Clark Lake’s Jon Broderick will be inducted into Michigan Water Ski Hall of Fame tomorrow (Sat 5/20).  The event will take place at Krupa’s Boat Mart, 3909 Francis Street, Jackson.  It will start with a reception at 1 pm and be followed with the induction at 1:30 pm.   Jon, who lives in Georgia, is staying at Clark Lake this weekend which will make possible his receiving the award in person.

Jon is pictured on the right

Two previous articles on this website explored Jon’s outsized impact on the world of skiing.  He first honed his skiing skills and performing talent at Clark Lake.  His acts caught the eye of Cypress Gardens in Florida, and soon, he became one of their stars.  Click here to learn about his influence in the world of waterskiing at Clark Lake and how it grew to national prominence.  His Clark Lake Story was one of the first published when this website went online in 2013.  Click here to read it.

 

Bill Rerucha, who passed away in March 2022, will also be inducted in the Michigan Water Ski Hall of Fame.  From Toledo, his ski career began at Devils Lake.  Skiers from Clark Lake’s Pine Riders and Devils Lake Sky Devils clubs competed fiercely for tournament trophies.  According to Tony Krupa, Bill’s skiing career paralleled, in some ways, Jon Broderick’s.  Bill was also a performer at Cypress Gardens.  From 1960-1966, his roles included being show director and announcer.

Bill competed in the Cit Pat Ski Derby in 1956.  You can see him holding his trophy in this group photo.

 

Here’s what the 1956 Cit Pat tournament looked like.  Tournaments were held at the west end of the lake to minimize waves created by wind.  What is now the Township Park was the staging area.

 

With Jon Broderick’s induction tomorrow, five Clark Lake skiers will be in the Michigan Water Ski Hall of Fame – Lynn Vermeulen, Kay Vermeulen Nichols, Gary Krupa, Tony Krupa, and now, Jon Broderick.