Madison Martin is Awarded the 2025 John Van Gieson Scholarship

Madison Martin from Iowa State University has been awarded the $2,500

John Van Gieson Scholarship.

"It is such an honor to be able to receive the 2025 John Van Gieson Scholarship, and I am forever grateful for the generosity of the Van Gieson Family. There is nothing I love more than being on the water, and I cannot wait to spread this joy to others in this community. This is yet another example of the many ways this sport continues to support me, and I am so lucky to be able to be in it." says Madison.

"I am so incredibly grateful that USA Waterski Foundation chose to support me academically as I continue to push myself both on the water and in the classroom. This scholarship will help me pursue my career goals, while allowing me to put time into my passions outside of academics (Waterskiing). I could not be more honored to have this opportunity and be able to share this wonderful sport with so many other people."

Since I started competitive waterskiing, I’ve completely fallen in love with the sport. There’s truly nothing better than spending time on the lake—running passes, soaking up the sun, and being part of an amazing team.

As the women’s captain, I’ve made it my mission to spread the word about our club and grow our team. I treat every new member like a friend from day one, helping them feel welcome and excited to be part of something special. I want more people to experience the fun of lake days, tournaments, and being able to say they compete in the best sport in the world.

To recruit new members, I attend events like ClubFest and freshman orientation, where I talk to as many people as I can about the team. I even served as a freshman orientation leader this year, which gave me the chance to introduce our club to even more students.

Starting something new can be intimidating, so I make it a point to personally reach out to new members—often offering rides to the lake—to help them feel comfortable. Our team also spends a lot of time together off the water, which creates a fun, welcoming environment that keeps people coming back.

One of my favorite success stories is with my best friend Kira. She came to the lake once last fall but didn’t return. I knew she had potential and just needed another nudge. This spring, I encouraged her to come back, and once she did, she was hooked. Now she’s one of our most active members, competing in all three tournaments and helping bring in even more skiers by being a peer mentor herself.

Seeing our team grow—adding 10 new members this year alone—has been amazing. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I’m beyond excited to keep building our team over the next three years!

This scholarship was established in 2022 in memory of John R. Van Gieson.  John was an avid water skier and was happiest when he was out on the water.  John's wife has established this scholarship to help water ski athletes to pursue a college education.

This annual scholarship will be given to a qualifying individual (male or female) from the Midwest Region who attends a two or four-year accredited college or university and water skis in AWSA and/or NCWSA tournaments.

The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation is very proud of our young athletes and honored to support their future academic needs. You can help support our mission by joining or donating to the foundation.

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Established in 1968, the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation celebrates the history of all towed water sports and promotes these sports through our Scholarship and Collegiate Grant Programs and the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame.