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Barefoot skiing is water skiing behind a motorboat without the use of water skis, commonly referred to as "barefooting". Barefooting requires the skier to travel at higher speeds (30–45 mph/48–72 km/h) than conventional water skiing (20–35 miles per hour/32–56 km/h).
Photographs and newsreels of Pope barefoot waterskiing at speeds in excess of 40 mph became an international sensation at the time. [6] The media attention was created by his father, Dick Pope Sr., to generate publicity for Cypress Gardens, but it also helped popularize water skiing worldwide. That same year, at age 17, Dick Pope Jr. won his ...
Don Cameron Thomson (born October 14, 1941) is an American water skier and a pioneer in the sport of barefoot skiing.He expanded early barefoot endurance records from 5 to over 30 minutes and introduced new maneuvers to the sport such as doubles barefooting, front to back and back to front turns, and participated in the development of the tumble turn with Terry Vance. [1]
Mike Seipel (born Mike Seipel) is a retired American competitive barefoot water skier. He was considered to be one of the greatest barefoot water skiers in the world. He was a member of the United States Barefoot Team and was a two-time overall world champion in 1984-85 [1] and 1986–87. Seipel didn't win any medals at his first Worlds, but he ...
While racing cars, involvement in the early days of barefoot water skiing, and even black-tie parties [1] he earned the nickname of "Barefoot Stew" and a reputation for vigorously independent thinking [5] He was the biological father of biologist George M. Church at MacDill Air Force Base in 1954. [6]
[citation needed] He also helped form the World Water Ski Federation, a rival organization to the International Water Ski Union. His son, Dick Pope Jr., was one of the first persons to successfully barefoot water ski, [9] and is a member of the Water Ski Hall of Fame. They are the only father–son pair in the Water Ski Hall of Fame.
On October 18, 2013, the Banana George Blair family and the American Water Ski Educational Foundation (AWSEF) established the "George Blair Ambassador Scholarship" - an annual college scholarship, awarded to a young water skier who exhibits excellence on the water, in the classroom, and in serving as an ambassador for the sport.
A rule of thumb for barefoot water skiing speed in miles per hour is (M/10)+18=S, where M equals the skier's weight in pounds. In other words, a 175 lb (79 kg) person would have to divide 175/10, which is 17.5; then simply add 17.5+18 which equals 35.5 miles per hour (57.1 km/h). Another tool used in barefoot water skiing is the barefoot boom.