Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 6, 1990 TAG: 9007070425
SECTION: SMITH MOUNTAIN TIMES PAGE: SMT1 EDITION: BEDFORD/FRANKLIN
SOURCE: TRACY WIMMER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"Thirty and hug the outside," Sanchez yells to the boat's driver.
"Are you sure?" David Maitland yells back above the idling motor.
Sanchez throws his arm forward, a signal to take off.
"Now he's going to bust his . . ." Maitland's voice trails off as he throws the craft into forward. The speed climbs, cutting through near-perfect conditions on this hot summer evening.
But by the time the boat has reached 30 mph, the grin is gone. And ahead, Sanchez spies a waxed, wet ramp jutting from the water like the Loch Ness monster. Maitland then takes one last look over his shoulder, another into the rear-view mirror and slowly begins to hug the outside.
In turn, Sanchez tightens his grip on the tow rope, leans into his skis and stares straight ahead.
Closer . . . closer . . . Sanchez hits the ramp - there for only a few seconds before becoming airborne. Seconds later, splat! His fiberglass skis hit the water. Maitland looks over his shoulder and sees that Sanchez is cruising over the wake.
And the grin is back.
Part of the exhilaration of flying through the air on a pair of water skis is knowing what it takes to get there.
"Confidence," Sanchez says. "It seems to me it takes so much confidence. But once you clear the ramp, it's a real rush."
By now, three or four more ski boats have anchored in the "S" curves of the Roanoke River arm of Smith Mountain Lake. Most were here the night before. Saturday, July 7, these folks will compete in the Virginia State Games Water Ski Tournament, the first American Water Ski Association-sanctioned tournament to be held on Smith Mountain Lake. The action will take place in Sailor's Cove in front of Bernard's Landing.
While the event is part of a 29-sport festival for amateurs, it's hard to believe these skiers are anything but pros after watching them ramp, trick and slalom-jump.
Although much of the course had been here for at least 12 years, it had fallen victim to bad weather, bad drivers and vandals. Then a couple of years ago, a group of friendly strangers decided to form the Smith Mountain Lake Water Ski Club. Now boasting 40 dues-paying members, the club offers ski clinics, free ski video use and free ramp-jumping.
Sanchez, president of the club, has spent 23 of his 36 years water-skiing. Sanchez skied the intercoastal waterways of his native Titusville, Fla., as a child, but he is not one of those people who believe serious skiers live only in Florida. He cites the best bare-footers from Wisconsin and closer to home, Benny Lohr, the national junior boys' champion, who lives in Richmond.
"If you're going to be good," said Sanchez, who is employed by JNS Retail Systems in Lynchburg, "you can be good anywhere."
After all, it is a Minnesotan who is credited with creating the sport. In 1922, Ralph Samuelson built a pair of skis, then went for a spin behind a friend's motorboat. Popularity picked up.
By the '20s, folks on both sides of the Atlantic were water-skiing. By the '30s, the sport had become competitive. And by 1939, the American Water Skiing Association (AWSA) was created. Based in Winterhaven, Fla., that organization has some 25,000 members in this country - 8,000 of whom are competitive.
There are 15 million water-skiers in the United States, according to the National Sporting Goods Association in Chicago.
But while some would tell you water-skiing is like riding a bike - once you learn, you never forget - those people are not talking about competitive water-skiing, a sport of sheer determination, skill and constant practice.
Take George Lupton, 28, known as the Bo Jackson of skiing among the in-ski crowd at Smith Mountain Lake. Lupton slaloms. Lupton jumps. Lupton does trick skiing. And he does them all well - extremely well. But he should, because the recently married Lupton spends hours and hours on the water when he's not managing Sims Wholesale in Lynchburg.
Time is not the only thing he spends on skiing. The new Jobe 1600 slalom ski he was sporting set him back $425. Skis for trick and jump run another $1,500. And a good ski boat costs about $20,000, all of which make skiing an expensive sport.
"My wife thinks I'm too into it," Lupton said.
"Yeah, I've been telling him to take up golf," Sanchez added.
Of the 45 skiers expected to enter the Virginia State Games event, all will be competing in trick or slalom, or both. The ramp is a permanent fixture in the "S" curves cove and is locked up when not being used by ski club members.
Fortunately, water-skiers are rarely involved in accidents on the lake.
"Skiers have basically conformed to the time when there is the least amount of boating traffic on the lake," said Sgt. R.B. Jenkins, who has been a state game warden in Franklin County for 10 years, eight of which he has spent on the lake. "But with the amount of boat traffic we have now, you can't just ski without the thought of danger."
The most basic rule water-skiers must follow on Smith Mountain Lake is that there must either be an observer in the boat or a skier must wear some sort of flotation device. Skiers must also limit their skiing to the hours between sunrise and sunset.
At the competitive skiing level that will be seen at the Saturday tournament, safety is just as important. Judges and boat drivers for the tournament must be certified by the AWSA. All club members are insured under a liability policy. Individuals are expected to have their own insurance.
"But remember," Sanchez says, "skiing at this level is super safe."
by CNB