More than 17 children and one adult learned to water ski for free at the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation’s Annual “Get on the Water” Event in Lake City, Minnesota. It’s the Fourth year in a row that the foundation has joined forces with Lake City to bring water skiing back to the community as part of its annual “Water Ski Days.”
The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports-sanctioned event is held at Ohuta Beach on historic Lake Pepin. The very place where Ralph Samuelson water skied for the very first time on July 2, 1922. The boat was provided by the Koehn Family of Woodbury, Minnesota, and the Big Pine Lake Water Ski Team of Perham, Minnesota, donated the gas.
Betsy Anderson Gilman, member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, is the event’s Instructor and Boat Driver. She was assisted in the boat by local junior water skier Kasie Larsen. Melissa Larsen and Agnes Koehn also helped in the boat and on shore.
“We are excited to be working with the community and Water Ski Days to bring this event to Lake City, the birthplace of water skiing every year,” says Betsy Anderson Gilman, “The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports National Get on the Water program is an initiative designed to offer everyone a chance to learn to water ski for free and we love seeing local residents take advantage of this opportunity. After all, this is where it all began.”
The Foundation is collaborating with Lake City to develop an interpretive center on the shores of Lake Pepin, which will showcase the history of water skiing and the region.
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