Marquette club water skier Harry Connors is not your average Marquette first-year.

Rather than being 18 years old, he’s 22. Instead of growing up in a Chicago suburb, like seemingly everyone else at the school, he hails from across the pond, in Guildford, England.

Connors graduated during the pandemic in 2020. In the United Kingdom, students graduate from high school at age 16. 

“My friends were in a bad place mentally, trying to complete all of the assignments online,” Connors said.

Connors “fell behind” many of his friends who successfully graduated and began their careers while he continued to struggle to find an opportunity to do something he truly loved. He landed a couple of bar jobs straight out of high school but had to leave them. Without work, he was desperate to reignite his motivation. 

At age 17, he began training in water skiing in Guildford and his passion for the sport grew. 

While visiting a Red Bull event at Canary Wharf, a business and financial district in East London, Connors witnessed the exhilarating jumps of fellow water skiers which opened his eyes to the local scene of water sports.

Connors decided to browse international opportunities involving water sports. He landed a couple of agency opportunities in the U.S., offering him the option to go to Maine, Oregon, upstate New York or Wisconsin. 

Connors says Wisconsin Dells gave the best pitch. It also provided him with the opportunity to network with many other international students. In June 2023, Connors and several international students met in Chicago and then traveled up to Wisconsin Dells for three months to teach kids and adults how to water ski.  

Connors enjoyed his time teaching water skiing in Wisconsin, which led him to decide to stay in the U.S.  

“Free accommodations, free food, being able to teach something that I love for three months every year,” Connors said. “It was a no brainer to stay.” 

While still in Wisconsin, Connors decided to explore Milwaukee, enjoy nightlife in Madison and go to concerts in Alpine Valley — all of which led him to discovering Marquette. 

“Discovering student life, school pride and the legendary movement of Marquette, I loved the spirit,” Connors, who’s studying in the College of Communication said. “Back in the U.K. you don’t see anybody walking around colleges in merchandise tagged with their university.”

Connors sees a huge difference in the U.S. and where he is from in terms of college life. His travels throughout the U.S. helped him gain a new appreciation for academics and goals for his future. 

“Seeing the difference completely flipped my perspective on what university could be and what I could get out of it,” Connors said. “I found my sense of independence and more of a sense of identity through water sports and the Marquette lifestyle.”

The Marquette water ski club team mirrors these same goals.  

“We focus on engagement and support to all members of our team, no matter the level of skiing,” said Club President Lindsey Bickelhaupt, a senior in the College of Nursing. 

Connors plans on heavily improving his water-skiing skills while competing with the club team. After Marquette, Connors plans to continue utilizing his networking skills to land job opportunities. 

“My focus is more about meeting individuals around the world, networking professionally and finding my foundations through networking,” Connors said. 

Bickelhaupt wants to continue to make impacts like Connors.  

“If every skier said they were proud to call themselves a member of the Marquette Waterski Club and enjoy making our team better … that is a win in my book,” Bickelhaupt said.

This story was written by Ben Ward. He can be reached at [email protected].