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Date: 7/28/2022
NORTHAMPTON – For the 37th year, the Oxbow Ski Show site at Old Springfield Road at Curtis Nook Road in Northampton will host the Eastern Region Ski Show Tournament.
According to Becci Ziemba, the membership director for the Oxbow Water Ski Show team, the Ski Show Tournament will run from July 30 to 31, and five teams spanning from Maine to New Jersey will “vie for the title of champion of the east.”
On July 30, individuals will compete in Swivel Ski, Adagio Doubles and Jump acts. Each competitor is given five minutes to show their stuff and score points based on difficulty and artistry. On July 31, meanwhile, each of the teams will perform a fully themed show, complete with backdrop, costumes, music and dancing. Each team is given 60 minutes to wow the crowd and score points based on spectator appeal, execution, difficulty, flow, showmanship, boat driving, equipment and announcing.
“The Show Ski Championships gives the best amateur show ski clubs in the East a chance to compete for the coveted Regional title,” Ziemba told Reminder Publishing. “Show skiing has been called the most entertaining discipline in the sport of water skiing. It is fast-moving, exciting, graceful and most of all, fun to watch. Virtually all aspects of the sport – including barefooting, jumping, slalom, tricks and knee boarding – are choreographed into one grand performance.”
According to Ziemba, aspects of the sport include ballet and swivel, doubles, team jumping, barefooting and “Pyramid,” which is where skiers use hundreds of feet of rope to build a human pyramid on water.
The Individual Act Competition will begin at 9 a.m. on July 30 and will include Swivel 1, Swivel 2, Strap Doubles, Freestyle Jump, Swivel 3, Team Jump and Pairs Swivel. Team competition, meanwhile, begins at 9 a.m. on July 31 and will include Aqua Riders of Holland, the Lake Mohawk Ski Hawks, the Maine Attraction Water Ski Show Team, the U.S. Water Ski Show Team, and the Oxbow Water Ski Show Team.
The Oxbow Water Ski Show Team was founded in 1980 by 24 original members and today consists of 60 members ranging in age from young kids to adults.
Members are not limited to just skiers but also include costume designers, choreography, stage production, music crews, announcers, boat drivers, spotters, etc.
People can visit the Oxbow Water Ski Show Team website at https://www.oxbowwaterski.org to learn more about the team and what events are coming up.