July 2022

TEXARKANA MAGAZINE

One of those groggy students heading to breakfast is Cole Shipp, who is there with his father, Chad Shipp, from Texarkana. It’s 2016, Cole’s first time at Bennett’s, and by the end of the week his goal is to be a slalom skier—a person who can ski on a single ski. Cole attends the school two more times in following years. Now age 17, he reflects, “Bennett’s is a lot of fun and I’ve made several friends there who I still talk to,” says Cole. He often showcases his skills for friends on weekend trips to the lake. “When I was thirteen, I slalomed thirteen miles across Lake DeGray. I was so tired!” he exclaims. Fast forward to June 2022, and it is Cole’s 14-year-old sister, Caroline Shipp, following in her brother’s footsteps or skis. Caroline’s goal is the same, to become a slalom skier by the end of her one week stay. “I want to learn to slalom because so few people do it anymore. I already surf and wakeboard and I ski on a pair, but I want to slalom.” Both Cole and Caroline have been pushed to learn water skiing from their dad, who learned how to ski on a pair around age 4 at Lake Greeson, taught by his parents. “My mom cut up some old adult skis, painted them yellow, tied them together and we hit the water. My dad was a boat dealer, so we spent a lot of time on the lake. I learned to ski behind a jet boat! My parents skied most summer weekends, so it was just natural that I’d learn to ski, too. I was on a slalom around age 8. And that pair of yellow skis is still in my attic.” Chad says bringing his kids to ski school is a luxury that’s not required and that both could learn to slalom ski at any local lake, but

Bennett’s is great father/kid time. “It’s a unique place only 5 hours away and one that is sought after by pros and college students from all over the world. I just enjoy the time alone doing something fun with the kids that doesn’t include video games or electronics.” Chad never attended any ski schools and never competed, nor will his kids. “This is strictly for fun and the memories we’re making,” he says. As a boy, Chad read Water Ski Magazine and paid attention to the sport but attending a ski school wasn’t an option. “We went to a few competitions at Champion Lake in Shreveport as observers. It’s fun to watch,” Shipp stated. “As far as Bennett’s goes, I might be living vicariously through my children,” he laughs. While most parents drop their kids off here for the week, I rent a lake cottage and stay with them and get a lot of great photos. In the evening, the lake is turned over to the college kids who work at Bennett’s, and we watch them slalom and do tricks and jumps. I feel very at home in this environment,” he says. For anyone who wants to learn to ski, Shipp recommends patience and practice. He says it’s not as easy to learn like other water sports, such as knee boarding, surfing or wakeboarding. “Standing on a skinny slalom ski at 30-plus mph will definitely result in some hard falls, and it takes a while to get the hang of it, which is why so few learn it anymore.” As for Ralph Samuelson, no doubt he’d be happy to know just how much his sport has meant to so many, and if the Shipps have anything to say about it, it’s a legacy that will continue for another 100 years.

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