Building Connections and Skills Through the Purdue Water Ski Club
Erin Parham, a sophomore from Carmel, IN, utilized the connections she made last year as a freshman to further her passion for waterskiing. A friend from the Purdue Water Ski Club connected her with the Coble Water Ski School in Lillington, NC. Erin packed up her car and headed to NC without knowing a single person in the state.
She really enjoyed working with people from South Africa and Australia and learning. Her responsibilities included everything from cooking meals to inventory to cleaning, but her favorite was coaching the guests. Erin shared, "Whether it was teaching a 5-year-old to get up on skis for the first time or an 85-year-old how to slalom, it was genuinely one of the most rewarding experiences ever."
The extra benefit of working at Water Ski School was the skills Erin developed over the summer – learning how to trick ski, jump ski, and run the slalom course faster. She used these skills to help the Purdue Water Ski Club this fall. Erin competed in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois, and the team qualified for Nationals in Texas. They placed 4th in the D2 National Tournament. As the team's brand manager, she ran the social media. She was responsible for communicating via social media posts and e-mails with alumni, parents and families about the team's fundraisers.
Erin summarized her Purdue Water Ski Club experience with this, "This team has made such a big school feel a lot smaller. I have met some of my lifelong best friends through Purdue Water Ski. We don't just ski together; we also go to church together, travel together, hang out on the weekends, study together and so much more. I am so lucky to have these people in my life! Being the "brand manager" has also given me a lot of cool added experience in graphic design, merchandise design, video editing and social media. I love this team and am so grateful for the experiences it has given me!"
