WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wisc. (WAOW) – Wisconsin is the water ski show capital of the world, and a water ski competition showed why the state won the title.

Award-winning water skiers and enthusiasts of the sport took to Lake Wazeecha by storm this weekend.

Wisconsin Rapids hosted the 55th annual Wisconsin State Water Ski Championships – a four-day tournament – which features the state’s top water skiers.

However, this is not just any competition.

“It’s the biggest water ski tournament in the world.” said Jordan Moon, tournament president and member of the Aqua Skiers. “It’s pretty amazing that we have it in central Wisconsin every year.

It is held annually by Wisconsin Rapid’s own Aqua Skiers.

The tournament was downsized last year due to the pandemic. Only individual skiers competed, and there were no concessions or vendors on the ground.

But this year they hosted the full competition and were delighted to welcome everyone back.

“It was super exciting.” Moon said, “Not only for us as hosts … but I think all the teams really missed being here.”

23 teams showed their talent to thousands of spectators. Each team had one hour to present their ski show, each with its own story.

Some shows even had musical performances.

Peter Pan, Moana and Indiana Jones were just a few of the fun themes chosen by the teams for their routines.

Skiers prepare for their shows all year round as they should.

“It’s definitely a sport all year round.” Moon said, “During the winter we train on land, design our costumes and write our shows. That way when we hit the water in the spring, we can get down to business running.”

Their hard work paid off: Thousands of fans gathered at Red Sands Beach to watch the skiers defy gravity with flips and tricks.

Some people were there to support specific teams, while others came just because they like to watch.

No matter why they were there, everyone was excited to see what the skiers had up to.

You can find the results of the weekend on the tournament website website.