1/04                             John Kniesly

   USA Water Ski’s Awards Committee has selected Mike Meek (Albany,Ohio), David Dammann  (Lynchburg, Tenn.) and John Kniesly (Indianapolis, Ind.) its 2003 Coaches of the Year.

        Meek was named National Coach of the Year; Dammann was named Developmental Coach of the Year; and Kniesly was named Volunteer Coach of the Year. All three coaches are eligible to receive the United States Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year awards in their respective categories. “The United States’ legacy of excellence in water skiing would not be possible without the support of dedicated coaches at all levels of competition,” said Steve McDermeit, USA Water Ski’s executive director. “Over the years, these gentlemen have offered countless hours of service to the sport, and I am pleased to be able to honor them with a small token of appreciation on behalf of USA Water Ski’s nearly 40,000 members.”

        Kniesly has devoted nearly 30 years to competitive water skiing at the local and state level. He is a past president of the Indiana Water Ski Association and has served on its board of directors for many years. Kniesly’s contributions include assisting in the creation of the Ski Club of Indy and organizing Indiana’s annual two-day clinic for physically challenged skiers, the RHI Sports Disabled Water Ski Clinic. This year, more than 37 skiers participated in the event with the assistance of 50 volunteers. USA Water Ski was formed in 1939 as a non-profit organization promoting water skiing in the United States. USA Water Ski is affiliated with the International Water Ski Federation (world governing

body) and is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and Pan-American Sports Organization as the national governing body of organized water skiing in the United States. With more than 40,000 members, USA Water Ski is the largest water ski federation in the world.