Equipment trailer theft impacts Tega Cay-based show ski team

The Carolina Show Ski Team season didn’t start as planned, and now members are scrambling to try and start it at all.

One of two team equipment trailers was stolen Saturday from a storage facility, leaving the team without many of its life vests, helmets, safety items, ropes and skis.

“All of the basics,” said team member Rebecca Brusch. “We don’t have enough room anywhere to store all of our stuff, which is a curse and a blessing in this instance. What was taken is the bulk of the main stuff that we need to ski.”

Boats and other large equipment weren’t taken. Some costumes and personal items were stored in team members’ homes, so they weren’t impacted. The team planned to start its season last Friday, gearing up to a June 3 performance debut. The group decided instead to start the season Monday, but learned over the weekend much of its gear was gone.

“We’re still going to start today,” Brusch said Monday. “The show must go on. Our goal is to still be able to put on a show opening day.”

The group is borrowing ski ropes and other basics from others in the community. Yet most of the taken items were handmade throughout the nonprofit team’s history, and are difficult to replace. Which also frustrates the team’s members as to why they were taken.

“Truly the contents of that trailer are not of much value unless you’re a show skier,” Brusch said.

Because of its rare nature, most of the taken items were uninsured.

“Basically because it’s all handmade, and handmade 20 years ago, they had pursued some insurance for some items, but were unsuccessful,” Brusch said.

Ski teams from as far as Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota have reached out and offered what help they can. Show skiing is a tight community, but teams largely are spread out over large spaces. That means other teams can’t easily lend the Tega Cay-based team specialty skis or costumes on a weekend-to-weekend basis.

Even without many of its items, the team will press toward having regular Friday night shows through the summer. Brusch said she hopes donations will help the team move forward, but understands there is only one main way to get those donations.

“We survive on donations in general,” Brusch said. “If we can’t get on the water to ski, we can’t get donations to go to tournaments or get enough support to keep going.”

Team members hope the person who stole the trailer wanted just the trailer, or perhaps needed it to haul other items and will get rid of the show ski items to where someone will find and report it. The team is taking to social media asking people to look for items, either disposed of somewhere or for sale. Brusch said odds are if the items come up for sale anywhere in the region, her team will know.

“They’re the only ones that would be in the market to buy it,” she said.

The team has about 80 members, including 45 skiers. For more on the team or on how to donate and offset replacement costs, visit carolinashowski.org.

This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 11:05 AM with the headline "Equipment trailer theft impacts Tega Cay-based show ski team."