Taylor Hardy Taylor Hardy

State Championship at Ski Chaste a Success

The Alabama State Championship was held at Ski Chaste in Axis, Alabama on July 9th and 10th. The tournament was a big success! To quote Federation President Brad Brascho: “The Ski Club of Ski Chaste once again created a wonderful environment for skiers, family, and friends. Nothing like the smell of hamburgers on the grill while watching great skiing. Also, a tremendous amount of gratitude must go out to Bob and Doris Schouten. The Schouten family donated the money to cover the State Banquet costs. This was an enormous display of generosity. The Ski Chaste Club presented Bob Schouten with a plaque of appreciation to share with his generous parents. A junior clinic was also held at Ski Chaste. Marsha Bally and her team put together the largest turnout of junior skiers that I can ever recall.”

At this year’s banquet, the Billy Buck Spirit Award was given to Nora Bally. Her mother, Marsha, provided a few comments for Nora’s bio: “Nora has been water skiing since she was two! Her dad, J.C., is the one who introduced her to the sport of water skiing. J.C. used to ski with combos with Nora on his lap, and they would both hold the handle. At four, Nora started skiing on two skis by herself. At six, she started slalom skiing! We quickly realized she acquired the same passion as her parents. Once her brother. Nicholas, came along, we decided it was time to move to our own ski lake and moved from St. Louis to Ski Chaste Lake! Nora quickly improved in her three-event water skiing by diving into practicing hard! She won overall at her first Southern Regionals, went to Nationals, and got three Most Improved plaques from USA Water Ski - all in her first year of living on a ski lake! She is a true example of becoming a great water skier through hard work, dedication, and passion for a sport that we all know and love!

Nora is a wonderful example of an exemplary person who is dedicated in all that she does on and off the water. Her love for the Lord has blessed her with a loving heart for others and has rewarded her with many friends. Her commitment to train hard and go the extra mile has granted her bragging rights on the volleyball court. Her artistic talents have produced her some beautiful paintings for her family to admire. Her self motivation and discipline has granted her a 4.5 GPA at school and will continue to bless her on her journeys through life.

Her family is truly blessed to have her and could not be more proud of her accomplishments! Nora is definitely a gift from God!”

Read More