Established the Hall of Fame and Museum in 1980

 

Carole Lowe likes to keep busy.  When she left her poodle grooming business in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1980 and moved to Winter Haven, Florida, to be near her son, Lucky, she promised her husband she would retire.  Only months after settling in her new home, Carole became Director of the American Water Ski Educational Foundation.  So much for retiring.

Growing up in the South, Carole Woods was a proper Southern Lady.  She never participated in sports until she took her younger sister, Becky, to Lowe's skating rink in 1955.  It was there that she met owner/teacher C.W. Lowe.  In June 1956, after a rink side courtship, the two were married.  C.W. taught Carole her first sport -- roller skating.

 

While vacationing at her father's cottage on Alabama's Elk River, Carole learned her second sport, water skiing.  This new sport came easily as roller skating to Carole and she became an avid skier.

 

When she met C.W. later joined the Alabama Warriors Ski Club, Carole learned show skiing and practiced for three-event competition.  On cold winter days, she trained for tricks event on her roller skates.  The long hours of practice paid off and Carole soon became a National caliber competitor, going up against skiers like Barbara Cooper and Janelle Kirtley.

Before long, Carole developed an interest in officiating.  She and C.W. soon became familiar figures as AWSA-sanctioned tournaments in the Southern Region.  Both attained their Senior Judge ratings in 1965.

 

Carole's first experience with scoring a tournament came in 1959 at Callaway Gardens.  She and C.W. arrived with their boat and skis, ready to compete.  Unfortunately, no one had told them their entry had to be sent in advance.  The Chief Judge, Leah Marie Atkins, recognized their expertise and quickly recruited them as officials.

 

In 1975, Carole became one of the first rated Senior Scorers.  Her scoring credits include Chief Scorer at the World Championships in Toronto, Canada, in 1979, and in Toulouse, France, in 1985.  She also scored numerous AWSA Regionals, Nationals, the Masters and Pan-American meets.  And, when the Pro Water Ski Tour kicked off in 1984, Carole signed on as Chief Scorer and registrar.  She worked with the Tour until 1995.

 

Carole took on the enormous task of directing AWSEF and establishing the new Museum and Hall of Fame in 1980.  Her highly competitive spirit dictated that this Hall of fame would be the best in the world.  The monumental task of collecting, displaying and filing historical data and memorabilia was a challenge she tackled with great enthusiasm.

 

As if his was not enough, Carole has been the driving force, with C.W.'s Full support, in the campaign to build a new, larger facility for the Museum and Hall of Fame.  She has been the one constant to hold the dream together.  Because of her efforts, groundbreaking on the new Hall of Fame, which will be located on Interstate 4 near Disney World, is scheduled to take place in the summer of 1998.  The plan also includes a lake site where ski demonstrations and clinics can be held