Inducted into the Florida Water Ski Federation Hall of Fame 2005

Linda Stata of Lakeland is a former member of the Lakeland Water Ski Club. She grew up in St. Petersburg with her family. She and her sister skied from St Petersburg to New York behind a houseboat (their dad drove the boat) for a promo for the World’s Fair. She was a three-event skier of local, regional and national note from Junior Girls through the Senior Divisions. She is a former coach of the Florida Southern College water ski team. She worked the intercollegiate circuit as a judge and coach from 1969 until the late 1980s. She would spend many hours after a tournament working with Stew McDonald, Harry Robb, Elmer and Barbara Stailing, and Jeff Clark, on revising the rules to bring the standards of the tournaments up to a credible standard. She has retired from competitive water skiing.