Plum Ski-ters shine at National Figure 8 Endurance Barefoot Championships

Several members of the Plum Ski-ters Water Ski Show team participated in the Footstock National Figure 8 Endurance Barefoot Championships in Crandon on August 19-20. This tournament is the National Championships for endurance barefooting in the United States. Competitors from around the world participate in this event held the third weekend of every August on Peshtigo Lake in Crandon.  This year, 217 skiers competed in five divisions: Womens, Juniors, Open, Seniors and Masters.

For the fourth time in five years, Sophie Miljevich of Rhinelander won the Womens Division and was crowned the national champion. She has previously won the division in 2019, 2020, 2021 and was runner up in 2022. Her sister, Ella Miljevich, who won the division last year, was runner up in 2023 and 2021. The two sisters have faced each other in the finals for the last three years in a row and Miljevich girls have now dominated this division for the last five years. Both Sophie and Ella also competed in the Junior Division as well. 

Van Coda from St. Germaine was the runner up in the Juniors Division. He was the 2022 Junior Division champion. He also placed third in the extremely difficult Open Division. 

Joe Coda, also from St. Germaine, placed 11th in the Open Division. Owen Repenshek of St. Germaine skied in the Junior and Open Divisions. 

Figure 8 endurance barefooting pits two competitors behind a boat barefooting in a Figure 8 pattern at speeds of 40-plus miles per hour (mph). The person who barrooms the longest moves on in the winners bracket. It is a double elimination tournament. These competitors ski in tournaments across the country throughout the year.