Waterski Builders and Clubs

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The first mention of a club in Saskatchewan is the Humboldt Boat Club that was formulated by returning war veterans from World War II, which eventually became the Stony Lake Water Sports Club. It was instrumental in providing lots of opportunity for training people growing ski club members. It evolved into the Stony Lake Water Sports Club because it did many other things other than water ski once wakeboarding entered the scene.. Saskatoon Water Ski Club started up casually in 1971 with only 12 members and was officially registered with Waterski Canada in 1972, with 20 members. The commitment and dedication of the community over the decades has made the Saskatoon Waterski Club the oldest active club in Canada. Bob Porat has contributed greatly to the club, and he recalls this story about convincing the city to allow them to put a jump on the river.  “The club was organized and they went to City Hall and asked for money for a jump. And the city council said, well, no, we're not going to fund you for a jump. And we don't even know that you should be water skiing on the river. Gary Skeet said, it's not up to you whether or not we can water ski on the river, because that's a federal waterway and you've got no jurisdiction on it. And to prove a point, Dale Young, went and skied on the river in February. Middle of February, they put on a water ski demonstration on the river to show that you could ski on the river. Gary Young skied on the river in February of 73.  Anyway, they voted and that's how we got our jump on the river.”

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So for 1973, Saskatchewan Water Ski Association (SWSA) grew to have 40 members, operating out of Rotary Park.  There was a very strong group of volunteers that made this a successful venue for the next 2 decades. In 1974, this amazing group hosted the first Western Canadian Waterski Championships, which set the standard for future championships. Bob Porat explains that “ it was a group effort of the first western Canadian championship, and we put it on within two weeks, and we had to, we bought a slalom course, but I think we made one as well. And we took the jump, which wouldn't stay in place, and we tied it to the bridge. So we went, got a bunch of cable from Sask power, guide wire from Sask power and ran it up around the freeway bridge and tied the jump to it, and we hosted the first Westerns.” 

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By 1975 they built a dock on the river so the riders could ski from the Freeway Bridge (now called Sid Buckwold Bridge), under the Traffic Bridge on Victoria and the Broadway Bridge, downstream to the Mendel Art Gallery (now called the WonderHub) and return.  By 1976, Saskatoon Water Ski Club grew to have 200 members and two boats, a 14' Surftamer with 115 hp Mercury and a 16' Ex-x2 150 hp Mercury.  The Saskatoon Water Ski Club hired its first-ever boat driver this year.  This club hosted events and provincials annually as the sport of waterskiing gradually became more popular on Saskatchewan lakes as a summer activity. They hosted Westerns again in 1979, with this anecdote from Bob Porat: “ It was on the river, and we had a hailstorm come through while we were skiing. Iit was a jump event, the jumper was sitting in the water with his helmet on, and the drivers took the seats that were quite removable at the time,  and they were holding those above their head to stop the hail, and the rest of us were running for cover.”

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Other clubs began in the province with the spread of the popularity of the sport due to the Saskatchewan Summer Games. Regina Ski Club started in 1982 by Lisa Williams, and over the next few seasons, they created an incredible opportunity for the area.  “ We offered water skiing seven days a week, more like dusk to dawn or dawn to DA. Had boat driver that drove like all seven days. I was there coaching all seven days and it was just like it was amazing. Got piles of people skiing and, you know, really thrilled. Sport. And then I was competing at the same time we did a few funny ski shows, put on some like kind of ridiculous ski shows. And I had some really great tournaments. That were like kind of back to my roots because we had tournaments where we didn't have real events. We didn't have a jump, so we had a real small event, but then we would have. And trick we would have a real trick event, but then? We had a kamikaze neighbor event. Amazing. Yeah, it was so. Like 10 people behind the boat, the last person you know sitting wins.”

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 Pasqua Lake Ski Club in 1984 by Boyd Hollerbaum. He describes similar grassroots fun experiences of the involvement of the community. “ Me and my family made a jump in front of the dock on of a Black and Decker Workmate. Then we put that in the water and then we nailed on what a complete ramp would looks like. It was only four feet wide by 16 feet long, and we put plastic on it. We put that in the water and that's how we started jumping right in front of the docks. But I mean, if you missed it, you'd rub right into the side of the supports. You know, it's like you'd hurt yourself.  But anyway, that's how I learned to jump.  So we had it for a few years there. Then we loaned it to Lloyd, then to Riley Lake Club that we started there. And then the jump went to Melfort then to Pawnee, But it was an old wooden one. But that jump did travel. It was everywhere.. How many different skiers have learned to jump off of that?”

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The next registered club with Waterski Canada in Saskatchewan was the Kipabiskau Waterski Club in 1984 by Gordon and Eileen Clunie, Ron and Becky Pritchard, Ralph and Dorothy Norum, Barry and Faye Nontell.  This group of volunteers was key in working with Saskatoon Waterski Club in creating the provincial association the same year, which expanded the opportunities for growth.  The first few years it was dedicated to training and building infrastructure to host events.  Over the years, “Kip” has maintained a very solid volunteer group that has held programming at their site every season and has a long list of past members and successful athletes, coaches and officials.  Faye Nontell best describes impact of the club on the community.  “The Kipabiskau Water Sports Club has a very large membership which developed into amazing lifetime friendships!  The club created exposure to both water skiing and wakeboarding around the community and other outreach areas.  The annual learn to ski clinics brought a financial gain to Kipabiskau Regional Park.  The active club and the friendships formed has shown an increase the cabin purchases at Kipabiskau Regional Park.”  Danny Grey adds to this by explaining the overall benefits of  the partnership with the community.  “The whole Community kind of understands we’re the stewards of the water out there. Helping making sure the fishermen in the water sports get along, that people understand the rules of the lake, that there isn't just a free show out there. But it's funny when our club members boats get on the water, there's a lot of mutual respect that's paid and they don't necessarily shift their patterns to allow us to do what we do and and they stay away from our small course and our jump and sliders and stuff and allow us to kind of do what we have to do knowing that, you know, we've had such a legacy there.”

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The growth of the Kip club’s membership and volunteers was exponential, and it was large enough to host the Western Canada Summer Games in 1985.  The impact of this is best explained by Eileen Clunie.  “A real turning point came when Kip hosted the Western Canadian Championships in 1985. The club, brand new and naïve, took on the challenge of organizing the Westerns. They received great support from the local Kip community, which had thousands of spectators. The event had originally been planned for Manitoba, but a conflict with the local residents there caused the location to shift to Kip. Westerns typically require years of notice, but this event was organized in just 6-12 months.  When officials arrived and saw the lake, they doubted it would work. The lake was 1 km wide and 7 miles long, with competition needing flat, glassy waters. The lake was surrounded by 200 cottages, so residents had to be asked to stay away. Despite the challenges, the water was perfect, and the Kip community showed tremendous cooperation. They built jumps, judging chairs, and other necessary equipment. Gordon Clunie, Irene, and the boys were instrumental in business management and mechanics. The club also had a competition boat. Ralf Norum was heavily involved, and David Wassill, the tech guy, knew competitive waterskiing inside and out. The night before the competition, they were asked about safety, specificall, where first aid was. They quickly arranged for a spineboard to be placed in the boat—cut out of wood with a chainsaw—and it worked. The club had strict rules: no alcohol was allowed during the day or near the boats, and safety was always the priority. St. John’s First Aid and Red Cross taught classes, and everyone participated in first aid and boat training.”

 

The number of clubs expanded year over year, and events were being hosted across the province.  Jason Zarucka fondly recalls the Crystal Lake Waterski Club.  “I started the Crystal Lake Water Ski Club, 83-95, which is my home lake. To be involved in the clubs was just such a warm environment, it just became family. You know, it was like even see each other all winter and then summer come around and to be just reunited with the family and being at the club, skiing, hanging out together. It really became, it's my second family and I think everybody else feels the same way. Was really family skiing together growing up together. Mentoring younger ones and looking up to the older ones, it was a part of the evolution of the individual through the clubs for sure.”

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Another club that provided fond memories was founded by Mel Ross called the Lakeland Waterski Club .  His legacy is best described by the following former club members Robin Finlayson and Adam Balon. 

Robin - “Lakeland Waterski Club 1994 -  there was an old fellow, up at Christopher Lake who was a big water ski enthusiast. And, his name was Mel Ross. On the weekends, I would go over there in the mornings and ski with him. And, I remember that he brought in a coach named Scottie Bell from Saskatoon. He was an amazing skier and was the first person that I really got some semi professional coaching from. And he also worked down in Florida at the ski schools. And then I remember the lakes getting so crowded that eventually Mel and my dad got on snowmobiles and drove around in the wintertime trying to find lakes or ponds. They found a lake called Fish Lake, and it reestablished the club there. And, Mel worked really hard. He cleaned out a bunch of the site and built sheds and towers and judging stands. And so that was really cool. Shortly after that, they end up renaming the lake, Ross Lake. We couldn't afford some of the other skis that were needed, like trick skis.  My dad made them out of laminated wood and a jigsaw and a router and cleaned them all up. And all of this was done from pictures in magazines. 

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We didn't really know what slalom was, but we knew there were buoys involved. So we got milk jugs and, or bleach bottles and, we just anchored them. We just kinda threw them out in the water, and were turning around them, but there was no measuring or anything like that.  So that that was pretty that was pretty cool. We just kinda figured it out.  Once we ended up meeting Gord and Eileen Clooney, they're like, ohl, you know, there's measurements and lengths.”

Adam - I learned to water ski on Emma lake with my dad, on wooden skis. And then one summer, my mom heard about a place called Ross Lake and an old guy teaching water skiing. So we went over there in, like, the late 80s, and we started water skiing at this place called Ross Lake. And Mel was old at the time. Mel was in his mid 70s at that time, and he was this guy that had gotten this lake which was eventually named after him. Before that it was called Fish Lake. Then Ross Lake, and Mel ran a water ski club out of there. It hosted provincials, nationals, the Mel Ross open, which to this day still happens in the province. I've taken over and run 13 of them. In 1994 Sask Summer Games, Ross Lake won by the zone. Mel was  just a kind soul and he had a soft spot for kids that needed direction, needed, a positive place to spend their summer. Mel would pick them up in the morning from their home and bring them to the lake if their parents were busy or they had no other way get there. Kids would camp at that club all summer. So it definitely was, that club was really impactful on a lot of kids' lives in a really positive way and the entire family. 

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SWSC and Kip hosted many of the first provincials and events, and other clubs stepped up to provide further opportunities.  The Mel Ross Open was officially held in 1994 at Christopher Lake, even though the event pre-dates this year, this was the season it was recognized as a qualifying event.  Another notable event was the Coca-Cola Jump Tournament in Saskatoon that saw huge numbers of spectators enjoying the competition. By 1995, there were 15 clubs active in the province that were registered with Waterski Canada, with a total of 501 members. Provincials were held at Ross Lake with strong participation from across the province with athletes, officials, and volunteers.  The club list included Boarderline Water Ski Club, Crystal Lake Water Ski Club, Alvena Waterski Club, Glenfell Water Ski Club, Kamsack Water Ski Club, Katepwa Water Ski Club, Lakeland Water Ski Club, Looney Lake Water Ski Club, Marine Lake Water Ski Club, Northern Lights Water Ski Club, Regina Water Ski Club, Ruby Lakers Water Ski Club, Saskatoon Water Ski Club, Stoney Lake Water Ski Club, and Watrous Water Ski Club.

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This same year, Saskatoon Waterski Club was looking to move off the river to provide athletes with a more consistent course and permanent home. SWSC moved to its current location at the 58th Street Retention Pond.  Once they moved, they were able to establish plans for a clubhouse and beach area to accommodate their members.  The rates Saskatoon Water Ski Club charged in 1995 were $75.00 for a Junior Membership and $175 for adult membership, with a rate of $3 per tow.

In 1996, the number clubs overall grew, and Wakeboarding was added a towed watersports opportunity at several clubs.  Saskatoon hosted a Wakeboard Challenge and a Team Jump Challenge at their site.  Kip also added the opportunity for wakeboarders to become members of their club.    Mel Ross passed in 1997, however the tournament named in his honour was held that year at Ross Lake.   Saskatoon hosted Westerns, and was able to draw on the extensive volunteer group in the province to host a first class event. There was new clubs added this season at Mel Ross passed in 1997,  however the tournament named in his honour was held that year at Ross Lake.   Saskatoon hosted Westerns, and was able to draw on the extensive volunteer group in the province to host a first class event. There was additional growth in clubs again,  with new clubs  Meota Waterski Club, 254 Waterski Club, Wally World Waterski Club and Wakaw Lake Ski Club. 

By 1998, the shift was continuing for athletes to try wakeboarding, and this was reflected in the number of clubs as towed watersports athletes experimented with this new discipline in the province.  Wakeboarding had gained a seat at the board table, but did not establish any clubs for a few more years yet. The list of clubs remained the same for 1998, and 1999.  There were waterski tournaments called the Ruby Lakers Moose Classic and Loon Lake Open held this season, and in 1999, the Ross Lake Open (Mel Ross Challenge) was also held. 

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The Travel Clinic was first mentioned in the history of the association in 2001, which provided coaching and equipment to offer grassroots clinics in the province at the clubs.   It was also the first mention of the introduction of the SaskFirst Waterski team.  Melfort was set up as the training site, and it was well received by the athletes.  The team consisted of athletes from a variety of the clubs. The A Team consisted of Valerie Gilliland, Marlise Huys, and Trent Finlayson, and the B Team had Brady Nontell, Terence Smith, Kyle Nontell, Patrick Gilliland, and Tyler Nontell. The C Team consisted of Brooke Smith, Aaron Watson, Chris Wunder, Dale Richardson, Noel Erickson.  With the increased opportunity for training and the opportunity for funding, clubs were required from now on to submit their executive list and make an annual report at the AGM.  

2003 saw the introduction of a video system for provincials and Westerns in Melfort. The clubs pitched in with volunteers and officials to make these events an opportunity for the provincial athletes to excel as the provincial athletes were able to compete in Westerns at their summer training facility in Melfort.  The clubs this season included Kipabiskau Water Ski Club, Northern Lights Water Ski Club, Ruby Lakers Water Ski Club, Saskatoon Water Ski Club, TriLakes Water Ski, Regina Beach Water Ski Club, Blackstrap Water Ski Club, Qu’Appelle Valley Ski Club, Borderline Water Sports Club, and Candle Lake Water Ski Club. There were a few of the clubs that also held Wakeboarding events for their members as the popularity of this discipline expanded. There were other clubs starting up in Saskatchewan at this time solely dedicated to Wakeboarding.  

 

In 2004, Saskatoon hosted the first “SkiAbility” clinic, which was the foundation for the establishment of another group of dedicated clubs in the province, this time for Adaptive athletes. The growth of the SaskFirst team was evident as athletes improved and new athletes were added. The Waterski Team A was Mitch Novlan, Valerie Gilliland, Brooke Smith, Terrence Smith, the Waterski Team B  was Aaron Watson, Stephanie Schindel, Jeff Hutchinson and Waterski Team C was Matt Weninger, Brett Novlan, and Dale Richardson

 

There was a new club in 2005 called Southeast Water Ski Club with over 20 members its first year., Kipabiskau Club held both waterski and wakeboard development opportunities this year, with a very full camp of 38 participants in “Learn to Ski.”  They had a slalom course and jump for the waterskiiers, as well as a jump, kicker, and slider for wakeboarding set up for parts of the summer. Qu’Appelle Valley Water Sports Club held a successful 6-day clinic, signing up 50 members. Their facilities included a ski jump and slalom course, and they had trick ski training available.  Northern Lights Water Ski Club, Saskatoon Water Ski Club, TriLakes, Qu’Appelle Valley Ski Club were also active all summer providing excellent riding for their members as they prepared for events and competition.

 

There were multiple events hosted by clubs in the province in 2006 to help the athletes build their skills and prepare for competition, such as the Fred Abrahamsen Classic Waterski Tournament, Saskatoon Classic Waterski Open, and a Saskatoon Ratings Tournament. The Mel Ross Open was now held informally and not a rated tournament, and focused on it being a fun event held in honor of Mel.  The ski clubs that were active in 2006 were the Saskatoon Water Ski Club, Looney Ski Club, Border Line Water Ski Club, Kipabiskau Water Sports Club, Northern Lights Waterski Club (Flin Flon MB), TriLakes, Looney Ski Club (Loon Lake), and the Queen City Riders Waterski Wakeboard Club.

 

The 25th anniversary of the Kipabiskau Club was in 2007, with a huge party and event, and the introduction of their new logo, which was created through a contest and is still used in 2024.  Jim Clunie donated a jump to the Kip club this season.  The Saskatchewan First Waterski Team listed for this year shows the growth over the seasons as the athletes progressed and new athletes joined, with the A Team consisting of Mitch Novlan, Matt Weninger, Nicole Novlan, Brett Morris , the B Team had Jagar Hollerbaum, Hunter Hollerbaum, and Adam Morris, and the C Team with Amanda Steeg, Erik Mehlson, and Brook Smith.  The list of active Waterski Clubs included Kipabiskau WaterSports Club, Bronson Forrest Watersports Club, Looney Lake Water Ski Club,, Saskatoon Water Ski Club, Tri-Lakes Club, Boarderline Water Ski Club, Northern Lights Waterski Club. 

 

Kipabiskau and Saskatoon WSC were key to the continued strength of the sport with dedicated officials, coaches, athletes and volunteers as 2010 was a difficult season due to the weather.  The strength of these key communities and the meaning they provided to athletes over the years  is best summed up by a quotation from Adam Morris, who as a Travel Coach and  provincial coach got to spend alot of time at these clubs..  “The club was there for me. Especially if you're putting a lot of energy into training. That's just where the lifeblood is. You're there all day everyday and you know, maybe sometimes you're training, but maybe sometimes you're just out with the people and everybody kind of chips in. I really do think that's where you see the community. Everybody chipping in to make it a little better here and there. Like I remember when I was first at the Rat Hole. There was no clubhouse. You just kind of showed up, you just get dropped off by your parents and you're hanging out and skiing all day. Now where it's like they've done so much work, now it's accessible. And clean with 2 jumps and a tournament shack and dock. There's actually a parking lot and  working on a clubhouse. They have the cable park across the street, it shows that just over time, how many people's efforts in the community can change it, not only because, they love it, but also because they want to see it grow.  I think it's essential to to any sport, really. And I think that water skiing does that really well of having that community feel to it, even though it is an individual sport, it's really cool to see families participate, siblings and parents and uncles and all doing it together. And it's cool that you get to spend all day together too, because you only have such a short time on the water. Actually, most of your time is spent in community with other people.”

 

Despite challenges such as high-water levels and potential funding loss risks due to the shortened season, Kip installed a new slalom course this season. Ross Lake was dedicated as Fish Lake and declared a Metis Heritage site, which changed accessibility for club activities.  By 2011, the popularity of wakeboarding meant that half of the clubs and activities in the province had waterskiing as their focus.  Waterski Clubs were active at Bronson Forest, Kip, Saskatoon, and READ Saskatoon, with Adaptive opportunities at the Camp Easter Seal Adaptive Club. There were 6 total events held this season hosted by Saskatoon Waterski Club and Bronson Forest.  From 2011-2014, the number of clubs for Waterskiing had declined, with Kip, Bronson, and SWSC taking care of the athletes for events and provincials.  By 2015, Kip had evolved to a more wakeboard focused club, and became a center for training and competition for this discipline for several seasons. 

2016 saw Wakaw Lake Waterski Club once again become active, and they had a slalom course and jump installed for athlete training and development.  2017 was another successful Westerns hosted by SWSC.  This added the number of opportunities for athletes to train in addition to SWSC and Bronson and additional volunteers, coaches and officials. The Wakaw Lake Club stayed active until 2019.  Madge Lake had a club registered in 2018 until 2020, joining Saskatoon Waterski Club, Bronson Forest Watersports Club and Wakaw Lake.

 

The impact of the pandemic saw the number of clubs registered in 2021 down to just SWSC and Bronson Forest.  Post pandemic, the list has grown to include Lac Pelletier in 2023, which held grassroots opportunities in its first season, followed by grassroots and development training in 2024.  Regina Beach joined as a club in 2024, focusing on grassroots development with the long range goal of building the resources to become active in programming and events. 

Looking back over the decades of towed watersports activity in the province, waterskiing has been the foundation on which all of the towed watersports disciplines have been built. The clubs have been accommodating and worked with their members to grow and evolve.  From the peak years in the late 90’s, through the growth of the association with wakeboarding and Adaptive, surviving the impacts of the pandemic, and up to the present, waterskiing has been part of the peaks and valleys for towed watersports in Saskatchewan.  The clubs created the opportunity for successful grassroots programming, development and high performance for the athletes, coaches and officials, with many going on to international participation. The future of the discipline is bright with opportunities for the athletes, volunteers, officials and coaches to continue to participate in the sport of waterskiing.