Water Skiing takes over Big Pine Lake as kids “Get on the Water” for the 5th Year in a Row

Olivia is 8 years old and has never water-skied. In no time, she was water skiing in and out of the wake and going doubles behind the boat with her sister Ava, 13, who had also just learned to water ski for the first time. It was a great day to water ski!

If you happened to be on Big Pine Lake during the second week of July you couldn’t miss the boats full of kids from 5 to 17 learning to water ski.  Cheers echoed around the lake as more than 38 kids participated in the 5^th Annual Big Pine Lake Water Ski Team’s two-day Get on the Water event. 

“It’s about more than the water skiing. This is about challenging kids to do hard things and succeed.  Water skiing can build so much confidence and strength in children and really everyone. We want to bring the love of water skiing back to Minnesota lakes,” says Get on the Water Organizer Betsy Anderson Gilman.

The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports National “Get on the Water” Program, is held every summer to honor the anniversary of Ralph Samuelson being the first to successfully water ski on July 2, 1922, on Lake Pepin, Minnesota.  “Get on the Water” was designed to provide a fun, non-intimidating environment in which participants can learn to water ski for FREE.

The Big Pine Lake Water Ski Team is a sanctioned USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Club and all of the boat volunteers are trained members of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports.  But it could not happen without a massive effort by the entire Minnesota Water Ski Community!  For more information follow The Big Pine Lake Water Ski Team on Facebook or Instagram or go to our website: https://bigpinelakewaterski.org/ 

SAVE THE DATE FOR NEXT YEAR: JULY 7-8, 2025

Thanks to our volunteers:  

Melissa Larsen, Agnes Koehn, Tiff Dombeck, Mary Kloster, Ryan Gilman, Paul Kloster Nick Sonsalla Bob Dombeck, MacKenzy Koehn, Kasie Larsen, Karlie Dombeck, Brooke Sonsalla, Eugenia, Ava Plambeck & Liv Wimmer.

Thanks to Central Market in Perham for donating the delicious lunches. Make sure you thank the ladies in the Deli for going the extra mile for us when you visit the store!  They have done this for us every year free of charge!

Thanks to TruNorth in Perham for donating the new water skis to give away!  Make sure you visit the store to get your own set of water skis!  Ryker Tuman & Taydon Raguse each won a pair of water skis. (Pictured)

Thanks to Tim the Barefooter for donating the GAS Money!  It’s our biggest cost! He is a rock star!

More thanks go out to all the donations and support from: Hepola Family, Carlock Family, Meyer Family, Fujii Family, Anderson Family, Koehn Family, Dombeck Family, Chandler Family, Moch Family, Paul Mitchell, Kellen Birch, Belinda Dumont, Kathryn Hansen and the Rush Lake Business Investment Trust.

USA Water Ski & Wake Sports was formed in 1939 as a non-profit organization promoting water skiing in the United States. USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is affiliated with the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (world governing body) and is recognized by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Pan-American Sports Organization as the national governing body of organized water skiing and wakeboarding in the United States. USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is the largest water ski federation in the world.