The genie is out of the bottle.
Lovers of towed watersports may not want to hear this or even consider the possible long-term effects caused by multiple hard falls.
Who wants to find out that the sport they love can have a direct and serious affect on brain function later in life?
I’m all about assumed risk. People […]
1: THE HISTORY OF THE KNEEBOARD
Kneeboarding has had a rocky road on its way to becoming one of the mainstays of the water ski industry. 2013 marks 40 years as a commercially produced product. That’s been enough time for the kneeboard to grow from a fad in the 1970s, to public darling of the 1980s, […]
A TURNING POINT – THE JOKER’S WILD
The UPS truck pulls to my house with a special delivery from HO Sports. I have been waiting for months, and I tear into the large box with great anticipation. A swash of primary colors covered in plastic emerges from the cardboard cradle. I’m ecstatic to see my new […]
Table of Contents, Preface, Acknowledgements & Photographers
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A TURNING POINT – THE JOKER’S WILD – A vision quest with Herb O’Brien.
1: THE HISTORY OF THE KNEEBOARD – Waves, discs, and dreams.
2: KNEE SKI – The first production kneeboard by Mike Murphy and Bud Hulst.
3: GLIDE SLIDE – John Taylor creates the modern day plastic and foam filled board.
4: […]
Like any good story, book, or movie, your run on the water can have an entertaining start, middle, and end. My years as a show skier and long-time exhibitionist have taught me to squeeze every moment out of each run.
Today’s tip is how to bring some attention to your last splash. Most riders end their […]
Because I have skied on so many different things people often ask, “What is your favorite ride?”
So here’s the answer, and 9 more of my all-time favorites:
1. Sit-Down Hydrofoil: AKA Air Chair, Sky Ski, Next Foil.
My uncle Mike Murphy was the co-inventor of the original Air Chair in 1989, so the sit-down foil has been […]
It all started with my uncle, Mike Murphy. He played Aqua the clown for the Tommy Bartlett Ski, Sky, and Stage Show in the late 1960s. One of Mike’s photos was used as a postcard, and as a cover photo for the yearly program. A framed 8×10 even hung in the Water Ski Hall of […]
Everything I Know About Getting Up Backwards!
I have been often asked the trick to starting backwards on a slalom ski.
My stock answer is to try it at least 100 times. And most advanced-intermediate skiers get it by then!
But may be the time for me to modify that answer. I have switched to a new ski […]
A Skurfer Tribute Ride with the Original Co-Founders: “Tony Finn” and John Hamilton!
Ride #18 of 50: Skiboard.
I’ve been training hard for my “50 for 50” in Summer 2015. That’s 50 different rides in 1 day to celebrate turning 50.
In the days before the original Hyperlite wakeboard (1991), these foam filled floaters were called skiboards. I […]
