The sport of water skiing was invented in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson at the age of 19, using a pair of boards as skis and a clothesline as a towrope on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota USA. On July 8, 1925, Samuelson went on to perform the first ski jump on water. That same year, he became the first speed skier as he raced across the water at 80 mph (130 km/h) while being pulled by a Curtiss flying boat. He spent 15 years performing at shows and teaching water skiing.
This vintage video is a 1970’s take on the history of water skiing. Fun to watch and remember summer days spent on the lake, and realize how far the sport and videography have come.
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The world’s top professional and junior skiers competed on a world-class slalom course at the 2017 Malibu Open Water Ski Championships on September 29 & 30 at Trophy Lakes Sports – John’s Island, South Carolina. If you missed the live broadcast, there’s still time to watch a video recording of all the tricks and jumps. Just click/tap the “Watch Again” button or select from the video posts on the media player below ↓
FREE To WATCH fun on the lakes – WAKESURFING
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Feature photo is courtesy of Flickr user, Henry, CC BY 2.0
