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July 23rd
Alizee Cup at Eurolac
(Crozet, France close to Geneva, Switzerland)
Upon arrival into Geneva airport we could see the Swiss alps and I immediately felt at home. My grandfather was born and raised in Switzerland and my mother is also Swiss. My mother is a Swiss citizen and passed her dual citizenship down to me. I am a citizen of both the United States and Switzerland. I have never lived in Switzerland, but it was the first country I traveled to outside of the USA and it brings back memories of my grandfather, cousins, aunts, and uncles abroad. I love Switzerland and I was so excited to be visiting for a water ski tournament just across the Swiss border in Crozet, France.
As we pulled up to the private water ski club Eurolac, I was in complete awe of it’s unique beauty.  Eurolac is probably one of the most stunning water ski sites I have ever seen. The small lake overlooks the Jura mountains and the Swiss alps are in the distance. The weather was perfect Saturday with just a little bit of sun and almost no wind. The tournament started Saturday morning and the first round I ran 4.5 @ 38off (11.25 meters). I thought that was a good score considering I had never skied at this lake before and I started at 32 off (13 meters). The 2nd round I did the same performance, which was slightly frustrating to me because my plan for the weekend had been to run the 11.25 meter pass. Each round I held my position of 2nd place behind Natalie Hamrick-Halt. The 3rd round was quite challenging because we skied at night. Although there were huge lights over the course, the visibility was not equal to that of the day and I found it hard to see the gates. Skiing in the dark was a rush because it feels much faster. I ended up getting my best score of the day the night skiing round, which was a surprise to me because I had never skied at night before. I ran 5 buoys at 38off (11.25 meters). I thought my score would be a tough one to beat, but Natalie Hamrick ran the 38off (11.25 meter) pass after me. I was happy with 2nd place for the weekend, it is definitely an improvement. I am getting better every tournament still.
I enjoyed the Alizee Cup tremendously and hope to come back to ski in the event again next year. Gilles, the owner of Eurolac, did an excellent job running a first class event!
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