THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 18, 1996 TAG: 9608180176
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 228 lines
This water-skiing stuff sounded pretty simple.
Life jacket on, gloves to protect the hands and it's in the soothing waters of Lake Gaston. Put on the skis and grab the rope. Crank up the boat and it's away we go.
Not!
There was trouble right from the get-go. Putting skis on while bobbing around in the water wasn't too easy. The left ski wanted to go this way, the right one that way, and they were supposed to be kept straight.
But after a couple of trying minutes, the skis were finally in place and the tow line was between them. The guy running the boat was taking the slack out of the rope. It was time to ski.
Remember, sit in a crouched position with ski tips up, arms in between the legs, elbows touching knees. Let the boat do the work. It will pull you up out of the water and then, once comfortable, you simply stand up and that's skiing.
Real simple.
So here we go. The boat revs up and the line tightens and . . . he's up, he's up, he's down, he's down.
What went wrong? The instructions were as straightforward as they could get. Oh, keep the arms straight? Don't bend the elbows?
Gotcha! Let's try this again.
Try No. 2 meets with similar results.
This wasn't as easy as it sounded.
When trying to get up for the first time, there is an understandable pulling sensation and the feeling that you're going to go flying forward and bust your face on the water. Keeping the skis together when the boat first starts pulling can also be tough, as your legs have a tendency to fly apart.
You keep trying.
But sometimes the falls are painful, like on the third try, and it's best to take a break and try again later.
``Hey, some people get it right off the bat and it takes a while for others,'' boat operator Mark Lett of Virginia Beach would say. ``You had it. You were up. Now it's just a matter of getting used to it.''
Simple enough.
Lisa Cook knows the apprehension of being a first-time water-skier.
But she's one of the ones who get it the first time. Whether it's because the 27-year-old Virginia Beach resident has a background that includes snow skiing or just because she's the athletic type, she got up on her very first attempt.
On the Intracoastal Waterway at Pungo Ferry Marina last weekend, Cook was out with friends Mike and Joy Feltz.
After watching the two water-skiing veterans show off for a few minutes, and after several more minutes of coaxing, the Indian River Middle School teacher decided to give it a shot.
She was up on the first try and lasted about 30 seconds. Her second and third attempts weren't as successful, but the fourth was.
Arms straight, shoulders back and using the knees as shock absorbers, Cook was tooling along behind the Feltz's brand new Malibu Response ski boat like she'd skied a million times before.
``She's doing great,'' Joy Feltz said.
And during her 10-minute trial run, Cook made it through some rough water kicked up by wakes from other boats. The chop provided her first real test of what she was learning. And even veterans sometimes fall prey to sloppy water.
``Bend the knees, let them take the shock,'' Joy Feltz shouted to her friend.
The advice worked, but Cook eventually gave way to the almost instant tired that comes from learning how to ski. Thighs burn and shoulders ache. Arms, hands, ankles, you can feel it in muscles you didn't know you had.
And Cook was suffering from a stinging rope burn on her thigh suffered on her second fall, getting caught in the line as it screamed away from her.
But the feeling of satisfaction from finally getting the hang of it pushed all that aside.
``Man, that's hard,'' the First Colonial High graduate said, climbing back in the boat after taking one last tumble. ``I can tell I'm going to be sore in a little while.''
But she made it look easy.
The Feltz's, who grew up in New Kent before moving to Virginia Beach, are longtime water-skiers.
``I've been skiing about 18 years,'' said Mike Feltz, 30, a city of Virginia Beach employee. ``We grew up skiing on the rivers and I've been around water all my life.
``I don't think any of us could compete at it, but we really like to ski.''
Like Lett and his wife Liz, they ski for the excitement, the thrill, the feeling of speed. And it must be a good feeling, because they've all been doing it for a long, long time.
``It's just a lot of fun,'' Mark Lett, a plumber with Smith and Keene, said. ``We just like being on the water. You don't have to ski. There's tubing (on an inner tube) and people use knee boards and wake boards.
``And it's good exercise. It really works every muscle.''
Just ask Cook.
Back to Gaston and it's now early afternoon - time for one last attempt to ski.
Nearly every body part is sore from the morning session and there a burning sensation that doesn't want to suffer defeat.
We're having trouble here, but we're not about to give up.
This time, Lett family friends Mike and Kathie Maugeri have arrived to offer some different advice.
Kathie Maugeri says to put the hands a little lower between the legs and trying waiting a second or two longer to stand up.
With Mike Maugeri, a Virginia Beach dentist, at the helm of Lett's boat, it's time to put the advice to use. With Kathie Maugeri steadying the skier while the skis are put on, things seem considerably easier.
Then, with a thumbs up, the throttle is hit and the skier is up. He's up for 30 seconds, a minute . . . two, and more.
It wasn't pretty, but after 3 1/2 times around the creek and about 15 minutes up - a pretty good while for a first-timer according to those on hand - this guy was actually skiing.
Only it wasn't as simple as it sounded. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
L. TODD SPENCER
Joy Feltz of Virginia Beach is an accomplished water-skier, and it
shows during a recent outing near the Pungo Ferry Bridge. Her advice
to beginners: ``Bend the knees, let them take the shock.''
Lisa Cook, a teacher at Indian River Middle School in Chesapeake,
was upright about 30 seconds on her first try.
After watching her two water-skiing pals and several more minutes of
coaxing, Lisa Cook decides to give the sport a whirl. She made it up
on her first attempt, and by the fourth try Cook made it seem as if
she had skied a million times before.
Graphics
WHERE TO GO
Where are the best and most popular local spots for water-skiing?
Intracoastal Waterway - with ramp facilities in Great Bridge, on
Centerville Turnpike and at Mercer's on North Landing Road, West
Neck Marina on West Neck Road, Pungo Ferry Marina on Pungo Ferry
Road and Munden Point Park off Princess Anne Road in the
southern-most end of Virginia Beach. Many of these places can be
crowded during weekends, making them more favorable during weekdays.
The water is warm, flat and has a tendency to settle quickly after
boats pass.
Northwest River - with ramp facilities at Bob's Fishing Hole on
Battlefield Boulevard and Northwest River Park, both in Chesapeake.
The Cove - an area on Deep Creek just off the Southern Branch of
the Elizabeth River at the I-64 bridge. The closest ramp facility is
at Great Bridge and there is another on the Dismal Swamp Canal on
Battlefield Boulevard. This area has more of a party atmosphere and
can be unsafe during weekends because of a variety of water sports
being enjoyed by large numbers of people.
Broad Bay and Linkhorn Bay - at the northern end of Virginia
Beach. These two areas are best served by the Narrows Marina at the
west end of 64th Street. Also a high-volume area during weekends and
in the summer you want to make sure you stay on your skis -
jellyfish city.
Other popular areas within an hour or two driving time include
the Chickahominy River in James City County just west of
Williamsburg, the Nottoway River in Franklin, and Lake Gaston, just
southwest of Emporia on Route 58. People also water-ski on any
number of spots on the James and York Rivers - anywhere there is
flat water and not much boat traffic.
WHAT IT COSTS
If you already own a boat with more than 50 horsepower, you can
get started relatively cheap.
If you have to buy a boat, find someone who water skis and give
it a try to make sure you like it enough to spend the money. Boats
like a MasterCraft designed especially for water skiing can run from
$26,000 to $35,000.
``Very expensive,'' said Rebecca Trimbath of Chesapeake Master
Marine and pro shop in Norfolk. ``But they're made for competition
and designed so that they have little or no wake. And that makes
skiing easier.''
Equipment can be simple or elaborate.
A pair of skis range from $129 to $250, slalom skis from $150 to
$700.
Kneeboards are priced from $99 to $320 and wakeboards (once
called skurfers) go for between $159 and $400.
An inexpensive tow line (the rope that pulls the skier) goes for
about $20. If you're interested in a tow line that allows you to do
the type of tricks you see in water ski competition, you need to put
a Straightline ($75) on the shopping list.
A life vest is a must. They run from $20 to about $150.
For those who prefer ski gloves, count on spending between $20
and $70.
And if you can't find anyone to help get you started, Virginia
Beach Water Ski Club president John Lipscomb at 481-1459 can help.
The club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 8 p.m. at
Shoney's at Hilltop North Shopping Center in Virginia Beach
Water-skiing equipment can be purchased at several boat-specialty
shops, sporting good stores and some department stores. Here's a few
places to look:
Chesapeake Master Marine and Pro Shop, 5335 E. Virginia Beach
Blvd., Norfolk.
Boat U.S. Marine Center, 6600 E. Virginia Beach Blvd., Norfolk.
Boater's World, 1709 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach.
The Sports Authority, Janaf Shopping Center, Norfolk, and 2720
North Mall Drive at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach Sports, intersection of Witchduck Road and
Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach.
All area Kmart and Wal-Marts have water-skiing equipment in their
sporting goods departments.
SKISPEAK
As with other athletic endeavors, water-skiing has certain
phrases that it will pay you to know:
Ski - the art of water-skiing or the what the feet are attached
to.
Slalom - a single ski, or a competition on one ski where the
skiier trys to get around six buoys spaced on a 100-yard long
stretch of water, while being pulled with 75 feet of rope at speeds
between 34 and 36 mph.
Wake jumping - the art of going from one side of the wake to the
other, usually getting air as the ski flies over the boat wake.
Wakeboard - according to ``The Shortline'' magazine, this is the
fastest growing water sport going right now. Formerly know as
`skurfing' - a cross between surfing and skiing - wake boarders have
both feet attached to a board like slalom skiers, except the board
is shorter and wider. It also has fins on both ends and skilled
wakeboarders can perform some pretty awesome aerial tricks.
Kneeboard - similar to a boogie board, the rider sits on the
board on his knees while being pulled. Also a sport where numerous
in-air tricks are performed.
Tubing - riding on any number of different style inflatable
crafts that are fastened to the rope.
Tow line - the rope used to pull skiers.
Tow boat - what a ski boat is called when it's pulling a skier.
Ski pylon - the pole in the middle of a ski boat where the tow
line is attached. Other boats used for skiing simply attach the line
to a hook on the back of the boat.
Sweet spot - the area in the wake behind the boat where a skier
can perform his best work. The tow line is shortened or lengthened
on the pylon to put the skier in his or her sweet spot. by CNB