As I type, the Beaverland MustSki water ski show team is on the water kicking off their first water practice of the 2021 season at Tahoe Park in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Tonight’s practice will not look like the picture above. It will look more like the two pictures below; cold, layered and safely smaller.
Show skiing utilizes several disciplines. Ski Jumping, Bare Foot Skiing, Human Pyramids, Slalom and Two ski skills, Doubles and Trios. Multiple boat patterns are used to keep the show flowing which keeps the crowds interested. Any lulls that must take place are filled by a theme and skits known as land acts. Land acts take the focus off of the skiers and boats while they get from place to place or wait for the water to calm down before another ski act can occur.
I typed that tonight is the first practice on the water. The team meets in a gymnasium during the winter months to practice pyramids and doubles.
Boat drivers are key to a good show team as well. Weekend Wally and his crack Inner Tube pulling skills will not get it done. Learning to start skiers off of a dock whether it is one skier or 24 skiers with 24 girls on their shoulders, speeds that range from 13 mph to 45 mph, and many other unique pulls that only happen in show skiing requires diverse skills.
Show skiing is a unique sport. It not only provides entertainment at some lake communities, it is a competitive adventure for most teams. The Beaverland MustSkis are part of the Wisconsin Water Ski Federation, which is affiliated with USA Water Ski.
USA Water Ski has several divisions. The show skiing division is the National Show Ski Association. The state of Wisconsin alone is home to over 30 competitive show ski teams. The largest water ski tournament in the world is held on the third week of July each year at Lake Wazeecha, WI. Lake Wazeecha is located a few miles south of Plover, WI and a few miles east of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. The nearest town is actually Kellner, WI, but do not blink or you will drive through it without even knowing it.
Last year there were no tournaments thanks to…you guessed it…COVID19. This summer should be different. Shows will be most Sunday evenings at 6:00 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The exceptions are the third weekend in July while they are at the regional tournament hoping to qualify for the national tournament and the second weekend in August for the national tournament.
As the team likes to say: “Ski Ya At Tahoe Park”
Ron's Ramblings 