Water Ski Club takes over Pewaukee Lake
One of the larger Fourth of July events in the area takes over Pewaukee Lake where the spectacle is not up in the sky with the fireworks but down on the water for the Pewaukee Lake Water Ski Club which performs after the Fourth of July parade.
8-year-old Alana Roskopf already has years of experience, “sometimes when it's a lot of people like today I get nervous."
She's also starting way younger than the oldest guys in the club, "and I'm 87-years-old pushing 88. I started to learn when I was 37-years-old. I started late up north in Wisconsin,” said John.
"Bill and I, my partner, we do the very opening act. As they say, the two old-timers are going to follow the boat that has the flag for the national anthem," John said.
So much rehearsing goes into the Fourth of July routine, but practice was actually cut short by a week this year because of an algae bloom. Pewaukee lake re-opened on June 26.
"Every time I feel as if I'm out of place, they're the ones that encourage me to stay. And I get a kick out of the talent they have here,” said 87-year-old John.
"I think it's great. I think that it's nice that we can involve them. We're a non-competitive club which means that any kids that fall down and do something wrong, it doesn't count against us,” said Bill.
"I don't really fall, I just have some difficulties. That's all. It's my favorite sport," said 8-year-old Alana.
The performances don't end here for the club either; they'll actually perform at different places through Labor Day and training for them actually started well before any sane person would think about getting in the cold spring water.