Water Ski Show Line, Florida Lake Resort, 1960s

Archive & AtlasEstablished · MMXXIII

Water Ski Show Line, Florida Lake Resort, 1960s — Archive & Atlas

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Water Ski Show Line, Florida Lake Resort, 1960s — Archive & Atlas

Unattributed 1960–1969

AA-2026-6E8E36

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Five skiers cut across the wake in identical red suits and white pith helmets, which was the uniform of choice for any water-ski troupe trying to look both athletic and vaguely colonial at the same time. Someone in the outboard runabout is towing all five off a single line, a stunt that required perfect timing, matching skill levels, and total trust that nobody ahead of you would fall.

The floating ramp anchored offshore says this was a full ski show, the kind built around jump routines and pyramid formations that Florida tourist attractions perfected for exactly this decade of vacationing families. A swimmer's platform bobs empty nearby, and a diver's tower stands abandoned in the background, props for acts not currently running.

On the beach, two yellow rescue floats wait at the shoreline, unused and mildly optimistic, on the theory that skill this practised rarely needs saving.

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