Riding in the wake of the boat, math teacher Alvin Ward, class of ’70, kicks up a 10-foot spray. For Ward, this is just another vacation day on the water.

Ward has been water-skiing since his junior year at JC, when he bought his first boat. “I raised money for the boat from my paper boy job,” Ward said.

His love of water-skiing stemmed from “seeing my mom water-ski when I was young. I had to try it,” Ward said.

Ward first tried water-skiing when he was 10, but was “unsuccessful,” according to Ward.

Since then, he has improved, but skiing still comes with its challenges. His favorite memory of water-skiing is trying to water-ski barefoot. “I saw them do it at Cypress Garden, Florida and on TV. I said ‘I’ve got to try it.’ After multiple tries, and falling while the boat was going 50 mph, I packed it in.”

He even has his own boat, The Relation Ship. His children sometimes water ski on it, though Ward does not because it is “too slow.”

Although Ward loves water-skiing, there are some things he wishes he didn’t have to experience. His least favorite part is “falling and doing a face plant at fast speeds, 50 to 60 mph, and the water going up your nose,” Ward said.

At 60 years old, Ward likes to go skiing at the beach with his family, his brother-in-law and daughters mostly, and thinks that it’s good that he can still ski. “I’m 60 years old and still doing it. That’s great,” Ward said.

Ward hopes to keep water-skiing “as long as I am still physically able to ski.”

 Ashley Beyer is a Lifestyles Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.