Surf Cat

TWIN LAKES — The Aquanuts Water Shows ski team took second place in the 2019 Wisconsin State Tournament last weekend on Lake Wazeecha in Wisconsin Rapids, and the 27-girl ballet line successfully defended its state title.

“This was the Aquanuts’ best finish in any tournament since winning the National Championship back in 2015,” Mark Gurda, treasurer, said.

Individual skiers on the team also took home the following awards:

Kailey Koehler — most valuable female at the tournament.

Jarad Meyer — best trick skier at the tournament.

Grace Gurda — placed fourth in the individual Swivel Ski competition and will compete in the individual national championship.

Meghan Martin — placed 19th in Swivel Ski competition in her first State Tournament appearance.

The team will now take its show, titled, “Life’s a Beach,” to the 2019 National Championship on Aug. 10 in Warsaw, Ind., where the ballet line will defend its 2018 national title.

Show director Lexi (Bokos) Gaughan said the storyline centers around the announcers, who become shipwrecked and must live on the beach until they can figure out a way off or be rescued.

Gaughan said the team, based out of Twin Lakes, is composed of 70-plus members, ranging between the ages of 11 and 50. The team began skiing in early May. But they started working on the show’s production last September and hold land practices during the colder months of the year.

The public can see the show at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Lance Park show site. The team is also holding a Learn to Ski clinic at 2 p.m. Friday.

The team, formed in 1973, took the national title for the first time in 1982 and took the Triple Crown of Show Skiing in 1983 and 1984.