To the editor:
Willow Bay in Onondaga Lake Park marked the X spot for the X-Squad waterski show on Saturday, July 14. Shortly after noon a line of red wetsuited team members waded single file from shore out to their floating dock 50 feet from shore. A black-hulled pirate ship with its sails down was moored alongside the dock. Members boarded the boat not to set sail, but to pick up their equipment to begin the show. This ship was a prop built by the show owner Joseph Serth.
The opening performance was a duo women’s pull behind the black Malibu ski boat flying a huge American flag in salute to the USA with loudspeakers on shore playing our national anthem. The skiers wore red tops with white skirts and skied in a graceful, slow circle to pass the shoreline viewers. Next up, notch up the throttle for six male skiers who dropped one ski to slalom then dropped it to barefoot at speeds well over 40 mph. WOW – What Outstanding Waterskiing!
The professional show continued with the standard fare for tricks and stunts of the saucers, swivel turnarounds, ballet, solo and double jumpers, deep water barefoot ski starts, etc. Human pyramids for up to 11 people. Single climbers too for young girls to be held up in the air by one arm by the solo skier. No clowning around with the X-Squad as to any painted clown on skis or a pirate for that matter, not this show, at least. The show announcer juggled the thrills to the applause of the crowd.
Fast moving acts which were hyped by the varied music blaring from the ground loud speakers such as like when four jumpers approached the ski jump; two to go up and over while the other two skied underneath them in mid air as they crossed over from one side to the other side. Perfectly executed by the team. The show ended with the emcee announcement the squad would be in Amsterdam and Rome for more shows. Baldwinsville was not mentioned. What a great idea for X-Squad to perform at the 2019 Rotary Seneca River Day at Mercer Park! The show would mark the spot.
Kevin Bamerick
Baldwinsville
