JANESVILLE — Count backwards: The floods of ’09. The floods of ’08. The floods of ’07.
The Rock Aqua Jays haven’t been able to do what they do best—compete on their home waters—for nearly two years.
The Jays didn’t fold. They stayed afloat emotionally and financially. Finally, on Saturday, they hosted another ski-show tournament on the fickle Rock River in Janesville.
“It’s almost like a weight lifted off our shoulders,” Aqua Jays President Joel Shapiro said Saturday morning.
“I’m so excited,” said Aqua Jay Laura Chopp, a Monroe High School student. “We haven’t had a tournament here for a long time, and I miss it.”
Hours later, the Jays had won it all.
“We had a fantastic show. Probably one of our best tournament shows in a very long time,” Shapiro said.
Chopp has been skiing for four years, her older sister Marta for two.
“It’s really a family sport,” Marta said.
The sisters said the Aqua Jays never talked of giving up, despite nearly two years in which they rarely could ski on their home waters.
“We’re always looking forward,” Marta said.
With help from the city, and quite a few laid-off workers, the Aqua Jays rebuilt their stage, added a retaining wall and improved the dock. They rebuilt the roof and the inside of their clubhouse.
All the improvements were made with an eye to making them flood-resistant, Shapiro said.
The most noticeable change is the riverside stage. Made of concrete instead of the old wooden stage, it’s 17 feet longer and features a 3-inch-thick rubberized surface that is heavenly to walk on.
Shapiro called the 150-foot-long stage, with its Aqua Jays emblem, “our pride and joy.”
“In a way, the flooding was a blessing in disguise. It made us pull together as a team," Laura said. “But it also kind of spurred the improvements.”
Shapiro valued the improvements at about $100,000 and said they’re well worth it to the community.
The Aqua Jays estimate they’ve brought in $50 million to the Janesville area since 1975. A national tournament, which was to be in Janesville last year, would have brought in $2 million or more.
A smaller tournament, like Saturday’s, is worth about $150,000, Shapiro said.
The water was just low enough Saturday to allow the tournament to go on, Shapiro said.
Shapiro said the competing teams are rivals, but several of them gave up their own time on the water last year to allow the Aqua Jays to practice.
When it comes down to it, we’re all family,” he said.
