Stars of Florida

Photos from Costa Rica Event.

starsofflorida — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:31:57 +0000

Stars to perform in Malaysia!

starsofflorida — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 11:59:54 +0000

Sarawak to host Wakeboard World Cup Stop

Posted on January 17, 2011, Monday

KUCHING: Water sports fanatics and fans around the world will place their focus on Kuching from Sept 16-18 when international stars converge to compete in the IWWF Wakeboard World Cup Stop hosted by Sarawak.

Datuk Talip Zulpilip

Assistant Tourism Minister Datuk Talip Zulpilip said Sarawak has won the bid to host a Stop of the Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup Series at the Kuching Waterfront.

“This is a major ideal tourism event that brings water sports to Kuching and Sarawak. Capturing international headlines is always an elusive challenge for Tourist Boards around the world,” he said during a lunch at a local hotel recently to announce the successful bid.

“Hosting a World Cup Stop is a clever solution. The reason for this is simply high level media coverage which will firmly put Kuching on the world’s water skiing and wakeboarding map,” he added.

World Cup Series brings with it a highly valuable TV, Internet and Press package. Two different edited TV products are distributed to over 600 million viewers in all key tourism markets.

A live Webcast will also be implemented for the three days of the event and this will greatly help to highlight Sarawak’s unique features for affluent audiences overseas.

Specialised media releases will also be directed at over 16,000 key contacts in 192 countries before, during and after the event.

As these will contain both text and photos, Sarawak and Kuching will be brought alive for the audience and for many, the first insight to the region. These images will certainly showcase what the region has to offer in an exciting way.

With more than 30 million waterski and wakeboard participants both as recreational and competitive sport in 92 countries, the IWWF organised Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup Series is the premier event for all top water sports athletes.

To date, 30 successful World Cup Stops have already brought the spills and thrills of the Series to many great high population centres including major cities in the US, France, Egypt, Russia, China, Great Britain, Ireland, Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia.

Meanwhile, the Sarawak Stop will attract participants from at least 15 countries including the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands, South Africa, Russia, Argentina and South Korea.

Apart from the main competitions, the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage has also decided to bring in the world famous “Stars of Florida Waterski Show Team” to wow the holiday makers and water sports enthusiasts from Malaysia and visitors from all over the world.

Ballet line (Korea)

starsofflorida — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:30:42 +0000

6 for the Stars Of Florida Ballet Line Korea

The ladies of Stars Of Florida performing the part in their ski show in Korea.

Korea Interview

starsofflorida — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:41:52 +0000

Korean interview:

Reporter: Mr. Buffa this is the Stars Of Florida's first visit to Korea?

Don: Yes, we have performed many waterski shows in the area such as Japan but yes this is the first time in Korea.

Reporter: How do you find the people here in Korea?

Don: Well, we have only been her a couple of days but all of us find the people very polite and friendly.

Reporter: Can you tell us a little about the Stars Of Florida?

Don: Pretty much all have skied at the world famous Cypress Gardens in Florida, known as the waterski capital of the world. Stars Of Florida has been the contracted ski show there for the past few years. Back in 1990 Cypress Gardens no longer promoted international waterski shows, so I figure that I can do this. So after taking a call from a friend in Japan we were off on our first trip to perform waterski shows in Japan. Now 20 years later and after over 65 international shows and 20 different countries here we are for the first time in Korea.

Reporter: Wow that is a lot of traveling, what is your favorite place?

Don: That is hard to say, there are many places that we like and each place has it's own special characteristics. Like, Egypt is great because of the history, Dubai, because of the shopping and the many new buildings, Paris well because it is, well, Paris. But it is not all about the country or city it is also about meeting new friends and people in these many different countries. The more we travel the more you realize that although we may be from different countries we are all the same. We leave each location with many new friends that we all stay in contact with, that is great!

Reporter: What makes a skier able to become a member of the Stars Of Florida waterki show?

Don: Let me put it this way if I have a skier that had skied full time 5 days a week, 3 shows a day for a period of time, that person is who will make the Stars Of Florida team. There are a few of good skiers out there but fewer with the consistency that comes with skiing full time. And in many cases we have never been to a location so we have no idea what the water conditions will be like, what the jump will be like, if the boat has any power and so on. So you can see we need skiers where these issues are not a big deal, just throw on a wetsuit or costume on and go do a show.

Reporter: Don, I really like the clown in the ski show.

Don: Yea they are a big part of our show, the children love them and to get a chance to meet them and get their picture taken with them will leave memories in the mind for a life time.

Reporter: Tell me about the pyramid?

Don: We are doing 4 tiers here in Korea because the conditions allow for it. Cypress Gardens was the first place to develop the 3 - 4 and 5 high pyramids over the many years that Cypress Gardens has been around. Pyramids can be very dangerous. (note: Cypress Gardens is presently closed for remodeling and will hope to reopen end of 2011)

Reporter: The people really like the jumpers.

Don: What can you say these guys are great. We have a special club, we call it the 500 club, that means that a jumper jumps 500 times without a fall he becomes a member of this elite group of jumpers. Now keep in mind we count rope breaking, weather related falls,,, all as falls and the skier starts over at 0. On this trip we have 3 guys in the 500 club one with 500, another 1000, and the third with 2300 jumps without a fall. That is why we are proud of our jumpers they are the best.

Reporter: I talked with your announcer and sound person, yesterday. They are awesome!

Don: Yep that why they are here. Without them it is like drinking a soda without ice. They keep the excitement level up with the announcing as well as the music. Both are a huge part of the show, and they are just another part that makes of the family and show that is Stars Of Florida.

Reporter: Don thank you for your time and I think we will see each other again here in Korea judging by the response that you guys have gotten here.

Don: We would love to return to Korea anytime

Korea

starsofflorida — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:54:09 +0000

Shows in Korea went great. Met many new friends. Talks have begun for a return to another location next summer. We will post photos soon.

Bogota, Colombia

starsofflorida — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:46:07 +0000

Shows in Bogota went great. Stars waterski team performed in front of an estimated 150,000 people in the city center of the Colombian capital. We performed 3 shows on August 7th and 8th. One of the shows were broadcast on national television. We are presently in talks to return to Colombian in Oct. for more shows.

Water Ski Shows in Jordan!

starsofflorida — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:53:00 +0000

I will be returning to Aqaba, Jordan next week 9th May, for talks to finalize water ski show featuring the Stars Of Florida. I always enjoy returning the Jordan. We have performed waterski shows there, 5-6 times over the past 14 years. It is awesome to see the great history that Jordan has. In the past our host Simon Khoury a former Cypress Gardens waterskier as well as show director, has been our guide and host. We all enjoy hearing all the old story's about Cypress Gardens waterski show and fun to realize that his stories are about they same as ours from the resent years although the names have changed. It also looks as though this will be the last show in Aqaba with Simon's involvement as he is moving his interest back to Beirut after many great years in Jordan. Stay tuned to updates on the Stars Of Florida's travel dates!

Water Ski Show article about Stars Of Florida! click on each page to enlarge.

starsofflorida — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:39:49 +0000

: Ski Show

Water Ski Shows working on so far in 2010!

starsofflorida — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Kuwait, Equador, India, Colombia (Bogota), Turkmenistan, Korea. Stay tune for more details.

Stars to be in Colombia!

starsofflorida — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:43:46 +0000