Ski Hawks take flight

SPARTA — Local dare devils on the Mohawk Ski Hawks get their adrenaline fix as they careen across lake waters at speeds up to 65 mph all while balancing on two pieces of wood and tethered to the back of a speed boat by a rope.

"I think its really fun," said Arianna Genovese, 15 of Sparta.

Ariana has been water skiing since she was seven and loves it.

"My dad loves to ski and I used to always come to his shows and thought it looked fun," Ariana said.

The Ski Hawks recently competed at the National Show Ski Eastern Region competition in Northampton, Mass. on July 26 to 28. The Ski Hawks came in third place overall but had bragging rights for several other events where they placed.

Luke Valentine placed first in Trick, Paul Schwesinger Jr. took second place in Trick, Jack Valentine placed third in Trick, Alyssa Devaney took second in Swivel One, Kate Lori placed third in Swivel One, Arianna Genovese took first place in Swivel One and Lauren O'Connor took second place in Swivel Three.

Jack, Luke and Paul also represented the Ski Hawks in the Team Jump competition winning the second place trophy.

Several other members also competed. Bob O'Connor and Olivia Cella competing in straps for the first time. Michael W competed in trick/variety for the first time. Elizabeth Zanetakos, Ana Valentine and Marigrace Yuskaitis competed in swivel as well.

Each team was allotted one hour to perform all of their different tricks. Some even go barefoot.

Ariana says going barefoot doesn't hurt instead "it feels itchy. It feels like the water is exfoliating your feet."

The Ski Hawks are the Official Water Ski Show Team Of New Jersey and the only water ski team in the Garden State. The team was formed in 1964 and over the years has accumulated members of all ages.

"From our youngest skier who is six years old to our coaches, there is role for everyone to help out," said Todd Muth, President of the Ski Hawks. "We have fathers, grandfathers, kids, everyone."

Muth followed in his father's footsteps with water skiing, and Muth's children are already following suit. Muth's two daughters, Emma who is 9 and Julia who is 12 are both water skiing pros. Muth's youngest son Ben says he won't water ski, but enjoys hanging out in the speed boat as his father pulls along his sisters.

Currently, the team has 100 members, but they are still looking for more to help out. Specifically there is a need for bases — the people at the bottom of the pyramid. The only requirement would be to be able to ski with someone on your shoulders, says Muth.

Anyone in the Garden State can join the team, just show up to a practice. The Lake Mohawk Ski Hawks practice every Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. to sunset and weekends 8:30 a.m. to noon at Lake Mohawk in Sparta.

For more information about the Ski Hawks visit lakemohawkskihawks.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/skihawks. There are also videos of the team on Youtube at www.youtube.com/channel/UCqQ0_5sDOMjZP2KlBvNDjcg.