|
For all its fame as a fishing locale and gangster hangout, since the 1950s Minocqua has been perphaps most closely identified with the world of water skiing. In fact, Minocqua is home to one of the oldest show ski teams in the nation, the Min-Aqua Bats. Founded in 1950 by local business man Art Dorwin, the club was soon performing three nights a week in its own 700-seat Aqua Bowl. Comprised of local high school and college students, the Min-Aqua Bats soon worked comedy routines and kite acts into their shows nationwide.
This Min-Aqua Bats reputation among serious skiers grew exceptionally in 1952 when the town hosted the AWSA National Championships, in which Min-Aqua Bats Tom and Jane Dorwin won the national mixed doubles crown. Also in '52, Min-Aqua Bat Dick Herbert was hired for the famous Cypress Gardens show, where he was later joined by fellow 'Bats Tom Dorwin and Pete Abraham. The latter two became stars of the silver screen in 1955, appearing in the MGM's Busby Berkely production "Easy to Love" with Esther Williams.
As their national recongnition grew, so did the Min-Aqua Bats audiences and by 1963 the team dedicated a new stadium, this time with a capacity of 2,100. Playing to packed houses every summer, their fans included former president Dwight Eisenhower and actress Elizabeth Taylor, both of whom vacationed in the area. Unlike many acts of the '50s and '60s, the Min-Aqua Bats remain as popular today as ever. The Aqua Bowl has been expanded twice to its present capacity of 4,000, helping the club draw nearly 300,000 spectators every summer.
"Clearly, the success of the Min-Aqua Bats has been phenomenal," notes Bosacki, who in addition to being a former fishing guide, pilot, and boat racer also performed with early editions of the "Bats". "While they didn't invent show skiing, they certainly refined it and helped make it what it is today. In fact they've helped make Minocqua what it is today-and this is no fish story."
|
