The Shermalot Ski Team
The Shermalot Water Ski Show Team story began in the summer of 1975 when a group of die-hard water skiers banded together to share their love of the sport. In 2020, the Shermalot Show Team celebrated their 45th Anniversary of providing exciting entertainment to local community members and visitors. Shermalot is the third longest continuous running water ski show in the State of Wisconsin and holds a deep heritage of competitive show skiing. Their Team holds five Wisconsin State Division II Champion titles and is a major tourism attraction in Rome as they have performed weekly summer shows on Lake Arrowhead since 1982.
Since the Team’s inception, Shermalot has prided itself on bringing the families within the community together through both skiing and spectating. “Our Team is a close knit family” shares Brian Daliege, Shermalot Ski Team President. “Our members come from a wide variety of backgrounds and there truly is a spot for everyone on the Shermalot Ski Team.” Open to everyone, the team is made up of skiers ranging from 3 years of age to 60+ - it truly is an activity fit for the whole family.
A passion for excellence and innovation has led Shermalot to perform many first time acts including the first doubles/swivel hot pick-up, the shoe ski gainer, a swivel line hookup, as well as their signature barefoot pyramids. Many members have been awarded State, National, and World Championship Titles -- including Jennifer Calleri-Schwenk who is an eight-time National and four-time World Champion in Women’s Barefooting. Calleri-Schwent is also a member of the Water Ski Hall of Fame. Many members of the Shermalot Ski Team have been recruited by professional ski shows in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the United States.
The Shermalot Water Ski Show Team is committed to making the community a better place through family-focused entertainment, community service, and youth leadership advocacy. Many of the team’s members have gone on to enjoy professional careers and become leaders in their communities. The team performs many community service projects throughout Rome including assisting with the construction of Rome Lions Park (Arrowhead Park), improvements and maintenance of the Lake Arrowhead Dam show site, road cleanup, dock and boat lift removal, and youth ski clinics.
As is the case for many local organizations, the Shermalot Ski Team is struggling financially due to restrictions from the global pandemic. At the beginning of their 2020 season, the Team lost their first three paid shows, which has significantly affected their revenues this summer. The Team is made up solely of volunteers and costs to support the Team run around $60,000 annually. If you would like to support the Shermalot Ski Team through this 2020 season and for future generations - feel free to contribute to their Go Fund Me at the link below.