Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/74289
liveIn the Moment Evening Entertainment Catch free performances by the Mad-City Ski Team every Sunday this summer from Law Park. The junior show begins at 5 p.m. followed by a main team performance at 6 p.m. Visit madcityskiteam.com for more. glide gracefully past. And in the midst of the carefully coordinated excitement, skier Ann Tieman fi nds a moment of peace. "It's very therapeutic," says the From the shore, the theatrics of the Mad-City Ski Team are enough to take your breath away. Groups of agile skiers skid and fl ip across the water, performing gravity-defying leaps and forming towering pyramids of smiling skiers that with Ann Tieman Giving back, on and off the water 29-year-old client services manager at First Business Bank who can be found in her off-hours near the bottom of the ski team's four-tier towers. "It's just very re- laxing … it kind of clears your mind from everything else that's happening." A native of La Crosse, Tieman strapped on her fi rst pair of skis at a young age. Th e sport then became a family hobby—her parents even developed a unique hand language to communicate from boat to skier as they pulled her along on the wa- ter. Today, Tieman has become a coach herself, guiding many to transform from casual skier to daredevil pro. Off the water, Tieman has found another way to apply her leadership skills, serving as board chair of the YWCA-Madison, an organization dedicated to providing a range of services for local women, from housing options to job skills training and more. It's a role she cherishes just as much as her high-fl ying act on skis. "[Th e YWCA] is a growing organization with great programs. Th ere's constant growth," she says. "But it's been just as much of a growing experience for me as I've been able to contribute to [these orga- nizations]." Whether coasting along during a summer performance with the ski team or engaging with local women through YWCA, Tieman says it's all about spreading smiles through the community. "Both [activities] are important to mak- ing Madison a unique, exciting, great place to live," she says—with a smile, of course. —Bess Donoghue July 2012 bravamagazine.com 11 Photo by Jim's Photos