Skier Showcase: Great Plains Conference Executive Board – Meet the Money Man – National Collegiate Water Ski Association

If there is one elected official we can all agree will do a killer job, it is Benjamin T. Bye of Iowa State University! Benny, as he is affectionately called by the ski fam, is originally from the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. He is currently studying Industrial Engineering with the hope of opening his own Auto Repair Shop when he grows up! He is already well on his way to accomplishing this goal as he enjoys working on his 1979 International Scout or building decks. For Ben, there is no ski off-season as he is also a member of the Alpine Race Team. For someone whose two biggest fears are going completely underwater and heights, Ben definitely picked some odd sports to fall in love with.

It is no surprise that this Minnesotan began skiing at the young age of 11 on the lake he grew up on (as if he didn’t have another 10,000 to choose from). Ben actually learned how to ski from Karen Moon, a competitive water skier, who unfortunately moved away before she could teach Ben how to run a course. He was introduced to the Iowa State Water Ski Team when he saw ISU alumni snow skiing up near his cabin in northern Michigan. The rest is history!

Ben has quickly found his home on the Iowa State Water Ski Team. Despite not having competitive training before college, he has worked hard at slalom (5 buoys) and jump (54ft), and has learned not to scream going over the big red monster. He laughs at his trick abilities. As someone who is new to the world of 3-event skiing, Ben’s advice to new skiers is to “go to tournaments and talk to people from every team! The ski family extends way outside of your school and everyone is excited to be there and learn about other people!”