The Wichita’s Cup Invitational – an event attracting professional water skiers, including three world champions – will take place at Mystic Lakes Ski Club, just northwest of Wichita, on Friday, July 26. The skiers will be competing in slalom, trick and jump competitions.
“The Wichita’s Cup Invitational brings in the ‘royalty of the waterski world’ to Wichita,” said Cole Kalkbrenner, event organizer. “Seeing this level of professional water skiers in the heart of the country is a tremendous opportunity – one we hope people will take advantage of and come out to witness the talent that will be competing in our city.”
Kalkbrenner says while this will be the first time the Wichita’s Cup Invitational will be held in Wichita, Wichitans have seen this type of competition before when it was called the America’s Cup Invitational. “The America’s Cup Invitational was created right here in Wichita and now travels with USA Waterski’s national championships,” he said. “The fact that an event first held here in Wichita is now traveling with USA Waterski’s nationals is a testament to the water-skiing community in Wichita and the passion they have for the sport.”
In addition to the pro event on July 26, the sport’s Midwest Regional Water Ski Championships will be held at Mystic Lakes from July 26 to July 28. Qualifiers from regionals will go on to compete at nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Both events will be open to the public, and there will be unique opportunities for companies to get involved. One way businesses can support the event is to become a corporate sponsor, which comes with VIP access, passes and other benefits.
The Mystic Lakes Ski Club, which includes world-record capability water ski lakes, hosted the 2018 GOODE Water Ski National Championships – the nation’s largest water ski celebration – generating excitement and support for water skiing in Wichita. The club has also previously hosted the Midwest Regional Water Ski Championships, Junior U.S. Open Water Ski Championships and Barefoot Water Ski National Championships.
Visit Wichita is looking forward to once again showcasing Wichita’s facilities, hospitality, attractions and energy to skiers from across the United States.
“Wichita is a Midwest sports destination, and we are excited to once again welcome these amazing competitors and water sports fans from across the country to Wichita,” said Brian Hargrove, executive director of sports development at Visit Wichita. “Visitors will not only enjoy thrilling competitions at Mystic Lakes Ski Club while they are here, but also the city’s energetic vibe, world-class attractions and entertainment and more.”
The event is expected to generate more than an estimated $500,000 in local economic impact. Skiers are expected to compete for national titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall in respective age divisions and women’s and men’s Open divisions at the world’s largest three-event water ski tournament. Advancement to Nationals is primarily earned through placement on the national rankings lists. Athletes also can qualify for Nationals by placing in the top-five at Regionals or by placing in the top-five at the previous year's Nationals.
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About Visit Wichita
Visit Wichita markets the Greater Wichita area and advocates for the city as a destination, increasing travel and tourism as a key economic driver for the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2018 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.
