Lake life is a large part of Auburn and the surrounding communities.
With Lake Martin and other small lakes so close by, students and natives are able to frequent the lakes and enjoy all the activities they offers.
For those who love the lake or just being outdoors on the open water, Auburn University is home to its own waterskiing club.
Don't worry about being a professional. Everyone on the team is willing to teach anyone interested.
The club has approximately 20-25 members and aims to be a fun way for students to learn how to waterski and have a great time in the process.
Members can participate in three different events of waterskiing: slalom, tricks and jump. Other water activities such as wakeboarding, barefooting and kneeboarding are available.
Next weekend, Sept. 22-23, the club will participate in the Clemson Fall Tournament, a three-event competition in Greenwood, S.C., involving slalom, trick and jumping.
Slalom involves navigating through the water in an "S" pattern around buoys.
Trick is wakeboarding while throwing tricks and flips.
Jumping means taking a jump off a 5-foot ramp.
Carter Callaway, junior in mechanical engineering, has been involved in the club since fall 2011.
Callaway is the president of the Auburn Water Ski Club and will be participating in the slalom section of the Clemson Fall Tournament.
"I've been waterskiing since I was 6 years old," Callaway said. "I heard about the club before I even got to Auburn, and I joined as soon as I got here."
The club practices about three times per week, but the practices are not mandatory. They meet each Monday at 8 p.m. in Student Center Room 2227 to discuss upcoming competitions and practice times.
The waterski club practices at a private lake in Shorter, just 30 minutes from campus.
They provide a boat and equipment for practices.
"Most people who join don't know how to waterski," Callaway said. "We take all skill levels."
Sam Stiles, junior in marketing, has been in the club since last fall.
He said he joined after hearing about the club during O-Days on the Concourse.
"The best part about the whole experience is the people I've met," Stiles said. "I've made a lot of awesome friends in the group."
The club is in the South Atlantic Conference of the National Collegiate Water Ski Association, with tournaments in September and October, and another in the spring.
The top-five men and top-five women represent each team in each event.
Teams begin arriving at Lake Martin Friday night.
The first skiers will compete in the slalom at 8 a.m. and then the rest of the day is the trick event.
Sunday is dedicated to the jumping event.
"We will be there the entire weekend," said J.B. Hampton, sophomore in business management and member of the club. "Everyone gets there Friday and we're all together and it's really fun.
We finish around 5 p.m. Saturday, and we have a huge get-together with everyone that night. We're really excited."
For more information about the Auburn Water Ski Club, visit AUWaterSki.com.
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