My idea of a perfect morning would start with a cup of coffee as I watch the fog burn off the top of the lake. Eventually, the mist would clear, and water so perfectly flat that you can’t tell where the shore ends, and the water starts would greet me. That right there is true Ski Diva water. If I could trademark that phrase, I’d make millions just from my family members, who make fun of my aunt because she refuses to ski on anything less than perfect water. To be fair, she’s good enough to deserve the acme of conditions, and it’s considered a privilege to go out on the boat with her at 6:30 am to ski before the rest of the lake wakes up. So many weeks out of my childhood and adolescent summers were spent exactly like that, and I’d never trade those memories for anything.
Growing up in Polk County and being a part of a family of avid water skiers, the intricacies of two skiing, dropping a ski, slaloming, and jumping wakes is very nearly in my DNA. I can so clearly remember what it felt like to watch the Cypress Gardens ski show directly after I had achieved a slalom start behind the boat at the ripe old age of 9. You could feel the history and reverence that the stunt skiers in the show had for the sport and how proud they felt to be taking part in a story lasting over half a century at that time. After that visit to the Garden, I held on to the dream of being a barefoot skier in the Cypress Gardens show; sometimes that dream still wakes me up in the middle of the night, the siren song of wind and water singing in my ears.
Dreams aside, watersports in Central Florida have a long and storied history, stretching back over a century. Though the sport was originally invented in Minnesota in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson. Florida is where we learned to jump the wake, and you can’t talk about watersports in Central Florida without talking about the Popes. Dick and Julie Pope, the original owners of Cypress Gardens, would later bring the “Water Ski Capital of the World” into the public eye through showmanship and a flair for invention.
Waterskiing had already been steadily growing in popularity in Central Florida through the early 1930s, as who can blame people for wanting to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and beautiful, calm lakes that Polk County offers year-round? Cultivating the property around Lake Eloise and turning what had once been a swampy mire into a beautiful botanical garden was a start that brought loads of tourists flocking to Florida’s oldest theme park. Then, everything changed when World War II began. Only the Popes, masters of all the elements of entertainment and business, could build a water sporting legend.
In 1943, though people had been skiing on Lake Eloise for at least the last 10 years, a formalized ski show still had not made an appearance. At the time, World War II had brought large numbers of soldiers to the area, either on leave or stationed nearby, and just by happenstance- a local paper printed an article featuring water skiers being pulled behind a boat through Cypress Gardens. These soldiers flocked to the Gardens in order to see the “ski show,” and far from turning them away empty-handed, Julie Pope strung together a merry band of skiers from family and friends; thus, a cultural phenomenon was born.
It didn’t take long for people to notice this remarkable attraction, notable icons from Elvis Presley to Johnny Carson and Carol Burnett traveled to Lake Eloise to get their picture taken with the iconic wooden Cypress Gardens skis. Not only that, but Hollywood capitalized on the gorgeous scenery and stunt opportunities that Dick Pope Sr. had so painstakingly created over the course of building the park. Esther Williams is perhaps the most well-known classic actress to star in multiple films set in the park, with my favorite being “Easy To Love” (1953). If you’ve never seen it, I urge you to run, not walk, to your nearest local library and check out a copy. It has music, it has ski stunts I would tremble to perform, it has an aquatic ballet, and of course, the corny romance between Esther and Van Johnson that makes us all fall in love with classic movies. More recently, John Cusack starred in “Grace Is Gone” (2007), a drama involving a dead mom, a road trip to Enchanted Gardens (AKA Cypress Gardens), and two precocious kids. Though there isn’t any skiing in that film, it goes to show how remarkable this Florida feature still is and will hopefully continue to be.
Watersports in Winter Haven have certainly left their mark, with over 50 world records being set on Lake Eloise alone, and a plethora of inventions on the water to show for it. As any Polk County history buff knows, the first photo of someone barefoot skiing was taken in 1947 of Dick Pope Jr. I don’t know about you all, but when I think barefooting, I think of that picture. The first woman to barefoot ski also did so behind a Cypress Gardens boat, Charlene Zint Wellborn claimed that honor in 1951, just four short years after Dick Pope Jr. Barefooting became such a staple of the Cypress Gardens ski experience that the world’s first barefoot competition was held on Lake Eloise, with Dick Pope Jr. taking second place internationally, directly beneath Emilio Zamudio from Mexico who managed a full three laps barefoot around the track before dropping.
Willa McGuire Cook boasts yet another invention to come out of Cypress Gardens, the swivel ski! The swivel ski allowed skiers to combine balletic movement with the power of skiing, giving the Gardens’ aquatic prima ballerinas the ability to do pirouettes and hick fan kicks unimpeded. Somehow, whenever I tried to do those kinds of moves as a kid, I usually ended up with a nose full of lake water and the worst headache of my life. My gracelessness aside, the swivel ski was still in use as recently as 2024, as LEGOLAND highlighted the style in their rendition of the ski show, with feats of both flexibility and strength to astound the adoring public.
The first skiing pyramid was also attempted on Lake Eloise in 1948, with the iconic four-to-five tier staple being included in the daily ski show from then on. n Lake Eloise in 1948, with the iconic four-to-five tier staple being included in the daily ski show from then on.
Through their elaborate tricks and stunts on the water, Cypress Gardens tied with the Grand Canyon as the United States’ top tourist attraction beginning in 1964. However, all of these firsts have not been left in the past, records have continued to be set every year, especially through organizations like the Chain of Records which brings together avid water skiers from all over the world with the goal of breaking Guiness and national records. During the 2021 Chain of Records event, some notable records were:
• The most barefoot water skiing tumble turns in one minute: 34, achieved by Wayne King.
• The most water skiers towed behind single boat (shoe skiing): 16.
• The largest conventional doubles line: 18 couples.
• The most inverts on a hydrofoil by a woman for both one minute and three minutes: 23 and 55 respectively by MJ Buckley.
• The most inverts on a hydrofoil by a man for three minutes: 72 by Geno Yauchler.
• The largest hydrofoil line behind one boat: 31.
• And last but certainly not least, the largest hydrofoil invert line: 9.
Polk County brings in world-class talent from all over year after year, but many of our strongest skiing performers are homegrown; with more skiing schools and training facilities than anywhere else in the country. If you’re in the market for a thrilling new hobby, the World Barefoot Center hosts clinics and training all year round for those who are intrigued by the idea of sanding all of the skin off the bottoms of their feet going 40 miles per hour behind a boat. Kidding aside, the team is, “dedicated to the sport of barefoot water skiing, providing a welcoming environment for beginners through to experienced barefooters.”
Central Florida Watersports and Boat Rentals teaches not just regular two skiing, but wakesurfing and tubing too. Whether you simply need a boat to drive or full instruction for Florida’s favorite sports, they have it all. Briscoe’s Ride Center offers even more options from kneeboards to shoe skis and wake skates.
Perhaps the class that is nearest and dearest to my heart are the adaptive clinics taught through the Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team. These clinics allow adults and children 6 and older with disabilities to take to the water and expand their horizons with a new set of skills. Via a sponsorship from Wawa, their clinic is offered free of charge to the public as long as there are still open slots for registration. I spent most of my teenage years working with a theater troupe composed of other such unique individuals with all kinds of abilities, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I can only imagine the joy brought on by flying over the water in a modified ski, or jumping a wake for the first time could bring. Whether you’re new to the sport or a seasoned pro, any of these teachers would bring your skills up to the next level!
Of course, some folks may not want to get their hair wet and would prefer to just watch the show from the banks. Never fear, the Cypress Gardens Water Skiers are here! Started in 2011 by past Cypress Gardens water ski performers, the team strives to share the beauty and art of water sports with the public, hoping to inspire all of us to take to the wake. With free shows on Lake Silver in Winter Haven every 3rd Saturday of the month during their season, this group of talented performers wows crowds with stunts, acrobatics, and pyramids. Other notable groups to mention are the Lakeland Water Ski Club which has been performing ski shows on Lake Hollingsworth since 1949 on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. Sharing the lake with the Lakeland Water Ski Club are, of course, the Florida Southern College Moccasins ski team, who placed 4th in the National Championships in October of 2024. I know it’s always a good day when I can see them practicing while I walk around the lake!
With summer right around the corner, and Floridians looking for ways to beat the heat, maybe try your hand at a watersport that has made a splash in Polk County for over 100 years! If skiing isn’t quite your speed, there are so many other ways to get up behind a boat whether that’s wakeboarding, hydrofoil skiing, wake surfing (my personal favorite), or kneeboarding. Watersports are for everyone. Beat the heat behind a boat this year, I’ll see you out there!
