Leaders estimate up to $12,000 in equipment stolen from Cedar Rapids waterskiing club

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Leaders of the Five Seasons Ski Team said someone stole $10,000 to $12,000 worth of sound equipment from the team’s trailers.

Ryan Furnish, the president of the team, is the one who discovered the theft on Thursday. Amps, speakers, microphones, and other pieces of the sound system for the show were gone.

“They have no idea—I mean, the thousands of hours it takes. It’s not just like, ‘We got to go buy it again.’ We have to spend thousands of hours working in fundraising to try and get it back,” Furnish said.

“Every year we struggle just having enough fundraising to cover operating costs,” Furnish added. “As small as we are, to fundraise $12,000, it’s going to take a lot of work.”

Tom Beuckers, vice president of the club, said, “I think sometimes people do things and make decisions like this to take things and don’t realize the impact that it does have on an organization and many people in the community.”

The impact can be understood when Furnish and Beuckers describe their involvement in the club.

“It’s just kind of, everything gravitates towards that. Keeps you busy in the summer,” Furnish said.

Furnish has been on the team for about 20 years, since he was eleven years old. Beuckers said he’s been on the team “off and on” for about the same time. Both ski with their families: Furnish with his son Kacen, his daughter, and his wife; Beuckers, with his three kids.

Skiing is a family affair for many, but the theft impacts more than those on the water.

“There’s a lot of fans and members, people that’ll come watch our show every Thursday, and it’ll change it for them too,” Furnish said. “And they’ve put in a lot of work and they’ve helped donate to us and keep us going and so they stole from the community, not just from the Five Seasons Ski Team.”

Both Furnish and Beuckers said future shows will not be affected by the theft, though.

“Everyone will do what they have to do to get to it,” Furnish said. “It’s just going to be a little bit harder for us.”

Kacen, Ryan Furnish’s son who is on the team said, “They shouldn’t have stolen it, not just because stealing is bad, but because it doesn’t make people feel good. “

Those who want to donate can do so on the team’s website.

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