Hudson classmates mourn death of young skier

HUDSON - Police have identified Bodee Peterson, 9, of Hudson, as the boy who died in a water-skiing accident Wednesday.

It happened at Eagle Lake in Evansdale, a private lake operated by the Waterhawks ski team. Bodee, a member of the group, was being towed on a knee board by a boat when he fell off.

When the boat driver turned to pick him up, he didn't see the boy and struck him.

Emergency workers took Bodee to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, where he died a short time later.

On Thursday, Evansdale police confirmed that the death was an accident and closed the investigation. No charges will be filed.

At Hudson Elementary School, where Bodee would have started his fourth-grade classes Thursday, Principal Mark Schlatter said the first day of school was anything but normal.

“It's not what we expected, not what we hoped for,” Schlatter said. “The hallways have been filled with a variety of emotions.”

He said the district responded with a crisis counseling plan used to help students deal with such situations.

Schlatter remembered Bodee as a physically active kid who loved the outdoors.

While he didn't know about the boy's involvement with the Waterhawks ski team, he said he did know that a number of other students were also part of the group.

Nick Kelly said his younger brother was especially close to the nine-year-old and was struggling with the news.

"My mom told me my brother was crying a lot - I couldn't understand why it happened. Life can be so unexpected sometimes," Kelly said.

A statement released by the Hudson School District expressed grief and offered to help the family and students in any way possible.