Five Seasons Ski Team offers options, opportunities

CEDAR RAPIDS — David Lammers is a 41-year-old director, writer, sound technician, actor and coach.

His stage is water.

Lammers has been a member of the Five Seasons Water Ski team for the past 15 years, a team that provides opportunities for many unique interests and passions.

“It’s an area where you can do things no one else is doing,” Lammers said. “You can be innovative and experimentative. There’s always new things being discovered.”

As a writer, Lammers is responsible for writing the script and figuring out what everyone on stage is doing.

“My job is a little more on the show end,” he said. “I get the plot organized and made.”

Each season, the ski team has a new theme. This year, it is spies. The team presents an hour-long show and the time between the skiing, they “fill in with a story.”

Lammers usually finds inspiration in the media.

“I watch a lot of movies basically,” he said

Still, a person does not have to watch any movies to understand their performances.

“I try to make an original story,” Lammers said.

In the past, Lammers has dabbled in circus business and has been the Upper Iowa University mascot, but his experiences as an actor comes from somewhere else.

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“Ninety-five percent of the acting I have ever done is from the ski team,” he said.

This year, he plays the villain in the shows.

The club was formed in 1978 for the purpose of advancing the sport of water skiing. Don Clow, who has been driving for the team since 1981, has experienced the many advancements.

The team has gotten more “entertaining” due to the advanced equipment received. Clow joined because of his enjoyment of water skiing. Today he continues because, according to him, “you never learn it all.”

The water ski team takes safety very seriously, making the boat driver another vital position.

“All of the drivers are certified and they have spent many hours to obtain their safety and driving certification,” said Clow, the oldest member at 79 years old. “A lot of our drivers have spent three years to achieve the highest ratings for drivers.”

Drivers are required to ensure the boats are fueled, running and functioning adequately, and where they need to be in a timely manner.

Clow also has taken up the role of a coach.

“A coach keeps everything safe. Then, everybody lives to ski another day” Clow said.

The Five Season ski team also can be very family oriented.

“It’s not the family sitting in the bleachers and being supportive or the family selling hot dogs. They are actually in the team,” Clow said.

Esther Davis is a 13-year-old skier from Harding Middle School and her mother, Jen Davis, is a boat driver and a pinner. Both joined the team in 2019 when Esther expressed interest after watching one of the shows.

This is their fifth year and neither plan on stopping anytime soon.

“You can never learn too much,” Esther said.

The team has been a huge time commitment for both. Jen works as an engineering manager at Collins Aerospace and Esther does many other time-consuming activities such as show choir and orchestra outside of skiing.

“The ski team is in the evening, so you still have those morning hours,” Esther said.

So far, the two find the team to be very welcoming.

“It’s pretty encouraging,” Esther said. “We are always trying to work harder and get our team ready for competition.”

The team also provides its member with a community.

“You meet new people, make friends,” Jen said.

“There are a variety of people, so it’s pretty easy to find friends,” Esther said.

The Five Seasons Ski Team is a nonprofit. They depend on membership dues, company sponsorships and donations. These help them keep the shows free for the audience. Supporters can donate through PayPal or Venmo.

Anyone can join the team. There isn’t an age limit and past experience isn’t needed. They provide lessons, equipment and whatever else is needed.

“You don’t need to try out,” Clow said.

The ski Team performs a show every Thursday night at Ellis Park in Cedar Rapids from June to Labor Day. Special shows are performed for various communities and festivals.

The team also competes in state, regional and national tournaments. Last year, they won first place in the Division II national championship.

Recently, many of their shows have been cut short or canceled because of the weather and water conditions.

“It will be scaled down but still a solid show,” Lammers said.