Dozens of the region’s top waterskiers will be in Aberdeen this weekend for the 32nd Midwest Regional Waterski Show Tournament.

“It’s a big deal,” said Todd Thorson, tournament director. “It will be the biggest tournament in region history.”

The event takes place Friday through Sunday at Dahme Lake, on the southwest edge of town. It will feature 11 teams, including the Aberdeen Aqua Addicts.

Thorson, who is the executive director of the Aqua Addicts, said that the most teams that have come when Aberdeen has hosted the region in the past has been seven or eight.

“The sport is growing,” Thorson said. “A great tournament would be 50 people competing on Friday. We currently have 73 individuals competing on Friday.”

Action gets started at 10 a.m. Friday with individual competition, and at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday with team competition. The Aqua Addicts will be the fourth team on Saturday and will be performing around 12:30-1 p.m.

While teams and individuals can advance to national competition, Thorson said the Aqua Addicts are on the younger side, so they don’t currently have those aspirations as a team.

“Every team has some different goals. Some are trying to go to nationals and trying to win nationals. Some teams are just competing,” Thorson said. “Our team has a lot more middle school, high school, elementary age athletes. We usually decide to be done after regions and continue to put on home shows.”

Thorson said there might be some skiers from the Aqua Addicts that do have an interest in going to nationals in the individual competition.

The local squad is comprised of skiers from Aberdeen, Ipswich, Warner, Mellette, Leola, and even a skier from Watertown.

He said the regional show is the highlight of the season for the skiers.

“This is our state track meet per se,” said Thorson, who also serves as the Ipswich track and field coach.

He encouraged people to come out and watch, noting that there will be shaded seating area and a full concession stand. Admission is $5 per parking spot.

“You can bring the whole family for five bucks and you’ve got great food, great entertainment, music, acting, dancing, something for everybody the whole family will enjoy,” Thorson said.

Thorson said people will not be disappointed with the performances throughout the weekend.

“I would say probably eight, if not nine, out of the 11 shows are much better than Sea World,” Thorson said. “And the reason that I say that is Sea World would have a three high pyramid at the end with two ones, and our pyramid, we plan on having four high, three high, four high behind it.”

Aberdeen has hosted the regional show in the past, most recently three years ago. Thorson said that the competitors enjoy coming to the Hub City because of the way they are treated when they get here.

“Aberdeen has been such good hosts, whether it’s the restaurants, it’s the hotels. They say that the hospitality here is second to none,” Thorson said. “I’m a hundred percent sure that Aberdeen does such a great job welcoming these people to town. They all say they look forward to coming here because of the South Dakota hospitality.”

For more information on this weekend’s event, visit www.mrssa.org