We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Claire Frase. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Claire below.

Claire, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

I have been a member of Carolina Show Ski Team since 1996. I quickly grew to love the sport and it has become a huge part of my life. Throughout my skiing carrier I have skied in many different places including San Antonio, Winter Haven Florida, Sarasota Florida & Nagasaki Japan. While these experiences have taken me around the world- the biggest take aways were the lessons learned on how other teams operate and function effectively to put on an incredible show for their audiences .

I took a break from the team from 2015-2019 where I attended Presbyterian College to play lacrosse and returned in 2020. During Covid we did not have shows or weekly practices- this allowed us to use the whole summer to work with skiers individually to build their skills and waterski knowledge. After working with this fresh group of skiers I quickly realized this eager set of families were committed to create something great.

In 2020 I ran for a board position as Marketing Coordinator and 2021 I ran for show director in hopes I could help this team reach its full potential.

Since 2021 my main focus has been to bring my knowledge and expertise I learned from different teams and waterski leaders to our small team. This includes professionalism on and off the water during shows, an engaging theme/music/sound & bigger and better acts to WOW our audience. Over the last 3 years our team has reached new heights in every category and I could not be more proud of them. Without the dedication and involvement of all the ski families the productions we put on at Windjammer Park every Summer Friday night would not be possible.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I mentioned a bit of this in the previous question.

I have been a life time member of the ski team- as my dad, Russ Frase, was one of the founding members. Skiing was a family affair and was basically what we did all summer. When we weren’t at practice we were skiing on our own to continue to improve. I grew up around alot of different people all over the country with knowledge that I quickly gravitated to. When I was younger our team was very small and very green. I always strived to want to be like these big teams who “had it all together”. When I was old enough to take a leadership role on the team I knew that I could bring expertise to create a great show with our team.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

This is a question we are constantly focusing on. On our team there is a fine line with having fun while also being competitive. The first 2 months of our season are more structured and focused on our tournament in late June. I try to focus on keeping moral high by continuing to drive a positive and encouraging environment. for example- when someone learns a new act or is in a new act in the show for the first time… as a team we try to call that person out as being the rock star of the night. I believe that working hard, improving and putting on a great show is something that can always keep the morale high. Nobody ever walks away from a great in a foul mood.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

To see our members learn new things
the teenagers, learn life skills
The team working together to create something amazing as a whole is pretty cool and inspiring to watch.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carolinashowski.org
• Instagram: Carolina Show Ski Team

Image Credits

Ken Rice