to help build
up my strength,” he said. “My dis
lances nave ncen lower inis year, su
I’m really looking forward lo a good
year next season.”
Hazelwood said he feels hcallhicr
for this weekends tournament in Lin
coln, but plans to train hard in the off
season.
“I feel pretty good,” Hazelwood
said. “I feel quite strong and will be
going for the win.
“I’m going to go straight lo the
weights once this season is over to
help get myself healthy and back into
shape,” he said. “It’s good for young
skiers to ski year around, but at m y age
you need to get yourself into the right
physical condition and mental slate oi
mind.”
Business obligations have kept
Hazelwood from competing in all the
tours meets this season, which is a
problem he hopes to avoid next year,
Ha/clwood said. He owns and oper
ates the Mike Hazelwood Ski School
in Leesburg.
“My ski school takes up quite a bit
of my time — more than I thought it
would this year,” he said. “Next year
1 hope to gel some help, but it’s good
lo be training other people.’*
Hazelwood said that getting the
opportunity to travel across the
United States has its advantages and
disadvantages.
“It’s good to travel and see all the
cities because it’s what I like doing,
Hazelwood said. “Skiing is what I like
to do. But, traveling is tough. It any
thing stops me from skiing, it’s the
traveling. It makes it tough to stay in
shape.”
Mike Hazelwood shows the jumping form which helped him set a Distance jumping World
Record of 203 feet. .'••••*