Our Families

Lot #1: Tod and Elida Cowan

Welcome to the 2024 Western Regionals! Since moving here in 2016, the Cowans have made the most of their time here at Wet Set Village. Even though they have been visiting Wet Set since the 80’s, Tod and Elida have loved living here permanently so they can always host their children, Brett & Alex, their spouses, Kendra & Nolan and their grandchildren, Haylie, Avery, Logan & Brielle.

Tod and Elida love spending their time here with their great friends and fellow water skiers. Brett and Kendra live in Bakersfield, where Brett practices emergency medicine at Mercy Hospital and Kendra is in nursing school. Alex and Nolan live in Costa Mesa, where Alex teaches at The Pegasus School and Nolan works with lifts at Support Unlimited. Though they are far away, they make their way to Wet Set as much as possible.

The Cowans’ love for skiing has skyrocketed. Tod, Brett and Nolan are slaloming every chance they get, getting more and more buoys every time, Alex and Elida are really tearing up the mini course and Alex has a new love for tricking. Even though she is new to the sport, Kendra is becoming more confident with each ride. And when the grandchildren are here, we can’t keep them out of the water!

Lot #2: Frank and Charlene Harrison

Welcome to the 2024 Western Regionals!

50 consecutive years of competitive waterskiing events. Hard to believe this year has come and we’re still here to host yet another Regional Championships.

Here at Lot 2, we have seen all the changes! From the color of Harrison’s Hilton, to our partners come and go, our struggle to continue to keep water in the lake, from hosting the largest Regionals ever in 2000 with waiting lists to enter tournaments to some getting cancelled for lack of participants. Yet through it all, Frank Harrison is still here as tournament director and the world’s biggest cheerleader! No one will ever know the depth of his passion for Wet Set and for our sport of waterskiing! His greatest joy (other than a good ski ride) is getting to see all the friends he has met through the years.

Frank and Charlene met in 1996 at the Shortline Regionals and are happy to share the same love of waterskiing. They spend their time between Shadow Lake in Indio and Wet Set. Sprinkle in a few trips to Florida in Moho 4 with their fur family and there’s little time for much else.

Charlene’s favorite times at Wet Set are watching the kids have fun during their visits. Skip and his wife Janell have 2 boys, Noah, born June 17, 2023 and Nate, born on his Dad’s birthday, August 2, 2019, plus bonus grandson Ethan who’s almost 14. We also get to spend time with our 3 bonus granddaughters, Emma, Abby and Katie (Nicole and Brent’s girls) several times a year.

Welcome to our little slice of heaven! May your ski rides be the best ever!

Thank you for joining us for our 50th Anniversary and the 2024 Regionals!

Lot #3: The Alan Baron Family

Alan Baron and Penny Wright and their family have been part of the Wet Set family since 2021.

Alan and Penny met while waterskiing at Tinsley Island on the California Delta. Their fate was sealed upon their first trip together to Wet Set.  They love spending as much time as possible at the lake, and truly enjoy sharing it with friends and family.

From Newport Beach, CA, Alan first started tournament skiing in 1980.  He skied his first Wet Set tournament in 1982 and continued visiting from time to time throughout the years.

From 1981-1985 Alan was on the Chico State Waterski Team and was the team president two years while there.  In 1984 and 1985 he qualified to be a member of the Western Region All Star Team and continued skiing tournaments and Water Ski Racing through the mid 1990’s.

Canyon Lake was where Alan’s home course was for many years. Additionally, he has spent a significant amount of time on the California Delta and skied at some of the most exclusive and remote lakes throughout California and beyond.

He has always been passionate about his skiing and always wanted to be a part of a tournament ski lake.  A few years ago, the dream came to reality through the encouragement of the Harrisons, Cowans and lifetime friend and ski partner Darin Hayes.

Penny became passionate about waterskiing in her 20’s and since becoming a part of our beloved community enjoys challenging herself and improving with every run.

They now spend as much time as possible at Wet Set and Alan continues to work on his skiing after taking a 20-year departure from the tournament circuit.

Alan’s two daughters, Savannah and Camille, along with Penny’s kids, have grown up skiing and wakeboarding, mostly on the Delta and other lakes.  Savannah, being in the closest proximity to the lake gets out there often. Her fiancé Aaron and friends not only enjoy bringing friends, they have invested time in making improvements along the way. Camille now lives on the east coast and wishes she could spend more time at Wet Set. They all love being a part of the Wet Set family and enjoy the lake with, and without, dad.

When not at Wet Set, Alan, Penny and family enjoy boating, skiing, traveling and fishing.  They love spending time visiting Catalina, Mexico, Tinsley Island and exploring wonderful locations for boating.

The entire family takes pleasure in sharing their slice of heaven with many friends, family and our wonderful tight-knit community at Wet Set.

Lot #4: Matt Schempp

After over 15 years at Great Lakes Matt moved to Wet Set enjoying life with mother Brenda, a writer, who loves peace, quiet & natural beauty.

Matthew is often off on the road trip to nationals, in San Diego, the river, or Mexico sailing & fishing, if not riding motorcycles between seasons or sets.

Lot #5: Tom and Diane Ferruzzo

It all started in 1975 when Tom Ferruzzo and his brother Tony saw an announcement for a ski tournament at a place called Horton Lakes.  Having never seen a slalom course before, they drove out and entered the tournament.  The results were a disaster, but they were hooked on the sport.

From there, Tom found out about another lake 5 miles away, Wet Set.  He bought out one of the original owners in 1976, and the rest, of course, is history.  His daughters, Jackie and Jennifer, were 12 and 10 at the time.  Between Tom’s and his wife, Diane’s daughters, Dawn and Tammy, there are 11 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren who make up the clan.  As most know, Tom’s oldest daughter, Jackie, married Barry Horton (they co-captained the UCLA water ski team) keeping the lakes (Wet Set/Horton Lakes) “in the family,” and we have enjoyed having extended skiing relatives ever since.

Dr. Jack and Tom have been delighted to pass on their love and passion for the sport to their grandkids, several of whom have taken it to both the collegiate and international competition levels.

Jackie and Barry’s son, Taylor married Emi (Hoikkanen) Horton; they co-captained the water ski team at the University of Louisiana Monroe.  Ellie Horton married Paul O’Hara, an accomplished skier at the University of Alabama.  Ellie was captain of her water ski team at Florida Southern and also skied for the USA team in the CAN-AM and PAN-AM games.  Katie Horton skied for and was captain of the University of Alabama water ski team, also acting as a student nutritionist for the Alabama football team.  The family continues to grow with Tucker Horton marrying Alyssa Dingwall; Heather (Wynn) Richardson marrying Jake Richardson and Ryan Ferruzzo planning a wedding soon to Gianna Piraino.

We are so pleased to be hosting the 2024 Western Regionals … from all of us at Lot 5, also known as “Grandpa Lane,” we wish you an awesome week of skiing and fun.

Lot #6: Loren and Patty Hafen

Don Strategier met and introduced Loren to tournament water skiing in the summer of 1972, and they have been best friends ever since. Loren’s first memory of Wet Set was helping out (sanding on the jump ramp) with no water in the lake to cool off, and only beer to drink. (It was his very first beer as a young man!) As an activity, water skiing at Wet Set has been Loren’s number one passion ever since. To him, it’s more than the Disneyland slogan of “the happiest place on earth” – it’s the place where family and friends become your “best” family and friends – where everything is more special, tastes better (including beer), and you leave with a better understanding of the meaning of “it’s a good life.”

After all of the years of experiencing Wet Set with Don and Judi, Loren, his wife Patty, daughter Lindsay, and son Connor finally became proud owners in 2010. They have enjoyed being part of such a special group of partners sharing the same passion of the Wet Set experience. Loren and Patty are in the marina business in Big Bear Lake and Patty owns a small Pilates studio there. Loren is known for stopping in for a quick ski ride, grabbing dinner at Rosita’s, and driving back home to Big Bear (only a short hour and 20 minute drive). Both Loren and Patty look forward to being able to spend more time at Wet Set in the near future.

Hoping all of you will have that special Wet Set experience this year at the Western Regionals and ski your personal best!

Loren, Patty, Lindsay, and Connor

Lot #7: Don and Judi Strategier

The Strategier’s Welcome you to the 2024 Wet Set Regionals! Don has been the proud owner of Wet Set 7 for the past 50 years. When Don arrived, there was only a garage on a piece of land and that’s where the fun began. After many years of hard work, paradise in Newberry Springs was born.

Don and Judi met in Big Bear Lake but came to find out what small world it really was when they discovered that Judi had enjoyed many years at her family’s ranch just down the road from the lake. Don and Judi were married in 1995 at Wet Set and together they’ve spent the past 45 years with the best of both worlds, living in Big Bear Lake snow skiing, mountain biking, jeeping and hiking, and going to Wet Set for water skiing and summer time fun along with their daughters Kim, Keri, and Rochelle.

Over the years the family has continued to grow and they now have six beautiful grandchildren. Rochelle and her husband Mike have four kids Danielle 29, Mikey 22, Bailey 20, Chasen 18. Keri and her husband Brendan have two kids, Walker 9, and Brooklyn 7. Kim is a teacher in Big Bear and enjoys spending her time with her friends at Wet Set, and with all the grandchildren when they come out.

Their love for water skiing has created a legacy and all the grandchildren enjoy waterskiing, wakeboarding, wake skating, and of course a little tubing. Buddy their yellow lab gets to take advantage of his favorite past time, fishing! Bear their chocolate lab loves to swim and chase the ball in the water.

Don will be the Assistant Technical Controller and will be helping to put on the best Wet Set Regionals ever!

Lot #8: Janet and Lowell Kerber Roberts

WELCOME to the 2024 Western Regional Waterski Championships from Kamp Kerber!!!

The journey that started with a slalom lesson from Dr. Jack Horton in 1987 continues………

Since our last Regionals in 2017 we’ve added to our families and I now have 18 Great Grandchildren.  Last year a grandson was married on our dock in a beautiful ceremony to a very sweet girl that we all love.  That means that 8 of my grandkids are now married with only 3 more to go!

Lowell’s family is trying to catch up but it’s a tall task!  He now has 3 grandkids married and 3 Great Grandchildren with another little one coming in October!

We’ve been enjoying WetSet more now that we’re retired and have been able to spend weeks at a time here rather than just days.  COVID really put life in perspective and now being in our “Awesome 80’s” we appreciate the gift of amazing partners, wonderful friends and the beautiful Paradise that is our WetSet!!

We wish ALL participants in the 2024 Western Regional Water Ski Championships Good Luck!!  May you all ski your personal best and take home wonderful memories of your time spent at WetSet!