Making Waves: The Area's Love Affair with Water Skiing

While researching last week's story about the Aquabelles, I stumbled down a rabbit hole that I couldn't resist exploring. What started as a search for one historic water ski show quickly uncovered a much bigger story, a decades-long love affair with the sport of water skiing.

By the 1950s, water skiing had become one of America's fastest-growing recreational sports. New fiberglass boats, more reliable outboard motors and Florida's booming tourism industry turned ski shows into must-see attractions. But no place did it bigger or better than Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven.

Beginning in the 1940s, Cypress Gardens transformed water skiing into world-class entertainment. Crowds gathered to watch precision ballet lines, towering human pyramids, ski jumps and barefoot skiers perform breathtaking stunts. The park earned the nickname "Water Ski Capital of the World," setting world records and helping shape many of the techniques still seen in show skiing today, according to the National Registar of Historical Places.

Its popularity reached far beyond Florida. Cypress Gardens became a favorite backdrop for Hollywood, appearing in the 1952 travel documentary This Is Cinerama and the 1953 Esther Williams musical Easy to Love, which featured elaborate water ski performances filmed on location. Television specials starring Williams brought the park into millions of American living rooms, helping fuel the nation's fascination with the sport.

That excitement eventually made its way to Sarasota.

In 1958, the famous Cypress Gardens ski team performed during the Sarasota County Pageant. The exhibition captivated local audiences and inspired members of the newly formed Sarasota Ski-A-Rees, which had organized just months earlier in October 1957. Seeing the enthusiasm for the performance, club members approached the City of Sarasota with an ambitious idea: create a permanent venue where local skiers could entertain residents and visitors while promoting water safety and recreation. The city agreed, and a Sarasota tradition was born.

Nearly 70 years later, the Ski-A-Rees continue to perform on Sarasota Bay, carrying forward a tradition that began with one unforgettable show. Their volunteer performers still build human pyramids, soar from ski jumps and delight audiences from the very same waterfront, proving that some traditions truly stand the test of time.

Today, it's easy to think of the Ski-A-Rees as simply another Sarasota institution. But their story is really part of something much larger, a time when Florida introduced the world to water skiing, and Sarasota enthusiastically answered the call.