Our Story
Our founder, Jerry VanLoozen, began waterskiing as a boy with his Uncle Charlie in the rolling Irish Hills of lower Michigan. He taught his two children to ski, and spent many summers on campground ski tours with family, always pushing their skills and having fun.
Jerry moved to Atlanta in 2004 and skied with AWSC for 20 years. In retirement and after years of competitive skiing, his desire to teach and share the joy of the sport grew. In 2025, he said “Yes” to a new chapter—training almost 100 new skiers (ages 4–74), including 35 wheelchair skiers. In 2026 the new skiers totaled over 150 including a first blind skier! 2027 will continue with our quest to teach new skiers and begin the entertaining of others with water ski shows.
Peach City Skiers joins families, friends, and the community through show water skiing. We entertain and promote water skiing with theater, music, dance, and more. The vibe is fun first, with a strong focus on water safety, inclusion, and creativity.
Led by a passionate team with years of experience—including Jerry, Heather Angel Dittus (theater and dance), Mallory Schick (ballet/swivel), and Nate Ringdal (barefoot and pyramid)—we’re building a strong, enduring show water ski team in Atlanta.
Let's grow this together!
History of Show Water Ski
Extremely popular in the upper Midwest, and practiced throughout the nation, show skiing combines components of all water ski disciplines. Water ski shows are an aquatic Broadway musical, featuring several water ski acts choreographed to music and built around a theme that tells a story.
Unique to show skiing are ballet/swivel skiing, adagio doubles and human pyramids. Ski show exhibitions or shows involve amateur clubs which usually have 30 or more members. Some clubs even have more than 200 members! Age is not a factor since ski club performers can range from children to grandparents.
Show skiing is a rich part of the sport's history. Water skiers have been performing amateur and professional ski shows since the 1940s. In fact, in the 1950s, the most talented traditional competitors also were ski show professionals.
The late William D. Clifford, who retired in 1984 after serving 28 years as the executive director of USA Water Ski, thought that most of the early water ski clubs formed in the United States were begun by skiers who were interested in putting on shows, rather than holding competitive water ski tournaments. Today, there are more than 650 water ski clubs affiliated with USA Water Ski. Many of them are interested only in competitive tournament skiing — slalom, tricks and jumping. But a great number of them are dedicated to show skiing and it is evident that this aspect of the sport continues to grow.
