Skier Recognition Casey Contos

Skier Recognition Casey Contos
This week we're shining the spotlight on IWSA member Casey Contos.  At age 37, Casey has 30 years of competitive water skiing under his belt.  Casey trains at Emerald Lake with his father, Kim.  Casey is known as a slalom specialist, but also competed in some tricks and jump in his youth, with the first of his numerous Indiana state records being in Boys 1 Overall.  That record stood for many years.  Casey had the privilege of representing Indiana as a member of Midwest Junior Development Team.  He also competed in the prestigious Junior US Team Trials, and Junior US Open.  Casey didn't hang up the trick and jump skis until after his 4 years as a collegiate skier at the University of Alabama, where he was an All Star, and helped the Crimson tide to top four finishes at Collegiate Nationals each year.
 
Casey has four National slalom titles, two each in Men 1, and Men 2, on his resume.  He is the current Indiana State Men 2 Slalom Record Holder, as well as the Midwest Regional Championships Tournament Men 2 Slalom Record Holder.  August 2018, following the Nationals, Casey "graduated" into the Men 3 division, which made him eligible for the Big Dawg head-to-head cash prize slalom series.  A last minute decision to travel to Colorado for the series final qualifying event of the year, after only a couple of practice sets at 34, proved worthwhile.  He advanced far enough to earn a spot in the series finals that September in Michigan.  It was in the head-to-head round during the Michigan finals that Casey skied a, at the time, PB of 5 at 39 off, before taking a "bell ringer" of a crash going to 6 ball!  Casey was hungry for more of the head-to-head formats!  In 2019, Casey and his dad, Kim, became the first father and son to complete together in the same Big Dawg events, the qualifier in  California, and the finals in West Palm Beach.  The finals were held in conjunction with the US Nationals in 2019.  Casey chose at Nationals to compete in the elite Masters Men division instead of his Men 3 age division.  He earned a podium finish in this tough event.

While electing not to travel in 2020 to regionals or nationals, Casey did travel to Lake 38 in Florida last September to ski in the inaugural 55k W.E.S.T. cash prize head-to-head..  Casey earned the number 3 seed for the head-to-head rounds, following scores of 1 1/2 at 41' in both qualifying rounds!  Unfortunately a mistake in his first head-to-head bracket cost  him a payout.  That's all the motivation Casey needs going into 2021 to reach new goals!  The current US 2021 ski year ranking has Casey sitting at number 1 in Men 3, and 7th on the Masters Men slalom list.  The latest World Water Skiers weekly ranking list shows Casey at number 3 in the world for 35+ Men Slalom.

Casey enjoys giving back to the sport by coaching young skiers in Indiana's annual Junior Development Clinic.  He is also an assistant slalom judge, and newly elected member of the IWSA Board of Directors.  Casey lives in Anderson with his wife, Jen, son, Bennett, and daughters Bella, Elle, and Sophia.