Members of the Badwater Ski-Ters have been invited by the Chinese Water Ski Association to participate in the 2006 Sino American Water Ski Shows in China the first week in May 2006. Skiers Jen Nelson, Nicole Martin, Halee Martin, Joe Kriegl, John Kriegl, and Brent Larson, Announcer Jeneen Martin and Driver Jim Martin along with Wisconsin Rapids Aqua Skiers Justin Bodette, Nicole Taugner, Tressa Haferman, Jeremiah Hoops, Beau Urban, Lindsay Webster, Danielle Bardele, and Shawn Neuberger will travel as guests of the Chinese Water Ski Association to Beijing on April 27 and return to the States on May 12. The team will be performing 4 shows in Liaocheng City and 2 shows in Najing. In addition the team will participate in training days with the Chinese National Show Ski Team and be treated to sightseeing excursions in Beijing and Shanghai.
April 27 (Thursday): Departed USA for Beijing. Left Chicago O'Hare Airport at 10 am on United Air Lines after checking in lots of baggage including many pairs of water skis, ropes, wet suits, helmets, costumes, and other gear. Flight was non-stop to San Francisco where we changed planes for our non-stop flight to Beijing. We were flying at 32,000 feet @586 mph for part of our flight. The trip from San Francisco takes a total of 12 hours and 1 minute according to the schedule. April 28 (Friday): Arrived in Beijing at 4:30 am central time or in the afternoon in China, followed by Peking Duck for dinner and shopping in Beijing. April 29 (Saturday): Sightseeing in Beijing where we visited the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven. The Forbidden City in
Beijing is a walled palace with 8,700
rooms. It is a series of buildings that range from
meeting palaces to resting chambers for the
Emperor. Built in the 1400's. Photo taken just as we entered the Forbidden
City. 17 of us in all. We have a chartered bus with tour guides
We will present our first shows here on Monday and Tuesday. The weather has been very warm. Training for our show is scheduled for Sunday. We are very excited about the upcoming shows. Nicole & Halee and our guides Ella, Mia,
& Hellen Beau Urban on Shoe Skis May 1 & 2 (Monday and Tuesday): Ski shows. 2 shows a day. Show will be covered by live TV. Chinese and Badwater Aqua Skiers Dragon Boat Cluster Jump Jim with the Mayor of Liaocheng
City Nicole signing autographs After our first day of shows, we enjoyed the banquet in our honor given by the Chinese Water Ski Federation and the Chinese Sport Federation. Jerimiah and Tressa We have beem skiing on Dongchang Lake,
located southwest of Liaocheng City in Shandong
Province. The construction of the lake started in
1070 (during the Song Dynasty) on the site of the
original moat surrounding the ancient city of
Liaocheng City, now located in the center of the
lake. We are going to have a chance to do some sightseeing in Liaocheng City and on Thursday we travel by bus to Nanjing where we will be able to do some sightseeing and practice for our next shows. Our Water Ski Team in Dragon
Square Temple and "Shopping Mall" Group on stage
plays traditional Chinese Music while people shop
in the open-air marketplace. Incense in a traditional Chinese Shopping
Mall. People purchase incense, light it, wave it,
and pray. Then they put it in the pot and it burns
for the day. May 4 (Thursday): We leave for Nanjing.
May 5 (Friday): We are training on Xuanwa Lake Park in Naijing, a city of about 6 million people.
We are staying at a 5-Star Hotel in Nanjing with a computer in every room. The sign on the hotel reads: "Warmly Welcome American Sports Team". We were treated to a banquet after training today that was attended by all city officials. Tomorrow the shows will be broadcast on live TV all over China.
After our show on Saturday morning the team was taken to the Nanjing Memorial Hall. The site commemorates the massacre of over 300,000 Chinese people during the occupation of China by Japan in 1937. The massacre was a reminder to all of us the value of peace and friendship. The entire team was moved by this somber memorial to those that lost their lives during this very difficult time in China's history. More information on the Nanjing Massacre can be found at: http://www.nj1937.org/english/default.asp
After dinner the team treated our guides to dinner at Pizza Hut with Meat Lovers, Cheese Lovers and breadsticks on the menu. Sundays show was under nearly perfect conditions. Warm, in the 80's, sunny skies, and very little wind. We were able to bring out some of our more difficult acts which was much appreciated by our Chinese audience.
After the closing ceremony a luncheon was held at our hotel with all of the Dignitaries, the Chinese team, and our team in attendance. After another wonderful meal, a singing and dancing contest was held between the two teams. We are good skiers but poor singers. All in all a wonderful experience.
We then ventured out to the busy street of Fu Zi Miao which is filled with shops of all kinds. Beautiful lights and decorations mark this walking mall type street. The most popular item for purchase was chop sticks. We have all become quite adept at using them.
Tomorrow (May 8th) we are off to visit the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum in Najing. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen was a great pioneer of China's democratic revolution. The Mausoleum was built in 1926 and completed in 1929 with granites from Fujian Province and blue glazed tiles. It has 3 arches filled with lattice copper doors and is located on the slope of Zhongshan Mountain.
After a morning in the HuaHai Lu shopping district, it was time to head out to the airport for our flight home. Like everything else on our trip this was an experience to be remembered. We left Longyang Road Subway station for the 19 mile trip to Pudong International Airport on board the Shanghai Transrapid Maglev train. The Maglev train, the first and only one of it's kind in the world, reaches speeds of over 260 miles per hour and the entire trip took less than 7 and a half minutes. Operating on the principle of magnetic levitation, the train, which has no wheels, actually flies 10 millimeters above the glideway or track by means of magnetic repulsion. Other magnets provide the force necessary for propulsion and braking. With no wheels the train is incredibly quiet and we passed cars on the freeway next to the glideway as if they were standing still. Pudong International is a modern architecturally fascinating airport and many thanks have to go to United Airlines for handling our 34 bags of personal gear and ski equipment with care and professionalism. The biggest thanks for making this trip possible have
to go to:
Badwater Ski-Ters Wisconsin Rapids Aqua Skiers
E-mail for information Photos by Halee Martin |
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