In the summer of 1922, history was made when Ralph Samuelson, an avid snow
skier from
Lake Pepin,
Minnesota,
became the first person to ski across the water on a pair of skis. After
noticing that snow skis would allow him to ride on top of the snow, he
believed that they could also keep him on top of the water. He nailed a pair
of old boots to the skis, tied a length of rope behind a speedboat
and successfully skimmed across the surface of
Lake
Pepin.
As word of Ralph's accomplishment spread through the country, others began
experimenting with this bizarre new stunt. Crowds of eager spectators would
line the shores of the lakes and rivers to watch these daredevil men perform
their water skiing. Thus, from the very beginnings of the sport, water
skiing was considered a spectator event, which we now call "show" skiing.
In the late 1950's, a group of pioneering young men in the
Tampa
Bay area
banded together to form a loose club of water skiers, and spent many hours
skiing on
Lake
Padgett
in Land O'Lakes. One of the founders of this group, Stew McDonald, became a
world famous water skier and is now enshrined in the American Water Ski Hall
of Fame. As the early
Tampa
skiers became more organized, they officially formed the Tampa Ski Bees, and
affiliated their club with the American Water Ski Association (AWSA). The
Ski Bees moved their base of operation to
Lake
Egypt
in
Tampa
in the mid 1960's. Each Saturday afternoon the Ski Bees would perform a ski
show for the patrons of
Ralston
Beach,
a picnic area located on
Lake
Egypt.
During the week, the skiers would practice the skill and routines used in
their shows. From time to time they would have unofficial ski competitions
with their
Pinellas
County
neighbor, the Aquamaniacs Ski Club in
Clearwater.
In the late 1970's, the
Ralston
Beach
property was sold to an apartment developer, and the Ski Bees lost their use
of the lake for practices and shows. With no place to ski, the club's
membership declined over the next several years to less than a dozen. About
this same time an energetic water skier named George Wolf was building
his home on the shores of
Lake
Keystone
in
Odessa.
As an inducement to his friends, he
made an offer that if they would help him pound nails for a couple of hours,
he would give them an equal amount of ski rides behind his boat on
Lake
Keystone.
During the year or so it took to build George's house, there grew a regular
group of skiers who hung around, pounding nails in the morning and skiing in
the afternoon. They jokingly called themselves "George's Ski and
Social Club." By 1977, the dwindling Ski Bees had merged with the
Lake
Keystone group,
and the name officially became George's Ski and Social Club. By this time,
show skiing had grown more popular and under the direction of Cypress
Gardens show director, Lynn Novakofski, the South's first show ski
tournament was held. George's Ski and Social Club won the first competition.
Through the early 80's, the club continued to grow and prosper, practicing
out of George's backyard on
Lake
Keystone,
and traveling throughout the South to perform traveling road shows. The
team traveled to the National championships in
Janesville,
Wisconsin
in 1983, earning a respectable 5th place, and again in 1985 where the team
earned a surprising 3rd place finish. In 1987 the club had achieved such
success and notoriety that they believed it was time for a club name which
was a little more serious and professional sounding. Suggestions were made
and voted on with the winning name being U.S. Water Ski Show Team. Thus, the
team's name was again changed. Still, without a permanent home, the
team rotated its practices from one member's backyard lake to another's, all
the while searching for a permanent place to settle. By 1991, the team had
come under some criticism for its name. Some folks thought it was too
pretentious, and thought the club was making it appear as though they were
some kind of official
US
Olympic organization. Again, suggestions for a new name were solicited
and voted upon with the winner being the current club name…the Tampa
Bay Water Ski Show Team. By then, the team had secured permission to use
Tower
Lake
as their permanent home ski site. Thousands of hours of work have gone
into clearing weeds, creating a beach, pouring a boat launch ramp, building
a sound pavilion, a boat compound, changing booths, bridges across the
creek, floating docks, jump ramps, performance stages, etc. The team is very
proud of their
Tower
Lake
ski home. Since 1979 the team has competed twice per year in the
Florida
State and
Southern Regional Show Ski Tournaments.
Tampa
Bay
has acted as the host of these tournaments on numerous occasions. A
highlight for our team was representing the Southern Region at the
Nationals competition in 1999 (placing 6th) and in 2000 (placing 2nd!).
Presently the team is at its all time strongest. Over 100 members from
novices to experienced professionals participate in the team practices,
shows, competitions and social events. We look forward to our continued
relationship with the City of
Oldsmar.
Our goal is to provide entertainment for our audiences and a healthy
environment for the great sport of water skiing for our families, all of
which would not be possible without the tremendous support of Mercury Marine
and Boat and Motor Superstores.