In 1983, I was practicing on Scott Pond in Lincoln, RI with Greg Collins, Kenny Waitt, and Lyle Perkins. We tied two 70' ropes together. One end was tied to the jump, the other end was pulled taut and a buoy was set there. I passed it a few times that year, so I'm guessing my longest in practice was about 145'. My longest in a tournament was about 115'. Never could figure out why I could never perform as well as in practice until many years later.
The following photo was taken in Tallahassee, FL, in the winter 1978. This jump was probably my best, cleanest jump ever, estimated at 120'. Fortunately, the school photographer was there to preserve the moment. The boat speed for the jumps in 1983 was 35 mph, the ramp height, 5.5 feet; while the boat speed for the jumps at FSU was 32 mph, ramp height 5'. (There were slightly different rules for intercollegiate skiing from open amateur competitions.)
I have been wanting to write to my brother in TN who got me into skiing. He sent me a link to a 'redneck water skiing' youtube video. I started clicking on other ski videos and discovered the video at the top of this post. This gave me an opportunity to write to him.
In 1983, the world record was 187'; John Mondor, if I'm not mistaken.
