History of Barefoot Water Skiing

Barefoot water skiers have long been regarded as the daredevils of the sport, but in recent years, barefooting has evolved into much more than just a crazy stunt.

Competitors nowadays compete across the three disciplines of wake slalom, tricks and jump.

Although an American, Dick Pope Jnr, is credited as being the first man to barefoot water ski as far back as 1947, it is the Australians who developed and dominated the sport over the following forty years.

In March 1960, the Australian Barefoot Water Ski Club was formed by such great exponents as Jack Murray (deceased), Ray Leighton, John Holland and Ron Marks.

In April 1963, Australia conducted its first official competition, patronized by 38 skiers and eventually won by Irwin Luthiger in Mens and Mary McMillan in Womens.

The growth of the sport has been spectacular worldwide.  Such greats in the early years like Ken Matthews, Garry Barton, Mary McMillian, Brett Wing, Kim Lampard and in more recent years Americans Ron Scarpa, Mike Seipel, Rick and Lori Powell, Jennifer Calleri, Australians John Pennay, Sharon Stekelenburg, Brett Sands and South African Nadine De Viliers have all lead their countries in pursuit of the highly sought after gold medal in the “teams overall” competition.

Advanced tricks performed by the top competitors today include 720^o turns, toe 180^o turns, line steps and even somersaults have been developed, astounding the champions of only tem years ago.

One of the more momentous steps in the development of barefoot water skiing was the holding of the first World Barefoot Water Ski Championships in Canberra in 1978.  Fifty-four competitors from 11 nations gathered on the glass-like waters of the Molonglo River and so began an international rivalry that has boosted the art of barefooting to an Olympic level.

A further milestone in the sport was the staging of the first Junior Championships in the USA in 1995 and Senior (over 35) Championships in 1999.  In 2006 the first Combined World Barefoot Water Ski Championships (included Junior, Open and Senior skiers) was held in Adna, Washington, USA.