Now that the weather has warmed up, the water is where it's at.
Local lakes and rivers fill up with boats and tubes, but about 40 members of a team on skis have been on the water for weeks.

In this Wandering Wisconsin, Sarah Stokes goes behind the scenes of the Ski Sprites.

Sarah: You may water ski at home on the weekends but if you want to be part of a water ski show team like the Ski Sprites, you have to spend hours practicing on and off the water.

Tuesday night's practice had the ski sprites learning new dances and taking accidental dunks.

But every practice run and rehearsed move makes sure they don't miss a beat.

"It's all part of show skiing. You put on a show, you have stage work, dances, costumes, makeup, hair, everything," says Laura Taylor. She is an 8 year veteran of the team and she's only 16. "I didn't know how to ski when i joined but they taught me," she remembers.

She says some of the stunts are scary, "we do pyramids, 4 tiers high, there's barefooting, jumping all sorts of things."

But she says any fear fizzles, when you put your safety on the shoulders of your teammates.

"It's really a trust thing, you're depending on these people," says Taylor.

And the Ski Sprites say they depend on the crowd to help them make an even bigger splash.

"When the crowds' here that's when we have fun. The more people the more fun we have and the better show we put on," says Missy Rowe, a long-time member.

A team huddle and some crowd support got them pumped up, so when their skis hit the water on Wednesday night, they were ready to show off their hard work in the wakes.

"Water skiing was one of those things I did for fun and now it's my life and it's my passion," says Rowe. It's her dream to go pro and someday ski for Sea World or Cypress Gardens in Florida. She's been training for that in her ten years here.

"Wisconsin is the show ski capitol of the world and no one ever really knows that because they think Wisconsin with the long winters but there's more water skiiers up here than anywhere," Rowe adds.

She says some water skiing stars were born behind these boats and so are bonds, stronger than the ropes.

"I love that its more than a team, these people become your family, you're with them so much during the week and even in the off season, you're always with them," says Taylor.

Rowe adds, "you feel like you're a part of something and that's the best feeling."

Sarah: The Ski Sprites have a show at Lake Altoona Beach every Wednesday and Sunday night at 6:30, there's no admission to get in but there is a $3 charge to park in the county parking lot. However, since they're a non-profit, the Ski Sprites rely on donations to stay afloat.

If you want to learn more about the team and get information on how to see them in action, www.skisprites.com.