Iowa’s Premier Waterski Team
ANNOUNCING THE SHOW THEME FOR 2024!
We’d love to have you be a part of the team, no matter your ability or age.
Waterhawks Eagle Lake expansion taking place in Evansdale
Shows, Tournaments, Events
The Waterhawks have entertained crowds in the Cedar Valley for over 50 years. With weekly shows at Eagle Lake near Evansdale and at select summer festivals in Iowa Falls, Nashua, and Greene. Fans can watch the show ski team perform high-flying jumps, multi-tiered pyramid formations, slalom, ballet and kick lines, bare-footing acrobatics, and other acts and tricks at the performances.
WEEKLY & Road SHOWS
Beginning in June, come to Eagle Lake for free family fun. Watch the Waterhawks on the water and stage as they entertain an audience with exciting skiing acts and skits. Concessions available. The team also performs at different community festivals during the summer
Coming Summer 2024
SPACE JAM: Ski Trilogy
Free General Admission. The gate opens at 4 pm on show nights! Bleacher seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can bring lawn chairs or a beach blanket for lakeside seating. Handicap parking is available. Concession Stand offers Popcorn, Candy, Hot Dogs, Chips, Nachos, Ice Pops, Pepsi products, Beer, and Seltzer – (Don’t forget your ID)
2024 Show Schedule
All shows at Eagle Lake near Evansdale on Sundays
Pre-Show at 5 pm and Main Show at 6 pm, unless otherwise stated
JUNE
June 2; June 9 (My Waterloo Days Show), Saturday, June 15 at Greene, Iowa - 4 pm;
June 16; June 23; Saturday, June 29 at Nashua - 5 pm; June 30
JULY
Thursday, July 4 at Iowa Falls - 7 pm; July 7; July 21
AUGUST
August 4; August 18; August 25 (Last Show)
Competitions
Each season, the club's goal is to compete with the season theme at the Regional and National Competitions.
Cy-Hawk Collegiate
3-Event Tournament
September 7-8, 2024
Eagle Lake, Evansdale, IA
HAUNTED HAYRIDE
Each October, the woods at Eagle Lake get filled with ghosts, zombies, ghouls, and other scary creatures. This annual fundraiser brings thousands of people through the woods on a tractor-driven wagon.
Interested in joining the Waterhawks?
MEMBERSHIP
Be a part of Iowa’s Premier Waterski Team. The Waterhawks Ski Team (501c3) was organized in 1958 in Waterloo, Iowa, and performed on the Cedar River until they moved to their home site at Eagle Lake south of Evansdale, Iowa.
The 501c3 non-profit organization is dedicated to building a team around a safe, fun, and family environment where members can develop individual skills, promote teamwork, and create lasting friendships.
In the spring, the team gathers inside a gym to begin practicing for the season and organizing the show and logistics for the summer. Summer practices are held on Tuesdays & Thursdays, with shows on Friday nights.
We welcome all to the team. Skiers and non-skiers. We need boat drivers, boat riders, dock crew, sound crew members, actors, but most of all, SKIERS!
Questions regarding membership can be directed to this contact form.
TRY IT OUT with a One Day USA Waterski Day Pass (2024 coming soon)
All new and renewing members of the Waterhawks must submit an Application for Membership.
The Waterhawks Board of Directors approves all membership applications, and once applications are approved, you will be directed to the online registration portal to submit your complete application details.
All approved members are required to obtain a USA Waterski membership and Safesport Certification.
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
Active Traditional Membership – 2024
- Active Traditional membership provides members full access to the lake and equipment within the membership guidelines(e.g., boat drivers must be approved). Traditional members are allowed to vote and be active board members.
- Single: $200, 2-Persons: $325, 3-Persons: $425, 4-Persons: $450, 5-Persons: $475, $6-Persons: $500, Additional Persons after six: $25 each
- Multiple members must be classified as a family (spouses and/ or dependent children) as claimed on parents’ income taxes from the year of involvement.
Tournament Membership – 2024
- Tournament membership allows members to have full lake access and privileges within the membership guidelines (e.g., boat drivers must be approved) during a 6-week period that begins July 4 and ends at Show Ski Nationals.
- Each Individual: $100
Active Volunteer Membership – 2024
- Active Volunteer membership allows the member to participate in sanctioned events. Active Volunteer members must have a USAWS membership. Included in Waterhawk email and social media correspondence. The member(s) do not have key or lake privileges and do not have voting privileges.
- Single: $80, Family*: $145
- *Family (spouses and/ or dependent children) as claimed on parents’ income taxes from the year of involvement.
WHy support the waterhawks?
How DoeS SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT THE TEAM?
Sponsorship allows the team to keep families and friends out on the water doing what they love, skiing! This local ski team gains a lot of energy from the community by opening up opportunities on the water for people from all walks of life.
For over 60 years, the Waterhawks have been passing down the love of skiing to all generations and providing stunning FREE entertainment each weekend during the summer at Eagle Lake east of Waterloo.
The Waterhawks are a 501c3 non-profit organization that accepts individual and corporate gifts. Support through marketing and sponsorship options are available by reaching he team’s Fundraising chair Emily Forssberg.
The team can keep the shows free for everyone to enjoy through sponsorships and memberships throughout the summer.
Supporters cover costs like costumes, ski equipment, boat repairs, fuel, and Eagle Lake improvements. The team also offers learn-to-ski clinics and safety training and hosts tournaments that attract tourism to the region.
New Year - New Show - New Costumes
The Waterhawks are putting on an all-new ski show this summer, which calls for 60 new costumes!
Donate to support a New Costume for the Waterhawks Ski Show and the Space Jam Trilogy.
-
Sponsor 1, 2, or 3+
$85.00 per costume
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Send donations via Venmo @WaterhawksSkiTeam
or by mailing a check to:
Waterhawks Ski Team
Attn: Emily Forssberg, Fundraising Director
P.O. Box 112
Waterloo, IA 50704
Please note in the Memo or Description: Costumes
Thank You!
ABOUT THE WATERHAWKS
The Waterhawks Ski Team was organized in September 1958 with 16 charter members interested in promoting ski safety, boating, and family fun on the water. Membership increased rapidly over the years. As the team grew larger in member size, shows were put on for public entertainment, and the team eventually started entering show tournaments. Today, The Waterhawks Ski Team is an amateur sports organization that competes in regional and national competitions. The team has grown to over 100 members and took 6th place at nationals in 2013, its highest placing ever.
The Waterhawks purchased Eagle Lake on November 16, 1993, as joint tenants with Rick and Margaret Reuter. This helped the team grow into the club you see today. The Waterhawks are very strong in both Show Skiing and 3-Event Skiing. The Waterhawks are also very proud to have had members awarded Most Valuable Skiers at National and Regional Show Ski Tournaments.
We, the Waterhawks, thank you for coming to our show and allowing us to entertain you. Sit back….relax….and enjoy!
Dean Weber
1948-2023
GO BOAT!
The Waterhawks Ski Team would not be what it is today without veteran member Dean Weber. Dean passed away in 2023 and was the heartbeat of the team and a father figure to many. If he wasn’t driving for hours on end, he was fixing boats & jumps, landscaping, making sure the wagons were ready for the haunted hayride, and anything else that needed to get done. He spoke very few words, but when shenanigans would break loose, he was always sly with those quiet giggles. Dean always loved teaching all members, from boat driving to swivel to jump to two ski. Dean never missed a Waterhawk event, and we will forever miss him.
HONORS & AWARDS
Waterhawks Show Ski Tournament History Results
2024: Space Jam: Ski Trilogy
7/26-28: Midwest Regionals, Aberdeen, SD
8/9-11: Division I Nationals, Loves Park, IL
2023: Trolls World Tour: Branch’s Escape
Midwest Regionals – 6th Place
Energizer Award: Parker Walen
Division I Nationals – 14th Place
2022: Trolls World Tour
Did not compete
2021: The Olympics
Midwest Regionals – 1st Place
Division I Nationals – 8th Place
2020: No competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019: Waterhawks Fire Department
Midwest Regionals – 1st Place
Division I Nationals – 8th Place
2018: Waterhawks Rewound (60 years)
Midwest Regionals – 9th Place
Most Valuable Female Skier: Kristin Walen-Meany
Energizer Award: Waterhawks Sound/ Stage Crew
2017: #showskiprobs
Midwest Regionals -6th Place
2016: Waterhawks Construction – Part 2
Midwest Regionals – 1st Place
Division I Nationals – 7th Place
2015: National Treasure
Midwest Regionals – 4th Place
Division I Nationals – 14th Place
2014:
Did not compete
2013: The Great Outdoors
Midwest Regionals – 1st Place
Midwest Most Valuable Female Skier – Chloe Lawson
Division I Nationals – 6th Place
Skip Gilkerson Award – Garth Peter
2012: Top Gun
Midwest Regionals – 1st place
Midwest Most Valuable Male Skier – Garth Peter
Division I Nationals – 13th Place
2011: Tool Time
Midwest Regionals – 1st Place
Midwest Most Valuable Male Skier – Garth Peter
Division I Nationals – 8th Place
2010: Big Ten Road Trip
Midwest Regionals – 2nd Place
Midwest Most Valuable Male Skier – Paul Bauers
Division I Nationals – 12th Place
2009: Around the Ski World
Midwest Regionals – 1st Place
Division I Nationals – 10th Place
What is Show Skiing?
Show skiing has been called the most entertaining discipline in water skiing. It is fast-moving, exciting, graceful, and, most of all, fun to watch. Water ski shows feature several water ski acts choreographed to music and built around a theme that tells a story. Shows involve amateur performers with usually 30 or more members. Some shows even have more than 200 members! Age is not a factor since ski club performers can range from children to grandparents.
The Show incorporates numerous types of water skiing. However, they generally focus on five major areas, which include:
- Team Jumping – For spectators, this is the most thrilling event. Usually, three to five skiers will perform spins and flips over the 5 1/2-foot ski jump. Distances can exceed 100 feet, and frequently spectacular falls occur during this act. Fortunately, the skiers wear protective clothing and know how to handle the falls safely.
- Ballet and Swivel – Generally performed by young women, this act features a line of skiers choreographed to music. Some skiers may use swivel bindings to make 180-degree turns or 360-degree spins. Swivel is like ballet on water.
- Barefooting – Just as the name implies, this act involves skiers skimming across the water's surface on nothing but the bare soles of their feet. Boat speeds are usually more than 35 mph. Watch for multi-skier barefoot lines and barefoot pyramids.
- Doubles – Features a man and woman team performing various lifts (similar to ice skating) while being pulled by the boat. The male skier either holds onto a handle or is pulled along by a harness, thus freeing his arms to perform the overhead lifts.
- Pyramid – Is the ultimate in teamwork. Skiers build a human pyramid on water using hundreds of feet of rope. Look for pyramids up to five levels high where the top skier often is 25 feet above the water — a spectacular display of teamwork.
EAGLE LAKE
“HOME OF THE WATERHAWKS”
100 Waterhawk Rd
Evansdale, IA 50707
From I-380 EastBound:
Exit at Elk Run Truck Plaza (Exit #68), Turn LEFT
Turn RIGHT at Gilbertville Road
Turn RIGHT after the bridge onto the gravel road, follow Waterhawk signs
From I-380 WestBound:
Exit at Elk Run Truck Plaza (Exit #68), Turn RIGHT
Turn RIGHT at Gilbertville Road (follow the signs)
Donations and Correspondence
Waterhawks Ski Team
PO Box 112
Waterloo, IA 50704