Lake Geneva Mail and Tour Boat has Teens Jumping for a Summer Job

Annual Mail Boat Jumper Tryouts Held on June 11

While most people avoid jumping on or off a moving boat, Wisconsin teens are literally jumping their way into one of the coolest summer jobs. On Tuesday, June 11, the Lake Geneva Cruise Line will hold their annual tryout to choose this year’s mail delivery jumpers aboard the U.S. Mailboat Walworth.

High school and college-aged applicants will compete for the four coveted mailboat jumper jobs by hopping from the U.S. Mailboat Walworth to piers on Lake Geneva delivering the daily mail to mailboxes and then back on the boat before it pulls away. The boat never stops! Interested applicants are Lake Geneva Cruise Line employees with at least one year of work experience with the company. During tryouts, potential jumpers test their athletic abilities, often ending up in the lake when they don’t get the timing just right. Mailboat jumpers also act as tour guides during the Mailboat Tour, so those trying are also asked to narrate a portion of the historical guided tour for judges to evaluate their speaking and tour guide skills. Their athletic abilities may be top notch, but if they are not able to narrate a great tour they may not get the job.

Jumpers are selected based on 50 percent for athletic skill, 50 percent for delivery of narrated tour information, and 50 percent for enthusiasm. “Yes, we’re looking for someone who gives 150 percent,” says Captain Neill Frame. “We have an important job to do–making sure lakeside residents receive their mail without a hitch while passengers get the history lesson and entertainment they signed up for.”

Mailboat tours open for the season to the general public on Saturday, June 15, beginning at 10 a.m. and run daily through September 15. Book your tickets now.

2024 marks the 108th year that U.S. Mail has been delivered by boat on Lake Geneva and 151 years for Gage Marine Corporation.