Located at the center of the Water Skiing Capital of the World, the Florida Pool on the shores of Lake Eloise inside the Legoland Park is an aging icon, with a deep history tied directly to the heyday of Cypress Gardens. We honor this landmark not just with the words and images from this post, […]
Air Wars
Big air was always a big deal in hydrofoiling. In the earliest days without a seatbelt Bob Woolley jumped the highest. Mike added a seatbelt to the Air Chair, and vaulted past Bob for top honors. Then Mike and Jon Wilborn went at it for years. But no one really knew how high […]
$100,000 EXPERIMENT
At Flight Worlds 2000 I was still the one to beat in Tricks, but Free Ride and Big Air were up for grabs.
For me, the year 2000 was the peak of my involvement with hydrofoiling. My Flight World Newsletter and mail order business was generating enough money to make it worthwhile, and I was […]
TRIPPIN’ WITH SCHÖRNO
Mike is fond of saying that there never would have been a Sky Ski without Peter Schörno. When the legal battle heated up between Bob and Mike, Peter stepped in and gave Mike all the support he needed to flight the case, and when the legal drama was over he helped get Sky […]
#46 Helicopter Dock Start on a Slalom Ski
Photo: Art Brewer, 1982
The summer of 1982 was my breakout year as a hot dog water skier. My uncle Mike Murphy popularized the sport in the 1970s with moves like the backwards deepwater start, wake 360 and tumble turn. I wanted to be like Mike, and once I […]
Click for Photos 36-40 (with stories & related links)
Click for Photos 41-45 (with stories & related links)
Click for Photos 46-50 (with stories & related links)
At the turn of the 20th century small boats called launches were just becoming powerful enough to tow riders. The first craze in towed watersports was a big flat board resembling a large door. The aquaplane was a popular device for decades, often referenced in early newspapers as an offshoot of surfing inspired by Hawaiian […]
Every Ride List “Rules”
How does one place rules on such an arbitrary endeavor?
I have been thinking about this list since 2004, and have come up with a few guidelines to impose upon myself when deciding if something “counts” or not.
I’ve also spent a lot of time talking to my uncle Mike Murphy about the list. […]
History of the “Every Ride” List
It all started as a birthday stunt in 2004 inspired by my grandmother, Mary Murphy. She rode her hydrofoil to Catalina Island and back, a distance of 52 miles across open ocean, to celebrate her birthdays from age 79-88.
When it came time for my 40th birthday I decided to try […]
Every Ride
Documenting rides on every known water skiing device, and then some.
73 Total
48 ridden by Tony Klarich
Evolution of the Every Ride List
Every Ride “Rules”
The List
Click hyperlinks on individual rides for info, history, photos, and videos. If you have info to document changes to this list I would love to hear from you! My goal is […]
