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Adventures in Water Skiing

/Adventures in Water Skiing

Adventures in Water Skiing, Hydrofoiling. Stand Up Foils

 

 
FIRST FLIGHT > STAND UP HYDROFOILS (1906-1989)
 

The first record of using a hydrofoil on a boat belongs to the Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini in 1906. Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin improved upon Forlanini’s design in 1919, and their hydrofoil boat, the Hydrodrom-4, set a speed record of 60 knots, which lasted into the 1960s. There have […]

Adventures in Water Skiing, Hydrofoiling. Mike Murphy’s First Roll

 

 
A TURNING POINT: MIKE MURPHY’S FIRST ROLL
Our family is at the Marine Stadium in Long Beach, CA on a beautiful spring day in 1991. I usually ride first but today is different. Uncle Mike suits up first because he has a new move to show off. He tries to keep it a secret, but can’t resist […]

Adventures in Water Skiing, Hydrofoiling. Table of Contents, Preface, Acknowledgements & Photographers

 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
A TURNING POINT – MIKE MURPHY’S TITLE ROLL

FIRST FLIGHT > STAND-UP FOILS – (1906-1989): Learning to fly on water: from boats to people

KNEEBOARD HYDROFOIL > AIR CHAIR – (1983-1991): Developing the first sit- down hydrofoil

3 NEW MOVES – Strapping one on to invent the wake front roll, air wrapped 360, and Skidder.

SHOOT TO KILL – A […]

This Is The End – Or Is It? Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
19: THIS IS THE END – OR IS IT?
 

The golden days of kneeboarding ended when it got dropped from the Pro Tour. Gone was the industry backing with big cash tournaments, and the spotlight of TV and constant magazine coverage. Without those incentives , there was little reason for riders to advance the sport. After […]

A New Direction: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
 18: A NEW DIRECTION
 

A trio of riders from North Carolina refused to roll over for the wakeboarding juggernaut. Jonathan Macdonald and his brother David were joined by Billy Rossini in an effort to resurrect kneeboarding., The triumvirate of tricksters pushed kneeboarding into a new direction that was based on big air. Not the big air […]

Switched Stance: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
17: SWITCHED STANCE
 

In 1992 The Budweiser Water Ski Pro Tour added kneeboarding and wakeboarding competitions. For the first time in several years, the kneeboarding event was not a Hydroslide exclusive, and all the best riders had a chance to participate. But even that couldn’t lure me out of retirement from competitive kneeboarding. Sea-Doo was the […]

Thin Is In: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
16: THIN IS IN
 

Kneeboarding was on the Pro Tour as an exhibition competition from 1986-1991. I was there, but was not invited to compete. That’s because Hydroslide was the exclusive kneeboard sponsor, and I worked for HO. I took my turn on the water performing my hot dog slalom routine, but the kneeboarding was left […]

Scared Straight: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
15: SCARED STRAIGHT
 

One of my scariest moments in skiing came during a ski show in Guayacil, Ecuador. Fabrizio Malnati invited the HO/Hyperlite team south of the equator to help promote his ski shop. The team consisted of Darin Shapiro, Bebe Anderson, and myself.

During one part of the show Darin and I both rode behind one […]

Digital Drama: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
14: DIGITAL DRAMA
In the fall of 1989 I wanted to do one last sick kneeboard move for the record. My longtime photographer Rick Doyle was behind the lens to capture the action frame by frame. I was on home waters; the Parker Strip, so it only seemed right to go back to the move that […]

Road Warrior: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
13: ROAD WARRIOR
 

The 1980s were a whirlwind of shows, competitions, photo shoots, and all the craziness that comes with being single and on the road.

Rick Skinner, the Midwest rep for HO, took me on a 10-day tour of Michigan and Wisconsin, don’t you know.

We hit the road to call on Rick’s dealers over the region. […]