The Open Lake schedule was jointly organized by waterski clubs around the state to allow ALL skiers the opportunity to have access to water with a slalom course, competition ski boats, trained drivers, and good coaching.  Waterskiing is one of the best family events in our country and we want to continue the historic traditions of waterskiing in Ohio. 

Who Can Participate?

Skiers of all ages and ability levels can participate in Open Lake nights.  All you need to do is follow the online registration steps for Open Lakes in your area.

What can I do?

The majority of our Open Lake Sponsors specialize in 3-event waterskiing which includes slalom, trick, and jump.  Other disciplines such as barefooting, kneeboarding, hydrofoiling, show skiing, and wakeboarding may be an option.  See the individual Open Lake Night for a full list of the disciplines supported.  Each skier will get a minimum of one set.  A set consists of approximately 15 minutes of ski time.  If time permits, skiers may have the opportunity for multiple sets.

What equipment do I need?

This may vary from lake to lake depending on what equipment they have available.  The host club will provide a boat and a ski rope.  All other equipment is your responsibility unless you make other arrangements with the host club.  You'll obviously need a swimsuit and towel and we encourage people to bring their own life jackets, ski(s), ski gloves, wetsuits, etc.  If there is any piece of equipment that you don't have, you'll need to contact the Open Lake Sponsor and see if they have additional equipment available.

Schedule 

There are Open Lake Nights scheduled somewhere in the state every week throughout June, July, August, and into September.  (If you get any windows stating you need to be a registered user, just close it and click the link again.) 

How Much Does It Cost?

There are two annual memberships that you need to purchase to participate.  Both memberships can be used for much more than Open Lake nights and they're required for almost all organized ski events around Ohio.

1. USA Water Ski Membership - This membership is required for insurance purposes and there are a few different membership levels depending on your needs.  At a minimum, a Grassroots Membership is required to give you access to Open Lake nights.  A USA Water Ski Membership will also give you access to waterski events across the country, additional insurance in the event of an injury, a subscription to the "Waterskier" Magazine, and supports our governing body for development of our sport on both public waters and professional waterskiing.  Click Here to get your USA Water Ski Membership

 

2. Ohio Water Ski Association Membership - This membership gets you access to all Ohio waterski events such as Open Lake Nights, Junior Development Clinics, Buckeye Buoy Tour Stops, Officiating Clinics, and full access to the OWSA website.  Click Here to get your OWSA Membership

	a.	Family Membership	$20
	b.	Individual Membership	$10

 

Once you have the above two memberships, the only additional fees are a $15 per set fee at each Open Lake.  This $15 fee helps to cover gas and boat expenses along other costs associated with holding the events.  (A set at a ski school in Florida would cost you about $65 per set.)

How Do I Register?

Online registration is the only way to register for Open Lake events and due to time constrainsts you must register and pay online ahead of time.  We'll do our best to ensure that everyone who registers gets a set.  To get registered, simply click on the Open Lake Night that you want to attend in the calendar above and then select "Online Registration".

List of Events with Online Registration