My Endless Summers

Scott, Gene & Mark

We are well into the "dog days" of summer down here in Georgia. It's hot and muggy. Most don't like this time of year in the South, but I always did, and still do. During this time of year, I can't help but to think back on a moment in my life when I literally spent 16 hours a day, 6 days a week, enjoying the "lake life". Anyone who knows me well knows that I love warm weather, suntans and water. For me, waterskiing was the perfect past time and it soon became a way of life.

Sherrie - Girlfriend & Driver

In the early 1980's I was taught to waterski on Lake Lanier by my lifelong friend, Kevin Bruce. His grandfather had a boat and some old skis. Kevin invited me to go to the lake with him one day and that event changed the course of my life. I enjoyed that experience so much that when I was 16 years old I purchased my first boat so that I could ski whenever I wanted. One challenge with water skiing is that it takes two. Someone is needed to drive the boat. My wife, Sherrie, who was my girlfriend at the time, spent a lot of time pulling me skiing, but she wasn't always available, and my need for time on the water became a priority. Enter my friend, Gene McLeod. Gene enjoyed skiing as much as I did and we soon made quite the duo. Time at the lake was so much fun as I began to learn general boating protocol, to tie rope knots and to slalom ski. Gene and I pushed each other pretty hard to learn new waterskiing skills. At a Sunday School Class party, Gene and I were taught something I could only dream of doing. We learned to ski without skis. For us, barefoot skiing was the pinnacle of advanced waterskiing and it came with the ultimate "cool" factor. Bill Andrews, who was one of the legend skiers in our area, brought his Ski Nautique to the party and spent several hours teaching Gene and I how to barefoot ski. We were hooked! Barefoot skiing became our every waking thought. My boat was instantly too slow for our new found passion, so I purchased my own Ski Nautique that could easily handle the necessary speeds needed for this exhilarating sport. We then traveled to Barefoot International Ski School in Lantana, Florida to learn the finer points of barefoot skiing and to learn other amazing tricks on the water void of skis. We came home from that trip with plenty to work on all summer.

Gene & Scott late in the evening

As we improved, we began competing in the sport and discovered that the boat company, Correct Craft, who made the Ski Nautique actually made a BAREFOOT NAUTIQUE!!! I had to have one! It wasn't long before I was training daily behind my very own Barefoot Nautique and working toward goals to step into the professional ranks of barefoot waterskiing.

Jeff, Gene and Scott building the pyramid

This brings us to the moment in my life where time seemed to stand still. It was the summer of 1986... and the beginning of a string of "endless summers". I had taught several of my friends how to barefoot ski, and I had made a few new ski friends on Lake Lanier, as well as at barefoot tournaments, all who contributed to my success in the sport. I'm sharing the names of many of these people with you because even today they mean so much to me. Gene had landed a job at Sears and he had a lot of free time in the mornings. My friend, Mark Strange, worked part time and was often available to ski and drive throughout the day. I met a high school student where we skied named, Jeff Lafkowitz. Jeff's grandparents owned a home on the lake and a dock where we could set up camp. Of course, Sherrie was often available after work and would pull me late into the evenings. Yes, I actually skied from 6:00AM-9:00PM every single day of my life for 3 straight summers. The stories, people and places that came out of this time of my life could fill a book. I have literally skied on every inch of water that Lake Lanier can offer, from 3 foot shallows, to the 260 foot deep waters in front of Buford Dam. I also met one of my best friends while skiing a tournament in Alabama. David Harrell was a fierce competitor and we struck a friendship that found me at his place on the Alabama river on most weekends as Lake Lanier became very crowded with boaters.

Scott & Jim 1987

I also met my buddy, Jim Drown, during this time. Jim and I often trained together and we would travel to tournaments throughout the Southeast in his cool car. At the end of the day, I won a National Championship in barefoot skiing in 1987 as I was well on my way to achieving my goal to become a professional waterskier.

Scott in training

This is what a typical day was like during the "Endless Summer" era. If I hadn't spent the night on Jeff's grandfather's old house boat, then I'd meet Gene and/or Mark at Shoal Creek park on Lake Lanier at 5:45AM with boat in tow. The water was usually glass, like a mirror. Perfectly smooth water is desired for barefoot waterski training. A slight ripple on the water is fine, but strong winds and boat rollers are the enemy. We would launch the boat and argue for who would get the first run on the glass calm water. As the morning glow would illuminate the lake, one of us would slip into the warm water eager to be the first to cut through the glassy surface. You can actually hear the water sizzle under your feet when it's glass smooth. During the summer the surface water temperature on Lake Lanier can creep into the mid 90 degrees. It was so wonderful to jump into that warm water without a single shiver running up my spine. On weekdays in the 1980's boat traffic on Lake Lanier was minimal, so if the wind laid low we could train on our bare feet all morning. At some point, Jeff would stroll down to the dock. He'd barefoot ski with us and then we'd take a break on his dock for a bit, laying in the sun and chatting about skiing mostly. Sometimes we'd take a short nap. That dock became our home base. If the boat needed gas we'd either pull it out and tow it to McDonalds for lunch, or sometimes we might drive the boat to a nearby marina to fuel up and eat cream puff rolls that soon took on the name "ski food". As long as the water remained calm we would continue to barefoot ski trying to perfect the art of gliding on the water without skis. If the water turned choppy then it was time to break out the water toys.

Kneeboard antics

The Hydroslide kneeboard was a favorite, but we also enjoyed skiing slalom, performing various tricks on shoe skis, surfing on the fat wake of the Barefoot Nautique and launching into the sky on the Skurfer which was the predecessor to the wakeboard of today.

Big air on the Skurfer

The water toys kept us occupied and cool throughout the heat of the summer day. Sometimes we'd get on Jeff's jet skis and play. As the sun would sink low in the sky, I'd turn my mind back to barefoot training as the evening was my favorite time to ski. Most boaters would have headed home leaving the water to settle down and leave me with the smooth conditions I enjoyed so much. I also loved to take in the many beautiful sunsets that are made even more spectacular on the water. Sherrie would often arrive as the heat of the day gave way to slightly cooler temperatures as the sun began to fall below the horizon. Gene and Mark would have already left for work, Jeff would return to his home and now it was Sherrie's turn to pull me for my evening set. We would ski right up to dark, sometimes pushing it into the night with only a slight afterglow for light that would silhouette the shore line. She would insist that she could "no longer see!". Those often angry words would bring to a close my day of skiing. We would listen to the radio while we wound ropes, hung wetsuits and organized the boat. A late dinner was usually waiting for us at mom and dad's. After dinner I'd crash for the evening while anticipating doing it all over again the very next day.

Mark chillin back barefoot

Yes, this went on every day from April-September. (We usually stayed away from the lake on Sunday's as there were more crowds on Sunday's and I also needed to give my body a rest.) I can honestly say that I waterskied more than I walked during this time of my life. The friendships and memories from those Endless Summers are so fond and forever etched in my mind. I'll be sharing more stories from this time in my life that I hope you'll find entertaining.