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August 28, 2007

ULM Water Ski Team celebrates partnership with Gus Campbell; new water ski boat

The ULM Water Ski Team will proudly practice and compete with a new, state-of-the-art maroon and gold 2008 Mastercraft Prostar 197 Water Ski Boat, thanks again to its generous, longstanding partner, Gus Campbell, owner of Gus Campbell Water Sports and Boating Center.

ULM Water Ski Team Coach Treina Landrum said, "We will be skiing with an exceptional boat, the nicest we have ever had. We are very excited about working with Gus Campbell; he is part of our local business community and was one of the charter members of the first water ski team on [our] campus."

The ULM Water Ski Team holds the current national championship title. The team holds 19 National Collegiate Water Ski Association Championship titles; winning 19 of the 27 years the competition has been held. They will compete for their 20th championship this year.

More about the partnership with Gus Campbell:

Campbell helped form the original team in the 1970s; forging a lasting connection with ULM and continuing a lifelong love of the sport. He credits mutual respect for Landrum and the team as being key motivators for his renewed involvement with university activities.

"Their new mission statement is to be more involved with the community," he said. "The community needs to know about these world-class athletes. I would like to help develop more of a following for the team, make them more personalized to the public. We're going to help in regards to promotions and fundraisers - anything we can do to enrich the ski team and the students."

Campbell established a memorial scholarship for his sister, Vicki Campbell Anzalone, also an avid enthusiast of the sport. "She loved skiing, so I couldn¹t think of a better way to pay tribute."

He extended an invitation to anyone with children displaying exceptional water ski skills and enthusiasm to help them train so that they might one day take up the sport and "develop their talents so that they will stay at ULM and receive one of those scholarships."

To qualify for the one-year Vicki Campbell Anzalone Memorial Scholarship, the freshman applicant must be a female waterskiier, have a 3.0 grade point average, and preferably be from Ouachita Parish.

Contributions may be added at any time to this endowment; checks should be made payable to the ULM Foundation, referencing the scholarship by name, and sent to 700 University Ave., Monroe, LA, 71209. For more information, contact Cindy Leath, ULM development associate, at (318) 342-3687 or leath@ulm.edu.

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