NORTON, Ohio — For many families across Medina and Summit counties, the arrival of summer comes with a familiar ritual: packing up lawn chairs or blankets and heading to the lake to watch a group of skiers turn the water into a stage.
At Emerald Lake — just about 3 miles east of the border between the two counties — that tradition plays out each week as the Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team performs its signature mix of storytelling and high-speed stunts.
As the sun dips behind the trees, actors in costume step up to microphones along the shoreline. Music carries across the water. Out on the lake, a boat accelerates, pulling a line of skiers who rise, balance and begin to climb, stacking into a human pyramid that glides across the surface…