FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
What: 2nd Annual Any Age, Any Disability Water Skiing on Lake Quinsigamond. Participants from 8-61 with a variety of disabilities water skiing, many for the first time.
When: Friday, June 24th from 8am-4pm
Where: Donahue Rowing Center, 237 N Quinsigamond Ave, Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Contact: Ryan DesRoches – 508-944-9793 – WebsterWaterSki@Gmail.com
Photographers/Videographers: Please meet us at the boat ramp, We’ll do our best to get you on a Boat up close to see the smiling skiers.
2nd Annual Lake Quinsigamond Any Age, Any Disability Adaptive Water Ski Event at Donahue Rowing Center Friday, June 24th from 8am-4pm.
Webster Water Ski Collective returning to Lake Quinsigamond to bring more smiles and fun to the disabiled community.
Worcester, MA – June 2022 – On Friday, June 24th from 8am-4pm the Webster Water Ski Collective and friends will be returning to the Donahue Rowing Center on Lake Quinsigamond for the second annual “Any Age, Any Disability” Water Ski Event that will allow over 25 kids and adults aged 8 – 61 with various disabilities including spinal bifida, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, autism and epilepsy the chance to water ski with trained instructors on Lake Quinsigamond.
The event will be hosted by the Webster Water Ski Collective, and will be the first of four Adaptive Water Ski events in Central Massachusetts that the collective is hosting in 2022, with a goal of taking 100 disabled participants out on the water this summer.
The adaptive ski event will allow members of the disabled community to participate in water skiing using specialized equipment with trained and certified adaptive ski instructors assisting them. A picnic lunch will also be included for the participants and volunteers. The event is free for the participants and is being paid for through generous donations from our sponsors and local community.
The Webster Water Ski Collective is the only organization in Massachusetts, and one of only four organizations in New England that offer adaptive water skiing. This is the second time the event is being held at Lake Quinsigamond, with an event last August that was a huge success and saw 26 participants ski and have a great time. Members of the Shrewsbury Fire and Police department also came by and allowed participants to “touch a truck” while they were waiting for their turn to ski.
“We’re honored to be back on Lake Quinsigamond”, said Ryan DesRoches, the director of Adaptive Skiing at Webster Water Ski Collective. “The Donahue Rowing Center is an amazing venue for this event, and the community welcomed us with open arms. We’re thrilled to have this event return to this beautiful lake”.
The Webster Water Ski Collective has been doing Adaptive Skiing for the past three years, starting in 2020 with help from the Leaps of Faith Organization from Sandy Hook, and recently starting their own program which is continuing to grow and expand their offerings in Central Massachusetts. This season, the group is hosting four events in Central Massachusetts with additional events in East Brookfield, Webster and Charlton in addition to the event on Lake Quinsigamond. 
“There is nothing better that we like to do than to share our love of waterskiing with others,” said Ryan DesRoches. “Once you see the faces light up when they hit the water, it’s impossible not to smile and become hooked on doing this. We’re just so happy to be able to bring this opportunity of water skiing to our disabled community who normally would not get the chance to do something like this.”
The demand for these events have been very high, with this event on Lake Quinsigamond filling up in less than a day after announcing it on the Webster Water Ski Collective’s facebook page. “Since we started doing this event, we have been blown away by how many people wish to attend and how far away they will travel for them. Unfortunately there are not a lot of activities and events for people with disabilities – so when one comes up, they fill up quickly. Our goal is to try to do more of these each year, and bring them to more communities” says DesRoches.
These events also bring together the local water ski community, as members from many water ski clubs in the region have come to help volunteer at the event including the Holland Aqua Riders, Nipmuc Ski Club, and the Lake Quinsigamond Ski Club. “Our Adaptive Ski Days are a great social event for both our volunteers and our participants. Many of our disabled participants know each other, and look forward to seeing their friends and chatting with them. For our volunteers, it’s a great chance to mingle and talk about the sport we love. We all love to water ski and if we can give something back to the community while doing what we love to do, it’s a win win” says DesRoches.
Anyone interested in donating to the event or sponsoring may contact Ryan at WebsterWaterSki@gmail.com
More photos of the Lake Quisigamond event from August 2021 can be found at https://www.websterwaterski.org/photos-and-videos-from-our-2021-lake-quinsigamond-adaptive-ski-event/
About the Webster Water Ski Collective
The Webster Water Ski Collective is a 501c3 organization with a mission to promote water skiing and watersports in a safe and fun environment for all ages and skill levels. Founded in 2020, the Collective is embarking on its second full season with skiing out of Point Breeze Marina on Webster Lake and Glen Echo Lake in Charlton. In addition to hosting adaptive ski events, the Webster Water Ski Collective also hosts free learn-to-ski events for the public during the summer months. In December, the collective hosts a “Swaterski” event where participants brave the cold water in Webster Lake for water skiing and then head to Wachusett Mountain for snow skiing, all in an effort to raise money for the National Brain Tumor Society. In 2020, the inaugural Swaterski event raised over $14,000.
Event Sponsors:
Point Breeze Restaurant, Eastern Bank, The Janet Malser Humanities Trust, The Mark Fidrych Foundation, Space 2 Thrive, Slims & Berthiaume Sewer Service, Cornerstone Bank, Lakeview Marine, 308 Lakeside Restaurant, The Boaters of Webster, Bistro Eighty Ates Restaurant, Shore Side Docks, Long Subaru, Venture Communications & Security, Zmetra Clean Span Structures, Author Karen Michalson, Research Associates, Ski-It-Again.com, Big Belly Cafe, Alert Driving Academy, Dippin Donuts, Honey Dew Donuts, Hazard Marine, Foxy Travel, Firebrands Bar & Grill, Indian Ranch, Jess’s Sweets & Treats, Portraits by Sue Bray, Aesthetic Beauty Room, Tree House Brewing, Bella Lu Cigar and Gift Boutique, and the Samuel Slater Experience.
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