WISCONSIN RAPIDS — The Ski Sprites claimed the overall championship at the 59th Annual Wisconsin State Water Ski Show Championships, narrowly edging host team Aqua Skiers in the four-day competition that concluded July 20 at Red Sands Beach on Lake Wazeecha.
The tournament featured 24 teams competing across three divisions, with more than 70 individuals also competing for a slot at the National Water Ski Show Championships. The event was hosted by the Wisconsin Rapids Aqua Skiers and presented by Bank First.
Division Results
Division 1: Mad-City claimed the championship with 1,940.12 points, followed by Rock Aqua Jays (1,915.64 points) and Aquanuts (1,513.6 points). Mad-City dominated multiple categories, winning tow boat driving (759 points), sound crew total (1,072 points), showmanship (1,025 points), production (1,064 points), and high individual club act (454 points).
Rock Aqua Jays showed strength in technical events, winning dock and equipment personnel (98 points), pick-up boat crews (244 points), barefoot competition (400 points), doubles (335 points), jump (419 points), pyramid (419 points), and swivel (393 points).
Division 2: Ski Sprites accumulated 1,339.58 points to capture the grand total championship, with host team Aqua Skiers placing second at 1,324.44 points. Shawano Ski Sharks finished third with 1,231.61 points.
The Aqua Skiers demonstrated strong performance across multiple categories, winning the tow boat driving competition with 635 points and placing first in barefoot skiing with 375 points. They also claimed victory in the swivel competition with 255 points.
Ski Sprites dominated several events, taking first place in the overall show (1,578 points), showmanship (780 points), high individual club act (390 points), and barefoot skiing individual competition. Water Walkers showed particular strength in production events, winning that category with 888 points, and also claimed first place in sound crew total (803 points) and ballet (301 points).
Division 3: Badwater Ski-Ters won the championship with 1,007.56 points, followed by Kwahamots (989.5 points) and Chain Skiers (953.6 points). The competition featured strong performances across all six teams, with Chain Skiers winning the overall show (1,246 points), production (598 points), high individual club act (271 points), and jump (271 points).
Twin Bridge claimed victories in dock and equipment personnel (67 points), showmanship (587 points), and swivel (157 points). Waterboard Warriors dominated technical categories, winning pick-up boat crews (178 points), tow boat driving (448 points), and sound crew total (654 points).
Individual Competition Highlights
The tournament also featured individual competitions across multiple skill divisions. In the swivel 180 competition, Ava Jakubowski took first place with a score of 8.04, while Sarah Fiedorowicz won the open/intermediate swivel competition with 15.76 points.
Carsten McHugh dominated the open/intermediate freestyle jump competition, earning 393.34 points with performances including flips and gainers. Lexi Galang and Joe Nagrant won the strap doubles competition with a score of 8.27.
Complete tournament results can be found on the City Times website.
The tournament is sanctioned by the National Show Ski Association (NSSA) and serves as a qualifier for national competition. Winners in each division will advance to represent Wisconsin at the National Water Ski Show Championships.
The Aqua Skiers, despite finishing second overall in their division, successfully hosted what organizers called another successful edition of the world's largest water ski show tournament on their home waters of Lake Wazeecha.
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