This Is A Custom Widget

This Sliding Bar can be switched on or off in theme options, and can take any widget you throw at it or even fill it with your custom HTML Code. Its perfect for grabbing the attention of your viewers. Choose between 1, 2, 3 or 4 columns, set the background color, widget divider color, activate transparency, a top border or fully disable it on desktop and mobile.

This Is A Custom Widget

This Sliding Bar can be switched on or off in theme options, and can take any widget you throw at it or even fill it with your custom HTML Code. Its perfect for grabbing the attention of your viewers. Choose between 1, 2, 3 or 4 columns, set the background color, widget divider color, activate transparency, a top border or fully disable it on desktop and mobile.

Blog

Blog/
1609, 2014

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 […]

1609, 2014

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. […]

1609, 2014

Win Some, Lose Some: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
12: WIN SOME, LOSE SOME
 

If you compete long enough there will be times you should win, but lose. Conversely, there are also times that you deserve to lose, but somehow manage to a win. It’s all supposed to balance out. I’ve had a mixed bag.

My day to squeak out a win at a major event […]

1209, 2014

Aerialist: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
11: AERIALIST
 

In 1986 Herb O’Brien decided it was time for HO Sports to make their first kneeboard. He asked me to design it, and I excitedly agreed.

The first step to develop a new design is to create a test board out of foam and fiberglass. I didn’t have any personal experience in hand shaping boards, […]

909, 2014

Riding the Wave – Competitions: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
10: RIDING THE WAVE – COMPETITIONS
 

In the early 1980s watersports enthusiasts were excited about kneeboarding. The industry was pumping money into the market with new designs and an advertising blitz. More riders than ever were getting good on a kneeboard, and companies like Hydroslide, O’Brien, Connelly, and Ski Master were giving free product to the […]

909, 2014

Mail It In: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
9: MAIL IT IN
The water ski magazines were fueling the growth of the sport. In 1982 Spray ran the first kneeboarding feature story, with action shots by Terry Dorner. It was the first time real kneeboarders were pictured, even though their names were left out. The following year World Water Skiing did a makeover, and […]

909, 2014

Magic Time: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
8: MAGIC TIME
O’Brien was another company that went after Hydroslide’s huge market share., leading the way with their foam-filled board called the Bullfrog. But the lackluster design was antiquated, and the graphics were something a kid might go for: an all green board with a giant bullfrog sitting on the nose.

 

O’Brien’s Entry into the Kneeboarding […]

909, 2014

Ski Master: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
7: SKI MASTER
The popular water ski manufacturer Ski Master wanted to grab a piece of the kneeboard pie in the early 1980s. They bought Tunnel Board in 1981, who was still hanging around in a distant second place to Hydroslide. Ski Master kept the original thin profile high performance board, and expanded the line with […]

909, 2014

Hydroslide: Adventures in Waterskiing, Kneeboarding

 

 
6: HYDROSLIDE
The next big boost in kneeboarding came from the man most recognized for popularizing the sport. Danny Churchill, quarter mile speed ski record holder, obtained the rights to Glide Slide in April, 1974.6 He was a former employee of Glide Slide who knew the business. From the next few years Churchill redesigned the teardrop […]

809, 2014

Kneed for Speed: Adventures in Water Skiing, Kneeeboarding

 

 
5: KNEED FOR SPEED
In 1978, at the Endo’s International Speed Skiing Championships, I witnessed kneeboarding insanity.

The site was the Long Beach Marine Stadium. I only remember the kneeboarder by his nickname, Dumbdee. He was a Long Beach local who talked the promoters into letting him have a speed run on his Tunnel Board. Just to […]