2026 WATER SKI & WAKE SPORTS FOUNDATION
HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
2027 WATER SKI & WAKE SPORTS FOUNDATION
HALL OF FAME WEEKEND
Friday & Saturday
April 9 & 10, 2027
2027 Hall of Fame Reception & Ceremony Weekend
Friday & Saturday, April 9 & 10, 2027
Join us for one of the most inspiring nights in water ski and wake sports history - the 2027 USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony!
TICKETS GO ON SALE JANUARY 1, 2027
FRIDAY NIGHT SOCIAL
Friday, April 9, 2027
Free Ski Show
5:15 pm
Social
6:00 pm
Cash Bar
Winter Haven Garden Center
715 Third Street NW
Winter Haven, FL 33881
HALL OF FAME CEREMONY
Saturday, April 10, 2027
Social Hour
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Dinner 6:30pm
Ceremony 7:00pm
Cash Bar
Nora Mayo Hall
500 3rd St. NW
Winter Haven, FL 33881
2027 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
2027 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Cobe Mikacich
Wakeboard world champion, innovator, coach and ambassador helped shape the sport on the water and around the world.
Mikacich’s influence on wakeboarding extends far beyond his competitive accomplishments. Throughout a career spanning more than three decades, he has helped advance the sport as an athlete, equipment designer, coach, entrepreneur and energetic ambassador who introduced wakeboarding to audiences across the country.
2027 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Katie Mawby
Vision impaired water skier has earned 38 world titles, set 14 world records and established a legacy of excellence spanning more than three decades.
Competing for the United States in the V2/3 Vision Impaired division, Mawby has built an extraordinary international career defined by talent, determination and remarkable longevity. Since competing in her first World Championships in 1995, she has represented the United States at 12 World Championships and reached the podium 41 times at world titled events.
2027 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
Royce Andes
Adaptive water skiing pioneer transformed the sport through innovation, perseverance and a lifelong commitment to creating opportunities for athletes with disabilities.
A pioneer, inventor, coach and advocate, Andes helped transform adaptive water skiing from a limited recreational activity into an internationally recognized competitive discipline. His development of the modern sit ski opened the sport to thousands of athletes who could not stand to ski and created opportunities that continue to change lives around the world.
AWARD OF DISTINCTION
This award was created to recognize many individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to our sport. They may include tournament skiers, innovators, industry leaders, officials and others responsible for landmark achievements in the development of water skiing as well as those whose long periods of dedicated and generous service deserve special recognition.
Gary “Swampy” Bouchard
About
Barefoot Water Skiing’s “Coach of Champions”
Swampy Bouchard has coached the best barefoot water skiers in the world for decades, including Keith St. Onge, David Small, Ben Groen, Ashleigh Stebbeings, Jackson Gerard, Jason Lee, Lexi McCauley, and Noah Kinnaman. His passion and innovative training techniques have created generations of champions through his work at the World Barefoot Center and as a USA Team Coach.
Lori Krueger
Water Skiing “Integrity in Sport”
Lori Krueger has exemplified sportsmanship, character, and integrity in a water skiing career spanning more than four decades. Lori is a five-time 35+ World Overall Champion, skied the U.S. Masters from 1999-2007, medaled in the U.S. Nationals from 1978-2020, and set a world record in the 35+ women’s jump in 2014.
Cheri Coover
“Never stop performing and creating”
Cheri Coover is a California girl with a Cypress Gardens soul. Born and raised in Vallejo, Cheri learned to water ski at 4 and was competing in slalom tournaments by age 12. But when she was 15 she went to see a ski show at Marine World in Redwood City, California, and she found her passion: Swivel skiing. She immediately called Cypress Gardens and ordered a swivel ski.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
The Lifetime Achievement Award is to recognize the “ambassadors” of our sport that have given of themselves back to the sport and dedicated their lives to making the sport better for everyone involved, whether they are competitors or behind the scenes tireless promoters and administrators in all aspects of the sport.
Joel Zeisler
“Making water skiing accessible to everyone”
Joel’s waterskiing career spans over six decades, marked by record-breaking performances, championship titles, and enduring dedication. Beginning his journey in 1959, Joel quickly rose through the ranks of competitive waterskiing, but his most enduring impact lies in his extraordinary work as a coach, mentor, and advocate for adaptive waterskiing, which continues to this day.
TICKETS
A portion of each ticket is a tax-deductible donation
TICKETS GO ON SALE
JANUARY 1, 2027
To Pay for tickets by Check Payable to USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation
Send To
Dennis Longo
12961 Lerida Street
Coral Gables, FL 33156
Check must be received by
March 31, 2027
THANKS TO OUR 2026 SPONSORS
