THE COLTON KING AWARD GRANT
THE COLTON KING AWARD
Rewarding a Midwest Collegiate Team
for Excelling at School and Spirit
At the 2016 Midwest Winter Conference, former teammates of Colton King at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, presented and got the 'Colton King Award' unanimously approved by the MCWSA board, collegiate captains, and Colton King’s family. Colton was tragically killed in a bicycle accident on March 23rd, 2015, and left behind a positive influence on his former collegiate 3-Event Water Ski team.
The basic premise of the award is to reimburse a midwest collegiate team’s national tournament expenses in order to reward the team for working together to be competitive on the water AND in academics. This directly reflects the example of the former captain of the collegiate water ski team at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, Colton King.
Therefore, the award goes to the Midwest team who obtained the highest average GPA as a team, out of the Midwest teams who competed at Nationals.
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Everyone at the USA Water Ski and Wake Sports Foundation is proud to support everyone behind the 'Colton King Award' effort to honor such an inspirational person.
Email your unofficial transcripts to ckaward@gmail.com by the application deadline of February 14th, 2019.
The award will be announced at the 2019 Midwest Winter Conference.
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A capped reinbursment grant for collegiate team national tournament expenses (travel, lodging, entry fees).
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Winning team would recieve new team bibs (water ski jerseys) to wear at tournaments displaying their team name on the front, CK award logo on the back, along with names of company sponsors who donate $100 or more.
WHAT DOES THE AWARD INCLUDE?
ABOUT COLTON
Colton was lost to a sudden bicycle accident the morning of March 23rd, 2015. He was commuting to his internship with Kohler Company in Kohler, WI. At 22 years old, Colton was a semester shy of graduating with a duel degree in Physics and Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from UW-Milwaukee.
Colton was an exceptional influence, encouraging his teammates athletically and academically. Prior to transferring to UW-Milwaukee to complete his degree, Colton attended and skied for UW-La Crosse for three years. Whether in the fields of Iowa, small lakes of Illinois, or in the hot sun of Louisiana, during tournaments Colton could be found skiing, cheering, studying, and tutoring his teammates in physics and math. At UWL team practices Colton spent his time driving the boat, coaching, and helping teammates with homework on the dock. Colton balanced his own studies and assisted his teammates with theirs, while UWL qualified for the Collegiate National Tournament three seasons in a row. Colton was also UWL’s strongest male all-around skier.
The King Family loves water skiing. Colton’s sister, Jenn King, competed alongside him at UWL for two years. His mom, Barbara King, was formerly involved with the USA Water Ski Foundation. His dad, Mike King, was a Malibu Boats Representative and provided UWL with a Malibu promo boat for a fall season. Mike King was also a competition boat driver for Midwest Collegiate Tournaments. Colton was voted UWL Men’s Captain in 2013. He was competitive in all three events as a result of the support and coaching he received from his family. In addition to his influence at UWL, Colton was active and passionate in causes he cared for, organizations he supported, and hobbies he had. Some of his passions included Engineers Without Borders, Engineering Student Council, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Snow Ski Instructing, bike riding, rock climbing, and snow skiing.
