A Brief History of Show Skiing #
Extremely popular in the upper Midwest, and practiced throughout the nation, show skiing combines components of all water ski disciplines. Water ski shows are an aquatic Broadway musical, featuring several water ski acts choreographed to music and built around a theme that tells a story.
Unique to show skiing are ballet/swivel skiing, adagio doubles, freestyle jumping and human pyramids. Ski show exhibitions or shows involve amateur clubs which usually have 30 or more members. Some clubs even have more than 200 members! Age is not a factor since ski club performers can range from children to grandparents.
Show skiing is a rich part of the sport's history. Water skiers have been performing amateur and professional ski shows since the 1940s. In fact, in the 1950s, the most talented traditional competitors also were ski show professionals.
Show Skiing has been Around for More than 90 Years
No one knows what Ralph Samuelson, the acknowledged father of water skiing, hoped to accomplish when he created the sport in 1922, but it was soon apparent that one thing he wanted to do was put on a "show" for his neighbors on the Minnesota lake where he lived. Samuelson’s first pull on skis was behind a motor boat, but he quickly created a new act (one not done today) by skiing behind an airplane on floats! The development of water skiing as a form of entertainment can be traced to this theatrical beginning.
Earliest Organized Show
Information in the files of the Water Ski Hall of Fame in Polk City, Fla., indicates that show skiing as an organized activity was born in 1928 some 1,000 miles east of Minnesota in New Jersey. That year an entrepreneur named Frank Sterling signed a contract with the Atlantic City Steel Pier to produce a water sports show on a motorized device called a skiboard. Events soon showed that the skiboard was unsuited to the water conditions, so he switched his performers to a new form of activity — water skiing.
One of the original members of the 1928 Steel Pier show was Harold "Pee Wee" Care of Margate City, N.J. Reminiscing 55 years later about his experiences with the show, Care wrote the Water Ski Hall of Fame saying: "Skiboards were forerunners of the present day motorized skimobiles, with flat bottoms and deck approximately 3-1/2-feet wide, 6-feet long and 8 inches deep. Ten horsepower Johnson direct-drive motors were locked in straight forward position, and after pulling the rope to start the motor you stood up with rope handlines (and) steered like an aquaplane by leaning your weight from side to side.
"The rough water proved them to be unreliable with too many shows canceled. An act had to be made up using the aquaplanes and tow skis. I was hired for my aquaplane experience. Our act was to put on a fast 10 to 12 minutes with something going on in front of the audience at all times. The two girls did a shoulder carry and rode on one ski. The three fellows did three headstands, a pyramid and three-high shoulder carry on the aquaplane. The dog would leap out of the boat when it was his turn, swim to the aquaplane, ride with the girl then swim back to the boat to be lifted out of the water. We finished with the driver of the boat cracking the whip trying to sling the rider off of the aquaplane."
The skis used in those early Steel Pier shows were made by another pioneer in water skiing, Fred Waller, who had concluded, much like Samuelson, that there was a future in the sport. Waller, who had never heard of Samuelson, was making skis and selling them in the northeast.
Others Getting Started
That same year another man, who later was to have a tremendous impact on the public’s recognition of water skiing as entertainment, was doing a ski show in Florida. Dick Pope Sr. rode a pair of skis over a long, low slanted ramp to introduce water ski jumping to an audience at Miami Beach. Fifteen years later he brought show skiing to America’s attention by introducing it into his Cypress Gardens attraction in central Florida.
Meanwhile, in Seattle, Wash., another enterprising ski maker named Don Ibsen (a third pioneer of water skiing, who also didn’t know about Samuelson) was looking for a way to promote the fledgling sport and his products. In 1937, he recruited a few local skiers and they put on a show at Seward Park in Seattle. He named the troupe the Ski-Quatic Follies, and their promotional slogan was "Poetry in Motion." According to an article published in the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper, the show’s acts included, "hurdles, balloon gathering, water slalom, acrobatic aquaplane riding and several other feats difficult to perform on a free surf board."
The enthusiasm of the crowds that watched his earliest shows convinced Ibsen that he had a good thing going, and the group soon began performing in other West Coast cities. It wasn’t long before they were on the road most of the summer when Ibsen then realized some sort of training facility was needed in order to replace skiers who left the show to pursue other interests. In 1939, Ibsen and two friends, Bill Schumacher and Bob Schmidt, created what is believed to be the first water ski club in the United States — the Olympic Water Ski Club. For many years afterward, members of the club would practice all year on Lake Washington in Seattle. When the new Ski-Quatic Follies show hit the road each year, vacancies in the acts would be filled by skiers from the club.
A version of this club training is practiced even today as the professional ski shows — such as those which appear at Cypress Gardens (Florida), Tommy Bartlett's (Wisconsin) and several other summer theme parks across the country — recruit their new performers from within the ranks of the amateur show clubs.
Water Ski Clubs Formed Around Show Skiing
The late William D. Clifford, who retired in 1984 after serving 28 years as the executive director of USA Water Ski, thought that most of the early water ski clubs formed in the United States were begun by skiers who were interested in putting on shows, rather than holding competitive water ski tournaments. Today, there are more than 650 water ski clubs affiliated with USA Water Ski. Many of them are interested only in competitive tournament skiing — slalom, tricks and jumping. But a great number of them are dedicated to show skiing and it is evident that this aspect of the sport continues to grow.
Wisconsin Leads Expansion
If show skiing began in the 1920s and 1930s on the coasts, it really bloomed in the 1950s and 1960s in the Midwest. Wisconsin took the lead in the development of clubs whose main interest is show skiing, and today there are more show clubs in that state than any other.
One of the early Wisconsin show clubs was the Min-Aqua Bats of Minocqua, whose roots can be traced back to 1950. It was an informal beginning, fostered when a group of local young people skiing on Sundays noticed that families would stop along the road and watch them ski. Encouraged by the attention, the skiers decided to put together a show for the onlookers and thus an entertainment tradition was started that continues today.
Today, many of the Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota clubs perform shows for the benefit of their towns and cities. The entertainment is a way for tourist-conscious communities to attract visitors who crowd the shorelines of city lakes and rivers to watch the fun.
First Show Tournament
Tournament show skiing, in which the clubs compete to produce the best acts and best overall performance, came into being in 1967. Jack Lukes, president of the Aqua Skiers Inc. water ski club of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., was seeking a way to create greater national interest in show skiing. With encouragement from fellow Wisconsin skier Allen Bubolz, at that time board chairman of USA Water Ski, Lukes wrote the first rules and procedures for competitive show skiing and organized the first Wisconsin State Show Tournament, held at Wisconsin Rapids.
The tournament announcement sent to clubs was a brief one page. After telling where and when the tournament would be held, the organizers outlined the requirements of the new sport by saying: "When selecting your acts use these facts — The show course is primarily circular with a diameter of 100 yards and average depth of 5 feet. You can gain up to 30 points for your adaptability to the site." With that understood, apparently anything the clubs wanted to do in the tournament was considered fair.
Seven clubs showed up for the first tournament. It was declared a success and has been held every year since with as many as 16 clubs participating.
Seeking even greater recognition for their sport, Wisconsin’s show skiers in the early 1970s began talking about a national competition. In 1975, the Rock Aqua Jays water ski club of Janesville, Wis., announced the first Show Ski National Championships to be held in August.
Enthusiasm for the tournament was high as shown by the following excerpt from a news item in the Wisconsin Water Ski Federation newsletter: "Since there has never been a national contest for show skiers before, this tournament will acquaint skiers from Maine to California, from Wisconsin to Florida. The style of Eastern skiers and those of Western skiers may flow together like stream and river to produce an all new style and showmanship".
Nine clubs participated in the first Show Ski National Championships and the winner, Capital City Water Ski Club of Madison, Wis., was invited to perform at the traditional Water Ski National Championships later that month in Tomahawk, Wis.
From its beginnings in the 1920s, show skiing has always had the potential to be one of America’s great spectator events because it entertains and involves the audience. Today, show skiing continues to grow in popularity and many water ski clubs include show events in their summer activities.
A Spectator's Guide To Show Skiing#
Show skiing has been called the most entertaining discipline in the sport of water skiing. It is fast-moving, exciting, graceful, and most of all, fun to watch. Virtually all aspects of the sport – including barefooting, jumping, slalom, tricks and kneeboarding – are choreographed into one grand performance.
In its simplest form, show skiing involves a group of skiers performing a variety of acts with the primary objective of providing entertainment. Even at the most advanced and technically difficult levels (professional shows such as LEGOLAND and Tommy Bartlett's), the basic format and entertainment concepts remain the same.
The Show Ski National Championships gives the best amateur show ski clubs in the country a chance to compete for the coveted national title. As a spectator then, what should one look for at this particular event?
Time is critical in show ski competitions. Each club is allowed 20 minutes prior to its show to set up. At one end of the beach the next club to perform has unloaded its gear and props into a staging area. When their set-up time begins, the entire cast, often as many as 70 people – youngsters, in addition to parents and friends –race about placing thousands of dollars worth of equipment – including sound system, boats, skis, ropes, costumes and stage props – along the beach.
As the set-up deadline nears, a horn sounds warning the crew that it’s almost curtain time. When the second horn sounds, it’s time to begin and the club now has one hour to present its show.
At the conclusion of the one-hour show, the club is then given a maximum of 10 minutes to break down and remove its equipment so the next club can prepare for its show. If everything is not off the beach and out of the staging area, the offending club is given negative points.
Judging the tournament are five certified USA Water Ski & Wake Sports-rated judges. They are selected for their past experience and technical expertise in the field of show skiing.
Once the one-hour timing clock starts, the judging begins. Each club is required to perform a minimum of 13 acts within the one-hour time period. For the most part, clubs will perform a wide variety of acts, both on and off the water.
The announcer, of course, plays a very important role in that he or she is the spectators’ official host. The announcer establishes the environment and tempo of the show and will often play out a character as part of the show’s overall theme. In addition, the announcer has the added responsibility of explaining the acts as they relate to the technical aspects of water skiing.
Most clubs incorporate numerous types of water skiing into their shows, however they generally focus on five major areas which include:
Team Jumping – For spectators, this is the most thrilling event. Usually three to five skiers will perform spins and flips over the 5 1/2-foot ski jump. Distances can exceed 100 feet and frequently spectacular falls occur during this act. Fortunately, the skiers wear protective clothing and know how to handle the falls safely.
Ballet and Swivel – Generally performed by young women, this act features a line of skiers choreographed to music. Some skiers may be using swivel bindings which allows them to make 180-degree turns or 360-degree spins.
Barefooting – Just as the name implies, this act involves skiers skimming across the surface of the water on nothing but the bare soles of their feet. Boat speeds are usually in excess of 35 mph. Watch for multi-skier barefoot lines and barefoot pyramids.
Doubles – Features a man and woman team performing various lifts (similar to ice skating) while being pulled by the boat. The male skier either holds onto a handle or is pulled along by a harness, thus freeing his arms to perform the overhead lifts.
Pyramid – Is the ultimate in team work. Using hundreds of feet of rope, skiers actually build a human pyramid on water. Look for pyramids up to five levels high where the top skier often is 25 feet above the water — a spectacular display of teamwork.
With the variety of acts, skiers and show formats, how does a judge differentiate between clubs and ultimately decide on a winner? Each club is awarded points in two major categories. First, each of the 13 acts is evaluated for:
Flow – How smoothly does an act progress? Clubs attempt to avoid delays and poor boat patterns while maintaining spectator interest (25 points total per judge).
Execution – How well is an act performed? Acts are judged on the technical merit of that particular maneuver (0-25 points).
Difficulty – This is judged by comparing acts of similar type (0-25 points).
Spectator Appeal – Rates the entertainment value of an act and includes the quality of music, costuming, and the performers’ interactions with the audience (0-25 points).
Additionally, each club is evaluated on the following (more commonly called box scores):
Dock and Equipment Personnel – They should maintain a low profile, set up acts smoothly in a timely manner, and keep equipment operating properly (0-100 points).
Pick-Up Boat Crew – Must keep skis and equipment clear from the skiing area, have a low profile, and not create rough water, etc. (0-100 points).
Sound Crew – The host must communicate, entertain, and know the acts (0-250 points).
Towboat Driver – Judged for proper speeds, smooth takeoffs and landings (0-200 points).
Showmanship – The overall production of the show, appearance of the skiers and equipment, stage presence, choreography (0-300 points).
Overall Show – Reflects each judge’s overall opinion of the show, including content and quality (0-350 points).
Now that you know something about how a show ski tournament works, sit back, relax and enjoy the greatest show on water!