Still Skiing After All These Years

“There was a lot of water skiing going on in the ’70s,” said Don Kelly ’80, the former dean of finance for Jefferson Davis Community College. “It was new, a lot of people had not seen it before, and there was a lot of interest in it. The American Water Ski Association encouraged having clubs and tournaments back in those days, so it was a natural thing for a club to be organized at a college.”

That explains the origins of the Auburn Water Ski Club in 1974. How it’s endured decades later is a different story. This past October, more than 150 alumni and friends of the Auburn Water Ski Club reunited for the club’s 50th anniversary to celebrate, reminisce and, of course, hit the water.

Generation after generation returned to the Plains for the club’s first-ever official reunion—a total of 155 guests, including 85 alumni—a testament not only to the organization’s staying power through the years, but to the passion and enthusiasm of its members.

“The fact that the club survived is really kind of special,” said Mike Elrod ’81, a former registered nurse at SouthEast Hospice Care. “Every three to four years, the whole group is rolled over—people graduate or move on. There was just an energy to it because a lot of us hadn’t seen each other in like 40 years or more.”

“Skiing was never the primary goal of the club. It was 100% friendships, relationships and experiences, and I think it’s a microcosm of Auburn.” —Taylor Wesson ’06

Elrod was the first to recognize the milestone’s importance to the club. Now retired and living close to Auburn, he’s become an unofficial “team dad,” assisting with operations, fundraising and driving the boats at the club’s home base on Divorce Lake in Valley, Ala. Elrod’s daughter, Lindsey Elrod ’21, skiied in his footsteps and was collegiate slalom national champion in 2018.

As a club sport, the water ski team has supported itself through the years without university funding. Money for equipment, boat fuel and competitions was raised by students and alumni. Despite competing in tournaments around the country, there were years where the club’s survival was in doubt. Every member has their own stories of making ends meet just to compete.

But that can-do attitude may have contributed to the club’s longevity. At its largest-ever official gathering, student leaders met with club alumni to plan the team’s growth and coordinate for the future. Most importantly, they are raising critical funds to keep the team afloat for a new generation. Gifts to support the Water Ski Club can be made at AuburnGiving.org/SkiClub25.

“Skiing was never the primary goal of the club,” said Taylor Wesson ’06, owner and lead doctor at Joint Chiropractic in Huntsville, Ala. “It was 100% friendships, relationships and experiences, and I think it’s a microcosm of Auburn. We’re all part of the Auburn water ski family, and it shows in how many people attended the anniversary.”

By Derek Herscovici ’14