The veteran water skier slowly drove the boat out and away from the dock into open waters, taking in a huge breath of Ironwood Lake as he did so. He glanced into the rearview mirror at his teammate in the water and grinned.
“All right!” he yelled. “Are you ready to rock?”
Fourth-year international development studies student Kirk Lee has water skied for nearly his entire life and has competed since the age of 10. Since joining the UCLA club water ski team as a freshman, he has helped coach, manage equipment as well as money and lead his teammates to the collegiate nationals for the first time in UCLA club water ski history last year.
Lee placed first in the Division II men’s trick category of the National Collegiate Water Ski Championships this year, earning him the national recognition that he had been attempting to attain for over half of his life.
“I was really proud of that. A national gold medal has eluded me for the last 11 years of competition, so it was good to finally get it,” Lee said.
As a team, the Bruins finished last out of the 12 competing teams. Lee, however, expressed pride in the team’s results. A normal lineup consists of five men and five women, whereas UCLA competed with just two men and two women.
“As stupid as this sounds, it was a really proud moment for me. We made it there,” Lee said. “I’ve never been so happy to take last place just because we qualified and showed what we were about: water skiing, having fun and being up there with your best friends … having something to show for it even if it wasn’t first place.”
Lee cites the team’s finish at nationals this year as his favorite memory from being on the team.
In addition to being the club’s most experienced skier, Lee stands out as a valuable leader and mentor.
“He’s kind of everything for the varsity team. Without him, the team wouldn’t be here,” said fourth-year physics student Ryan Marakas.
Other team members also hold Lee in high esteem, attributing the club’s existence to their former captain and president.
“Kirk is basically the reason we still have a team right now. When he came in as a freshman, (he) kind of took over as president and basically ran the team,” said team captain Gina Phillipi, a third-year political science student. “We had some seniors who just didn’t have the time and knowledge about water skiing to pull the team entirely together, and so Kirk took over that. And he’s been one of our key leaders ever since.”
Lee has been recognized for his contributions by not only his fellow UCLA skiers, but also the school and nationally as well. He received the UCLA Club Sport Athlete of the Year award last year, in addition to the Male Outstanding Leader distinction from the National Collegiate Water Ski Association.
Despite the praise and recognition heaped onto Lee, he doesn’t seem to have the prestige and these distinctions on his mind.
“Before I got here, the team was doing just fine. The reason that I wanted to be on the team was (that) it was something I loved doing and these are my best friends,” he said. “We’re a tight-knit family, so even if after I’m gone we’re not going to nationals or placing in regionals, as long as it’s just people out here skiing and having a good time, that’s all I really want.”
Although Lee will be graduating after this academic year and consequently unable to compete with UCLA, he still plans to pursue competitive skiing. Despite inevitably having to separate physically from the team, the familial sentiment appears to be mutual.
“We’re like brothers,” said Marakas of Lee.
It isn’t his first-place finish, and it isn’t his coaching ability – it is this legacy of brotherhood, built over weekend after weekend at Ironwood Lake, that Lee said he wants to leave behind more than anything else.