Barefoot Water Skiing

Barefoot Water Skiing

by Jaimee Blocksom

Publication Date: August 1996

Unless you are afraid of water, water skiing might not sound like an extreme sport to you, but what if the skiers weren't wearing skis? That's exactly the way Todd Chism, Jim Forester, Cal Johnson and Joe Yates (all of Louisville) are skiing these days. Barefoot water skiing has been around for a while, but these men are still learning their stuff. Jim has been dubbed the "master" of the group, since he has had the most experience (seven years) and is responsible for teaching the others. All four men have been water-skiing for several years and turned to barefooting to provide new challenges.

Aside from Jim, Todd has been barefooting longest, for only one and a half years; Joe, one year, and Cal, only 10 months. Todd had been skiing along at Six Mile Island when he saw Jim and asked for lessons. His lifelong friend Joe was next in line to learn. But how does one acquire the necessary skills to barefoot? Well, Jim recommends a three-step process that begins with learning to feel comfortable riding along the water on your backside. Once this is accomplished, a three-point stance (the butt and two feet) is mastered. Finally, the skier must learn to stand up by sliding, not shoving, his/her two feet into the water.

The speed for barefoot skiing is calculated by the body weight of the individual skier. Divide the body weight by ten and add twenty (this is for two-footed skiing; for one-footed skiing, add four mph to the two-foot speed). For those with especially sensitive feet, neoprene boots may be worn to add moderate protection against the water. A specially made wet-suit should also be worn: a barefooting suit has extra padding in the back and rear sections, as well as cinches for the leg openings to keep out water.

The list of tricks that barefooters can attempt is long and technical. As if riding the water on bare feet isn't enough, they can increase the difficulty. They sometimes ski on only one foot, holding the ski rope with their teeth, or starting backwards, which requires their faces to be underwater. Jim travels to Barefoot International training school in West Palm Beach, FL to train with two-time world champion Mike Seipel, to learn new techniques, which he passes on to the group. The list of tricks the group members can currently do includes: Back toe-up: starting move, backwards, foot in harness; Front toe-up: starting move, one foot in harness; Tumble turns: 360 degree turn on butt then stand up; Side slide: One foot sideways, other foot out of water; One foot toe holds: stance change, from two footed to one foot; Backwards barefooting: facing the opposite direction; Back deep water start: start facedown, backwards; Back one-foots; Front to back line step over: backwards two feet, pass ski rope through legs; and surface hops: two foot stance, hop feet off of water.

If these stunts still don't sound extreme enough for you, consider the fact that these die-hard skiers continue their training year-round. During the winter months, the group members simply don their dry suits, latex gloves and boots to keep out the water. While the duck hunters may not appreciate the disturbance, they have to give credit to these guys for dedication.