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Mid-August in Minnesota: the best skiers in the country gather at one lake for a week of slalom, tricks and jump, from 9-and-under kids to skiers over 80, all chasing a national title. A week earlier, in Iowa, show ski teams in matching costumes build pyramids in front of packed lakeside bleachers. In October, college teams pile into vans for their nationals in California. Water skiing has a whole world of organizations behind it, and this page maps it: the national governing body and its divisions, clubs, college teams, the world federation and the big events of the 2026 season.
USA Water Ski & Wake Sports
USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is the national governing body for organized water skiing and wakeboarding in the United States, based in Auburndale, Florida. It traces its history to 1939, when the American Water Ski Association (AWSA) was organized and held the first national championships at Jones Beach, New York, 17 years after Ralph Samuelson of Minnesota invented the sport. Today it has more than 11,000 members, about 600 affiliated clubs and more than 900 sanctioned tournaments a season, from local novice events to world-level competitions. It is a member of the IWWF, the Pan American Sports Organization and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
It works through sport divisions, each with its own events and rules. The ones for water skiers:
| Division | What it runs |
|---|---|
| American Water Ski Association (AWSA) | Three-event tournament skiing: slalom, tricks and jump, from grassroots events to the national championships |
| National Show Ski Association (NSSA) | Show ski teams and their two national championships |
| American Barefoot Club (ABC) | Barefoot skiing: slalom, tricks, jump and endurance |
| National Collegiate Water Ski Association (NCWSA) | College team skiing |
| USA Adaptive Water Ski & Wake Sports | Skiing for athletes with disabilities |
| National Water Ski Racing Association (NWSRA) | Open-water ski racing |
Kneeboarding, hydrofoiling and wakeboarding (USA Wakeboard) complete its nine disciplines. Wakeboarding’s organizations are on our wakeboarding leagues page.
Tournament skiing: AWSA
AWSA tournaments are where most competitive skiers start. Skiers compete by age and sex, from Boys and Girls 1 (9 and under) to Men and Women 11 (85 and over), plus masters and open divisions, and nearly 80% of USA Water Ski members ski at least one tournament a year. A season builds from grassroots events and club tournaments to the regional championships and the nationals; the 84th Goode Water Ski National Championships were held August 9–16, 2026, at Trophy Lakes Estates in Center City, Minnesota. Results feed the national rankings, which also pick the National Junior Team.
Show skiing: NSSA
Show skiing has deep roots: skiers have performed amateur and professional shows since the 1940s, and in the 1950s many top tournament skiers also worked as show skiers. Today amateur clubs typically have 30 or more members, some more than 200, from kids to seniors. The National Show Ski Association runs two national championships. In 2026, the Division 1 nationals were set for August 7–9 at Eagle Lake in Evansdale, Iowa, with national titles in swivel pairs, open swivel, open doubles, team jump and freestyle jump; the 25th Division 2 nationals were set for August 1–2 in Loves Park, Illinois. The Rock Aqua Jays won the Division 1 team title in 2023 and 2024.
Barefoot: the American Barefoot Club
Barefoot skiing dates to 1947 in Winter Haven, Florida, and the American Barefoot Club was founded in 1978 as an affiliate of the AWSA; the first US barefoot nationals were held that September in Waco, Texas. Barefooters compete in slalom (crossing the wakes), tricks (two 15-second passes) and jump off an 18-inch ramp, organized in five US regions. The 2026 US Barefoot Nationals were held July 29–August 1, and the 2026 IWWF World Barefoot Championships are set for October 17–21 in Auburndale, Florida.
College: NCWSA
Water skiing isn’t an NCAA sport. College skiing is run by the NCWSA, a division of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, as a club sport with mixed teams of men and women skiing slalom, trick and jump. As of 2026 it listed 71 active teams in five regions: Southern & Atlantic Coastal (13), Great Lakes (17), Great Plains (16), Western (13) and South Central (12); the old Midwest region was split into Great Lakes and Great Plains in 2026. The 2026 collegiate nationals are set for October 15–17 at Bell Acqua Lakes in Rio Linda, California, with two divisions.
Clubs: where to start
For most skiers, the way in is a local club: about 600 are affiliated with USA Water Ski. Clubs share a private lake or a course on a public lake, a towboat and trained drivers, and many run basic skills clinics and “Get On the Water” days for newcomers. USA Water Ski’s Trained Boat Drivers (at least 16, with a record check, a course and an on-water test) drive grassroots tournaments and club practices; show ski clubs use their own rated drivers.
The world federation: IWWF
The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation, founded in Geneva in 1946, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the world body for towed water sports and has 91 member federations. It runs world championships in waterskiing, barefoot, show skiing, disabled skiing, cable ski, ski racing and the wake sports. On the calendar: the 2026 Barefoot Worlds (October 17–21, Auburndale, Florida), the 2027 Under-21 Waterski Worlds (January 10–16, Mala, Peru) and the 2027 Open Waterski Worlds (February 16–21, Mulwala, Australia).
Pan Am Games, World Games and the Olympics
Water skiing is not an Olympic sport, though its federation is IOC-recognized. It has been in the Pan American Games since 1995, with medals in slalom, tricks, jump and overall, and the IWWF was one of the founding sports of the World Games. At that level, men jump more than 245 feet off a 6-foot ramp and women more than 185 feet off a 5-foot ramp.
World records
| Event | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Jump | Ryan Dodd (Canada), 254 ft / 77.4 m | Jacinta Carroll (Australia), 201 ft / 61.3 m |
| Tricks | Jake Abelson (USA), 12,970 points | Neilly Ross (Canada), 11,430 points |
| Slalom | Elite slalom records are set at 41 and 43 off (34 and 32 feet of rope) at top speed; Nate Smith (USA) and Regina Jaquess (USA) hold them. | |
Records as listed by USA Water Ski & Wake Sports in 2026; the IWWF ratifies them.
Gear for joining a club or tournament
Moving into the course usually means your own slalom ski and gloves. The O’Brien Pro Tour slalom (about $285) comes in 58, 64 and 68 inches with Z-9 bindings and is billed by the maker as an entry-level slalom ski. Serious slalom skiers wear water ski gloves such as the Radar Vice inside-out gloves (about $100), which have an exterior grip dowel and an Amara palm. Tournament days are long, so pack recovery basics too: a TriggerPoint GRID foam roller (about $40) for the back and legs; see our foam roller guide.
O'Brien Pro Tour Slalom Ski
- 58, 64 or 68 in
- Z-9 bindings
- Dual tunnel
Radar Vice Inside-Out Water Ski Gloves
- Inside-out stitching
- Exterior grip dowel
- Amara palm
TriggerPoint GRID 1.0 Foam Roller
- 13 x 5 in
- Multi-density surface
- Hollow core
Back to the water skiing hub, or see rules and hand signals, youth water skiing, training and gear.
Water skiing organizations questions
What is the governing body for water skiing in the US?
USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, based in Auburndale, Florida. Its American Water Ski Association division runs slalom, tricks and jump tournaments, and other divisions run show, barefoot, collegiate, adaptive and racing.
Can you water ski in college?
Yes, as a club sport. The NCWSA listed 71 active college teams in five regions as of 2026, with regional tournaments and a national championship. It isn’t an NCAA sport, so there are no NCAA scholarships for it.
How do I enter my first water ski tournament?
Join USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, find a club near you and look for a grassroots or novice tournament on its calendar. Many clubs run clinics first, and you ski in your own age division.
What is show skiing?
Team water skiing performed as a show, with acts choreographed to music: swivel and ballet skiing, doubles, freestyle jumping and human pyramids. Teams compete at the National Show Ski Association’s two national championships each August.
What is the longest water ski jump?
The men’s world record is 254 feet (77.4 m) by Canada’s Ryan Dodd; the women’s is 201 feet (61.3 m) by Australia’s Jacinta Carroll.