Meet The 17-Year-Old Lake Of The Ozarks Wakesurfer Heading To China With Team USA

Meet Victoria Moroski and you'll find a sweet — and somewhat shy — teenager. But get her out on Lake of the Ozarks, and you'll see one of the country's top teenage wakesurfers with multiple gold medals to her name. Victoria can absolutely shred, and she's only been competing for three years.

Now, the 17-year-old is preparing for her biggest competition yet: representing Team USA at the IWWF World Wakesurf Championships in Hangzhou, China.

Victoria graduated early from Lake Christian Academy last spring. Now's she's enjoying a gap year, focusing on wakesurfing competitions before eventually pursuing the medical field.

She's already made the most of the time. Earlier this month, Victoria headed to Callaway Gardens in Georgia for the Nautique Masters Wakesurf Championships Sept. 9-13, where she took first place in the semi-pro women's division.

Wakesurfing comes naturally to Victoria. The water is a second home, and the sport has already taken her to some pretty cool places. She even got to surf during a family vacation in Greece — although the setup was a little different. While wake boats are designed to store water in the hull to create a large wake, Victoria said in Greece the driver used cinder blocks to weigh down the back of the boat and create a surfable wake.

Surfing in Greece was memorable, but Victoria's favorite place to surf is still at home: Lake of the Ozarks.

Lake Life

The Moroskis live near the 3 Mile Marker of the Gravois Arm, where deep water allows Victoria to practice right outside their home. The trick is getting out early enough to beat the boat traffic and find smooth water.

Victoria first got up on a wakesurf board when she was 12. Her parents had bought a boat and enjoyed watersports, and eventually their two daughters joined in.

At first, Victoria preferred wakeboarding. What started as another way to enjoy the Lake eventually became something much bigger. Then a broken ankle sidelined her for awhile, and that time away from the water made Victoria realize how much she loved wakesurfing.

“I like learning new stuff and pushing myself to get better,” Victoria said simply.

Whether she's seeing how many tricks she can put into a combo, teaching friends how to ride, or making sure her shorts match her life jacket, Victoria lives life on the water — and not just during the summer.

Competition has taken her elsewhere, too. Two of her favorite places to surf are Clermont, Florida, and Lake Pleasant, Arizona. “I kept getting distracted during competition because the water is so pretty,” Victoria recalled.

Still, Lake of the Ozarks is where she wants to be. The sometimes-rough water can make for a good training ground, and when training is done, there's always jet skiing.

Surfing has also given her some unusual stories. Once, after getting back in the boat from wakesurfing, Victoria unzipped her life jacket and a fish fell out! Other times, jumping fish have hit her in the face.

Victoria can see herself continuing to compete as she gets older. Her mom, Shelly Moroski, wants her to take advantage of the opportunities in front of her while she can.

“She’s not showy,” said Shelly, who often drives the boat for Victoria. “She’s a good girl you want to cheer for. She doesn’t brag.” Even if she has a reason to: with multiple national and masters world championships under her belt.

More Than Wakesurfing

Victoria's Christian faith is central to her life. The Moroski family attends church at The Potter's House in Camdenton, and Victoria says God comes first. And while wakesurfing dominates plenty of her time and energy — she says she never gets tired of it — it's not the only thing she enjoys.

Victoria also likes to stay active, whether she's working out, playing basketball or volleyball, skateboarding, kayaking, or tubing — although tubing is off-limits when a competition is getting close. When she's ready to slow down, she enjoys reading by the pool and playing piano.

But for now, one competition is taking much of her attention.

Representing Team USA

In October, wakesurfing will take Victoria farther from Lake of the Ozarks than ever before.

She was selected to represent Team USA at the 2026 IWWF World Wakesurf Championships, set for Oct. 9-17 at Xiang Lake in Hangzhou, China. Riders from around the world will compete for individual and team world championship titles.

Victoria was Team USA's selection for the Under-18 Skim division.

“I can’t wait to meet new people and experience new cultures,” Victoria said of the upcoming trip.

The Moroskis plan to leave Oct. 8, with the whole family making the trek and turning the competition into a roughly 10-day experience of a lifetime.

Getting Victoria to this point hasn't been a solo effort. She credits coaches Sean Silveira and Whitley Roberts and acknowledges the support of sponsors: Centurion Boats, Hughes Marine, Phase 5 Wakesurf Boards, and MarineMax.

For Victoria, China will be another chance to compete, learn something new, and see just how far a sport she picked up on her home lake can take her.

And once the trip is over, chances are she'll be back where she's most comfortable — behind a boat at Lake of the Ozarks.