Tampa Bay Water Ski Team amazes crowds near Sparkman Wharf on Independence today

TAMPA, Fla. - There was a different kind of show before the sun went down in Tampa this Fourth of July. The Tampa Bay Water Ski Team amazed crowds as they performed near Sparkman Wharf. 

Cheers from the crowd could be heard at a one-of-a-kind spectacle.

"We've got skis and ropes, costumes, all of it, so it is a lot of work to try to get everything coordinated," Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team Member Shannon Welch said.

All the hard work paid off for the Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team, who put on an elaborate Independence Day performance at Star-Spangled Sparkman, complete with tricks, ramps, and human pyramids.

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"We absolutely love performing. It's a very family-centric organization. My kids ski, my husband skis, my parents are on the team. Everybody has a part because, if you can imagine, we've got people driving the boats, riding in the boats, making the costumes, running the sounds. There's so many pieces to the show," Welch said.

Welch has been a team member for the last 30 years after joining when she was just 16. She says some members have gymnastics and dance backgrounds, but she learned all of her skills after joining the team.

"We teach all of it, so even if you don't know how to ski, we can teach every part of the show skiing. We do a lot of training on land. First, we teach you how to climb the pyramids, how to do the double, the lifts and things, and then we take it to the water," Welch said.

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The 80-member team performs a dozen or so shows around the Bay Area yearly. Welch says there is nothing more satisfying than seeing the smiles and cheers from the crowd.

"That's what it's all about. It's a show, and it's all about entertaining, so we love it when we get great crowds who are excited and cheer for us. That's the best thing ever," Welch said.