The World’s Longest-Running Amateur Water Ski Club Is in Wisconsin

The World’s Longest-Running Amateur Water Ski Club Is in Wisconsin

The Min-Aqua Bats have been performing stunts on Lake Minocqua since the 1950s.

Did you know the Dairy State is also the “water ski show capital of the world”?

A longtime contributor to this enduring slice of summer culture has been active in the Northwoods since the 1950s: the Min-Aqua Bats Water Ski Club, which stakes its claim as the world’s longest continuously operating amateur club.

Many of its 70 youth members are the daughters and sons of earlier generations of Bats – this club a rite of passage. Jumps, human pyramids and skiing barefoot are hallmarks audiences have come to expect.

The Min-Aqua Bats perform Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights on Lake Minocqua through mid-August. 


This story is part of Milwaukee Magazine’s July issue.

Find it on newsstands or buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.

Be the first to get every new issue. Subscribe.

Ann Christenson has covered dining for Milwaukee Magazine since 1997. She was raised on a diet of casseroles that started with a pound of ground beef and a can of Campbell's soup. Feel free to share any casserole recipes with her.