The Water Ski Hall of Fame in Winter Haven, Florida honors the the sport invented by Ralph Samuelson on a Minnesota lake in 1922.
Synopsis: The Water Ski Hall of Fame in Winter Haven, Florida honors the the sport invented by Ralph Samuelson on a Minnesota lake in 1922.
Ralph Samuelson had been at it for five days. He had managed to ski a short distance on water by launching himself from an aquaplane on June 28, 1922 but he wanted to get up on his skis and skim across the water without any assistance other than a boat. For the next five days he floundered in the waters of Lake Pepin at Lake City, Minnesota behind a skiff piloted by his brother Ben and powered by a converted Saxon truck engine with a top speed of 14 knots.
This was not just a whimsical stunt for Samuelson. He had once tried to water ski with wooden staves rescued from a barrel and, when that failed, snow skis. For his current efforts, he went to a local lumberyard and bought two pine boards eight feet long and nine inches wide. They cost one dollar each. To fashion them into instruments with which he could skim across water, he boiled the tips in a copper kettle and curved the tips of the boards by clamping them for two days. In the meantime, he picked up some letter scraps from a harness shop and made binders for his feet. He also acquired 100 feet of sash cord and convinced a blacksmith into making him an iron ring for a handle. He wrapped the ring in black tape to make the whole experiment go easier on his hands. Before hauling his equipment to Lake Pepin, Samuelson and his sister Harriet painted the water skis white.
Finally, on Sunday, July 2, Samuelson tried to right himself on his skis by pushing back on his skis with the tips slanted upward. In no time he was successfully water skiing. Ralph Samuelson was still one day shy of his 19th birthday, surely one of the youngest inventors of a recreational sport ever.
Shortly thereafter, while skimming waves on a lake, the nascent water skier cracked a ski and had to make another pair. Save for reinforcing the tips to protect them from constant battering and moving the leather thongs back for enhanced maneuverability, this pair was identical to his originals. The second pair, the oldest surviving water skis on the planet, are on display at the Water Ski Museum/Hall of Fame in Winter Haven, Florida where the heritage of the sport is on display.
Curiously, two years later, unaware of what Samuelson was doing in Minnesota, Fred Waller crafted his own skis and startled onlookers by swimming on Long Island Sound. Finally in 1928 Don Ibsen skied on Lake Washington in Bellevue, Washington, having never heard of Samuelson or Ibsen and believed he had invented the sport. Thus did the sport of water skiing began independently on both coasts and in the Midwest during the 1920s.
In 1939 the American Water Skiing Association was formed and the first national championships were held at Jones Beach State Park on Long Island. The tournament featured the three competitive events which comprise tournament water skiing today: slalom, tricks, and jumping.
In 1947 some water skiing enthusiasts tossed aside their skis and began barefooting. The Barefoot Club of the American Water Skiing Association was formed in 1961 for members who could barefoot for 60 seconds without falling. National Barefoot Championships began in 1978 in Waco, Texas.
Today there are nearly 400 water ski clubs throughout the country. Sixteen million participants water ski annually and the American Water Skiing Association sponsors more than 300 tournaments annually. The Water Ski Museum/Hall of Fame developed in Winter Haven in 1968 where the world famous water ski shows at nearby Cypress Gardens began in 1942. The area has been hailed as the Ã'Water Ski Capital of the WorldÃ" ever since. Winter Haven is the home of the American Water Ski Educational Foundation and the United States Water Ski Team.
The Water Ski Museum/Hall of Fame is a dazzling array of colorful photos, displays and artifacts immediately involve you with the exciting sport of water skiing upon entering the Museum. The tour of the exhibits begins in Pioneer Hall where water skiingÕs early years are depicted on video tape and in classic photographs. Here you will find the wooden plank water skis used by Ralph Samuelson to become Ã'the Father of Water Skiing.Ã" Also on display are vintage ropes and handles. The evolution of water skiing equipment is as dramatic as any in sport.
Next is the Barefoot Display. Photos, trophies and videos tell the story of this unique water skiing discipline. The Hall of Champions is devoted to the United States Water Ski Team which has dominated the World Championships since their inception in 1949. Programs, photographs, articles and awards chronicle their triumphs.
Adjacent to the Museum is the Hall of Fame where pioneers, officials, and water ski stars are honored in oil portraits accompanied by biographies. A special niche is reserved for Samuelson with a bronze bust as a centerpiece in a sparkling blue waterfall.
The American Water Ski Educational Foundation has the most complete library and resource center devoted exclusively to water skiing. Reading material and films are available by request. Induction ceremonies for the Water Ski Museum/Hall of Fame are held annually in April. A Hall of Fame Scholarship Fund tournament is conducted in conjunction with the festivities.
The Water Ski Museum/Hall of Fame is located on 799 Overlook Drive SE in Winter Haven. The facility is open weekdays except on major holidays.
