There might be some debate of what happened first.
“Ever since kindergarten, I’ve known I wanted to be a veterinarian,” Hannah Schiesl said. “Even as I explored other career paths, I kept coming back to vet med.”
Schiesl’s desire to be a veterinarian continued during her undergraduate days at Iowa State as an animal science major and now as a third-year veterinary student.
Ironically this pretty much tracks her second “career” as a competitive water skier.
“I started skiing when I was five years old,” Schiesl said. “Both of my parents waterskied and since we lived in Dubuque right on the Mississippi, we spent nearly every weekend out on the water.”
But it wasn’t until she started college and joined the Waterski Club at Iowa State University that she took up competitive water skiing. Now she competes in the slalom, trick and jump events.
“Before I joined the club, I had only ever slalomed, but having access to coaching and a jump gave me the chance to expand my skills and really grow in the sport,” she said.
Schiesl competes on an individual, independent level in four to five weekend-long tournaments around the Midwest in the fall. The tournaments are governed by the National Collegiate Water Ski association.
“We even compete in the spring, with the help of wetsuits,” Schiesl said.
The academic demands of veterinary school have made competing difficult for Schiesl. Still, she has early morning training at least two a week on a local lake, many times coming to class with wet hair. During the winter, she switches her training to the gym with strength and cardio workouts.
“Becoming a veterinarian comes first,” she said. “Skiing was always a fun thing to do on Wednesday nights and weekends, and I actually thought moving to Ames for undergrad would mean skiing less – but it ended up being quite the opposite.”
And for now, Schiesl is pursuing both passions.
“I wouldn’t say vet med and waterskiing directly complement each other,” she said, “but that’s one of the things I love about it. Skiing provides a mental reset, it’s the perfect way to decompress and recharge while spending a couple of hours on the boat, soaking up sunlight and fresh air.
“At the same time, it challenges me to set goals and push myself in something beyond academics.”
As for veterinary medicine, Schiesl plans to focus on cattle and equine medicine after graduating. That opportunity is what drove her to attend Iowa State.
“I didn’t grow up around livestock, but Iowa State has given me the chance to learn hands-on and gradually build the confidence to work with large animals,” she said. “It has shaped not just my skills but also my sense of purpose in pursuing a career in livestock medicine.
“My ultimate goal is to help producers raise healthy and productive livestock.”
September 2025
