CLEVELAND — Paige Peshina is no stranger to the water.

What You Need To Know

  • Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team features athletes age 6-60

  • The team hosts free performances every week 

  • They build pyramids and do other tricks on water skis

"I grew up in water skiing," Peshina said. "My parents both were water skiers since before I was born.” 

Before she could even think about driving a car, Peshina was mastering tricks on her water skis. 

"Whenever I was about seven years old, they took me to a ski show here at Chippewa and I absolutely fell in love with it," she said. "I told my parents that this is what I wanted to do and I was super excited about it.” 

The now 17-year-old has been a part of the Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team ever since. 

"It is definitely like a family, we all get super close, it is super awesome," Peshina said. "There is a bunch of kids that are typically your age, so I got to grow up with a bunch of kids my age who all loved the same sport.”

There are about 35 athletes on the Chippewa Lake Ski Team and their ages range from 6 to 60. 

"It's almost like a play, its like a show that incorporates the water with on-land and a theme," Peshina explained. "We have a story line going on, on stage and then on the water we build pyramids and incorporate it into the story.” 

These highly-trained athletes spend hours perfecting their stunts each week. 

Twice a week, they practice building pyramids and doing flips on skis all while being dragged by a boat on the water. 

"We make sure to practice a lot on land and do things before we get on the water and do the big huge stunts," Peshina said. "So there is safety involved, we are not just throwing people out in the water and being like 'go ahead'." 

The team performs hour-long shows all summer long for free every Wednesday. 

“I love that I get to bring smiles to other peoples faces and get to see them super excited," she said. "I love when little kids come up and will be like ‘can I take a picture with you’ it’s like the best feeling in the world.

For more information you can visit the Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team's website.