🌊Cypress Gardens water ski team continues tradition, 100 years of sport

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – April 2023 Update: Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team hosts free water ski shows the third Saturday of each Month. Click HERE for an update on the MLK Park renovations and meet a women barefoot water skiier.

On Lake Silver in Winter Haven, it’s all skis on deck.

Members of the Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team practice for their next performance.

“It’s a really neat thing to do for the community. We get all ages and groups for the shows,” skier Joey O’Connor said.

Cypress Gardens, Florida’s first theme park, featured water ski shows that began in 1943 in Winter Haven. Millions of visitors would watch the talented skiers and “Aquamaids.”

The team would go on to break more than 50 world records, earning Winter Haven the title of “water ski capital of the world.”

The theme park closed in 2009 and turned into what’s now Legoland, ending the longest-running entertainment production in the world.

“I was a Cypress Gardens skier for almost 30 years, and it was awesome. We got to travel all over the world and we’re trying to continue that legacy,” said Mark Voisard. president of the Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team.

Voisard worked with the city to bring the team back in 2012.

“We’re trying to teach the generation how to do what we do, so we can continue this great sport,” Voisard said.

Angelina Olsen, 15, is part of the new generation of water skiers.

“I just love it. Just being out here and learning from everybody, it’s just a really cool experience. You can’t compare anything to being on the water,” Olsen said.

The Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team performs free for community members the third Saturday of every month. The show features new acts like a water skier flying through the air on what looks like, a large kite. The team also preserving the routines that made history, like the ballet line and pyramid while on water skis.

“Now we’re doing four tiers for the pyramid and it’s really fun. During the Ballet line, the rope is attached to your foot, so you really have to concentrate on the release and work together as a team. It’s pretty special,” O’Connor said.

News 6 Insider guide Crystal Moyer gave water skiing a shot. She has never water skied before.

After a few minutes of instruction, she was gliding on the water with the help of members of the Cypress Gardens Water Ski team.

Along with performances on Lake Silver, the team competes in numerous water ski tournaments, earning top awards in showmanship and performance. The Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team has members of all ages and some from Central Florida.

The team also hosts occasional “learn to ski” days at Lake Silver, for more information, visit their website.