Wednesday, September 3, 2025
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Serving Kosciusko County and parts of Elkhart, Marshall & Noble Counties
Know Your Neighbor. . . . . 2➤ Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Stones’s Trace . . . . . . . . .4 & 5
Vol. 55, No. 10
Milford (574) 658-4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 • Syracuse (574) 457-3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
PERSONAL BEST — Joy Bucher poses by her trick ski after a personal best score. Photo provided by Michelle Bucher.
SPECIAL TRICKS ON THE WATER — Jenna Bucher hangs onto the handle with her hands behind her back during the trick event. Photo provided by Michelle Bucher.
y t n u o ok C water-ski experts finish
s u i c s o K season with national medals
By NATHAN PACE Staff Writer
August wrapped up an eventful 2025 water skiing season for the Bucher family, who recently came back from the 83rd Goode Water Ski Nationals in Arvin, Calif. Michelle Bucher competed with her four children and nephew and her father-in-law, Don Bucher. Michelle Bucher sees the friendships they have built through waterskiing, which makes the sport more about competing with yourself as opposed to the other participants. “That’s why we gained so many friendships from this sport because you are competing against others, but at the same time, everybody is really more competing against themselves. They want to just better themselves. It’s a great family sport to go over for the weekend and everybody’s getting exercise and everybody’s enjoying themselves,” Michelle Bucher said. Her children, Jada, 8;
Jenna, 9; Jacob, 12; Joy, 15; and nephew, Coltin, 17, all placed well at nationals. Jenna Bucher was third overall for her age group when all the scores from the three categories were combined. She won a runoff to claim fourth in the slalom to be on the podium. Jada Bucher, the youngest, competed in her first nationals and finished on the podium, too. The family jokes that her birthday present for turning 9 at the event was a national medal. Joy Bucher finished sixth in her age group for the trick event and it was a personal best. Despite a crash, Jacob Bucher was fifth to place on the podium for jump. Don Bucher competed at age 79 and was the recipient of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the USA Water Ski and Wake Sports Foundation. He was also on the podium at nationals. Coltin Bucher received his first national medal as he was fifth overall in his age group. Michelle Bucher had the best placement in the family, coming in third in the slalom and
trick events and second in jump to place her second overall in her group. Dealing With Injuries While the success was there for the family, Michelle Bucher admits it does come with some pain. Jacob Bucher suffered a concussion on his third jump. Michelle Bucher and the family participated in another competition the next week, Saturday, Aug. 16, in Ohio and she broke her leg in the event. “It was a wonderful weekend. It was just my last event and my jump and my ski got twisted. It was just a freak accident and I just knew it. I’d never fell that way before and broke my fibula,” she said. The 2025 season is wrapping up so Michelle Bucher is focusing on preparing her body to get back on the water in 2026. Any injuries are not keeping the Bucher family out of waterskiing. “I think it’s just the love for the sport and the adrenaline Continued on page 3
HARDWARE COMING HOME — Michelle Bucher shows off the medals she won at the Goode Water Ski Nationals in Arvin, Calif, Aug. 9. Photo provided by Michelle Bucher.