The 7th Annual
2008 Grand River Barefoot Water Ski Race
Where: Dunnville/Cayuga, Ontario Canada
When: October 4, 2008

Pictures taken by Louis Simard

The Rules:

Teams of 4 or 5 footers are responsible for supplying a recognized barefoot towboat. All skiers and boats meet at the launch at Byng Island Conservation Park in Dunnville Ontario. Once the boats have been launched they travel as a group from Dunnville to Cayuga via the Grand River in order to familiarize everyone with the route and water conditions. The finish line is established in front of Byng Island (Dunnville) where the boats where launched. Once the boats reach Cayuga (17 miles/27 km) the first group of boats (outboards) line up at an established start line and the first skier from each team enters the water. As each team is ready to start a designated person from each boat will raise a hand indicating they are ready to start. The starter, positioned on shore and visible to all boats will raise a flag and when the flag is lowered the race begins. Each skier must ski at least once. The first team to the finish in each division (outboard and inboard) wins. If there are more boats then can be safely raced in each category, organizers draw for heats which are timed. Best time wins. The river is wide enough and there are some long straight away's that allows passing.

The Breakdown:

For those who have never participated in a team barefoot race, it is thought by most to be the ultimate in exciting, male bonding and adrenaline pumping barefoot event out there! If you have never been part of a barefoot racing team, you don’t know what you are missing! Here is how the event usually goes…

 The 2008 Line-up…

***Outboard Division***

The Barrie Bad Boys 
Malibu Flightcraft
Dan Carr - Doug Hibrant - Tyler Carr - Ryan Carr

 The Barrie Bad Boys are basically who everybody wants to beat (pun intended…). Known for being “cocky”, they had even put flyers all around the bar where the teams meet the night before announcing that they were going to win their 4^th win in a row in 2006… and they had that year. Although they call themselves the “Bad Boys”, in reality they are without a doubt the team that takes the race the most seriously. They are the first team to hit the sac the night before and never abuse on alcoholic beverages, unlike some or even most of the others… this is probably why they were in for their 6^th victory in a row. Unfortunately for them, this year they did not bring the cup back home, although they performed flawlessly. Their defeat was in part du to the fact that their boat’s performance. One member said: “Our boat just did not have the top speed. When we were passed by the other teams, we were at wide open throttle! There was just nothing we could do…”.

The Buckhorn Barefooters:
Barefoot Sanger O/B
Glen Morris – Brem Allen – Morgan Allen – Wade Allen

The Buckhorn Barefooters are veterans of the Grand River Race and must have a collection of 2^nd Place trophies. Again this year, they finished 2^nd, only this time it was not behind the Barrie Bad Boys.

I interviewed team member Brem Allen and here is how it went.

DL: Before the race, how would you have described the level of confidence of The Buckhorn Barefooters? If you could quantify your chances of winning out of 100, what would you say it felt like at the time?

 BA: Well we have a solid team of footers and a great outboard Sanger boat to get us across the finish line; I’d have to say that the team was pretty confident. Our chances of winning to me felt good about 75%, but you can never under estimate the other teams.  

 DL: Did you guys train for the event?

BA:  Personally I didn't train for the event this year because of school but the rest of the team did some training to keep the feet tough, their training what have been on their own.

DL: Was there a team that you guys particularly feared or felt intimidated by?

BA: Umm… yeah kind of I guess. If I had to pick a team it would be the Barry Bad Boys just because they have come in first the past couple years.

 DL: How would you qualify your team’s performance? …satisfied?

BA: This year our team did very well, with our fastest time yet completing the race.

 DL: Knowing what you know now, would you have done something different?

BA: No probably not. The race is a great time regardless your team’s place. Although winning is a pretty great time as well…

 DL: What are the chances that The Buckhorn Barefooters participates in the 2009 Grand River Race?

BA: Chances are good. I believe our team still can better the time from this year’s race. 

 DL: What is the distance your team must haul the boat to get to Dunnville?

BA: Well we drive down from Buckhorn which is just outside of Peterborough. It takes about 3 1/2 hours to arrive in Dunnville.

Team Viagra…we stay up all the way!
Malibu Flightcraft
Martin Montpetit -  Jonathan Montpetit – François Desnoyers – Benoît Bouliane

2008 Inboard champions, team Viagra (AKA “those crazy Quebecers”), was the only team not in dry-suits and without a pylon extension. Two of these 4 cousins were rookies to the race. Still drunk from the night before, these real “Bad Boys” got to their hotel room at 4:00AM after having stopped in a few bars on their way in from Montreal but were still present (at least their bodies) at the Dunnville Tim Horton’s at 6:30AM with the rest of the teams. I think there are 3 reasons that explain their victory. First is Martin’s awesome performance of 12 minutes at WOT (58MPH). Second, Martin decided to prop his boat with a 3-blade, compromising acceleration in return of more top speed. Third, these four cousins have a tight bond and were there to HAVE FUN!

Here is what, team captain, Martin answered to some of my questions: 

DL: Before the race, how would you have described the level of confidence of Team Viagra? If you could quantify your chances of winning out of 100, what would you say it felt like at the time?

MM: Probably around 50%. François and I had a lot of pressure. We knew that a chance at 1st place would depend on both our performances.

DL: Did you guys train for the event?

MM: We pretty much took it relaxed. We only did a few practice changes the weekend before on our home lake.

DL: Was there a team that you guys particularly feared or felt intimidated by?

MM: Since François (2005) and I (2007) had both been beaten by The Barrie Bad Boys in the past, we knew that beating them was not going to be easy.

DL: How would you qualify your team’s performance? …satisfied?

MM: Other than a few changes that were a bit out of sync, everything was perfect.

DL: What are the chances that Team Viagra participate in the 2009 Grand River Race?

MM: I’d say there is at least 90 % chance. As long as we can all free ourselves that weekend and that none of use are injured.

DL: What is the distance your team must haul the boat to get to Dunnville?

MM: I think around 1000km (625 miles) one way. I hope we can get a gas sponsorship next year…he he he…

***Inboard Division*** 

Team No Fear (HFM) 
Malibu Sportster LX
Dwayne Rowland – Gary Askin – Dan Francoeur – Kevin Gaskin

Team No Fear (HFM), who fly-in from Calgary, Alberta to participate in the Grand River Barefoot Race, were not able to defend their team’s 3 year title as the inboard champions this year because they hit an 8 foot “dead head” about 200 feet from the starting line which resulted in a bent prop. Since the team was already at the starting line and had traveled all this way to participate, they were split up into the other teams that were willing to carry an extra load… I mean accept a 5^th team member. Seriously, it was shame for them that they could not compete as a team, but it was also a shame for the other teams who wanted to have a chance to measure themselves against the winners of the past 3 years.

I interviewed Team No Fear (HFM) member Dwayne “The Quebecer” Rowland and here is what he had to say: 

DL: Before the race, going for a 4^th win in a row, how would you have described the level of confidence of Team No Fear HFM?

DR: Coming into the race we knew we had a good chance of winning although we all recognized and felt this had the makings to be the closest race yet.  Our thoughts were that it was going to be a 3 way race and the deciding factor would be change-over’s as the skiers were pretty well matched up between: The Merry Club Team, Covre’s Team (FTG Tripless) and Team (No Fear) HFM.

DL: Did you guys train for the event?

DR: Our team members actually do not have the opportunity to ski together much thru the summer, so as far as training as a team, NO.  I think the excessive amounts of chicken wings and light beer would work as it has in the past.  Basically Team (No Fear) HFM changes from regular beer to light beer in preparation for the race each year as we feel diet is a big part of any good training program.

DL: Was there a team that you guys particularly feared or felt intimidated by?

DR: I think we typically out weigh the other teams and could kick their ass in a tug-o-war or a bar fight anytime!!

DL: Your team’s boat hit a log about 200 feet from the starting line resulting in a bent prop and you were unable to participate as a team. You guy were split up in the various teams that were willing to take in an extra footer. What was it like to ski in a team that you had never skied before?

DR: We were very disappointed to have our boat out of the race as we felt this year’s race was going to be the closest final ever.  I was lucky enough to ski with the Merry Club Team, a bunch of footers I had a lot of fun with at nationals this year so it was pretty comfortable hopping in the boat with everyone.  Like on any team you just don’t want to let anybody down so it was basically the same “nervous excitement” at the beginning of any race.  Just had to adapt to a couple different driving techniques and skier swap techniques and then grip and rip!! 

DL: You ended up footing with The Merry Club team who won the race, would you say that you ended up in the right team or you are the common denominator?

DR: Well of course I was! Ha ha… Hopefully they feel I added to the team’s win and I guess we will find out next year…

DL: Did you and other members of Team No Fear HFM learn anything from racing with the other teams that may result in changing your game plans in future races?

DR: We haven’t really discussed that as a group, but I’m sure when we start training a couple days before the race next year we will have the chance to potentially improve on some things.  Thanks to The Merry Club Team and the other Teams that took on an extra footer to make sure everybody was still able to participate in the race.  We always try to win of course, but in the real spirit of barefooters’, camaraderie and sportsmanship are number one.

FTG Tripless 
Malibu Response Barefooter
Larry Covre – Jim Koudys – Larry Lewis – Earnie Mailo

Again this year, powered by a 375HP Hammerhead engine, Team FTG Tripless were off to a great start with the fastest start of the inboard division but then encountered, once again another bad luck… as in 2006, they ran over their rope while making a footer change. Their bad luck streak started in 2005 when they blew their engine, was thought to have ended last year when they finished 2^nd.

Following is an interview with Larry Covre, organizer and member of Team FTG Tripless:

DL: Before the race, how would you have described the level of confidence of Team FTG Tripless?

LC: Well, most of the team was injured this year and we had to do quite a bit of scrambling just to get a team put together. However we still believed 100% that we could win.... and we probably would have if we didn’t get stuck taking on one of the western guys after they ran into deadhead. (he he)

DL: Did you guys train for the event?

LC: We went through a rigorous training regiment including wings and beer the night before the race. I think that was evident with our performance. 

DL: Was there a team that you guys particularly feared or felt intimidated by?

LC: No....they’re all Wallys!

DL: How would you qualify your team’s performance? …satisfied?

LC: No we sucked!

DL: Knowing what you know now, would you have done something different?

LC: Yes... try not to run over the rope… 

DL: Being the organiser, are you satisfied of they way the 2008 Grand River race turned out?... what did you particularly like or would like to be different next year?

LC: The race went pretty well. I was not very happy to see that several boats had some issues and was not able to finish the race. However, I think everybody had fun. For next year we are toying with a few new ideas. We are always looking for new ideas from the participants to make the race a little more challenging.

DL: What are the chances that there will be an 8^th Annual Grand River Race in 2009?

LC: Count on it!

The Ex-Skiers 
Correct Craft Sport Nautique
Paul Windover – Jeremy Dyck – Victor Mathews – Hall Hunter

The Ex-Skieurs, who finished 3^rd last year unfortunately did not finish the race this year du to a boat failure. The Ex-Skiers are formed of show skiers and hydrofoilers. When talking to some of the team members the night before, I learned that some actually do not even barefoot during the entire season except for the Grand River Race! The day before, while we were out practicing some changes on the Grand River in 30km/h winds and chop, these guys were out Sky skiing, flipping and all!

TJ’s Warriors 
Malibu Response LXi
John Adamson – Evan Head – Cory Rowland – Sean Martineau

Team TJ’s Warriors, named in honor of Terry Jones who was supposed to participate but could not because of an injury, unfortunately did not make it to the starting line. About half way up the river, the raw water pump cover blew off.

The Merry Club Barefoot Team
Sanger DXII Barefooter
Daniel Jr Larivière – Michel Lambert – Michel Fioré – André Berthiaume

The Merry Club Barefoot Team, previously known as the “Burning Soles”, was at their 2^nd participation in the inboard division. They had arrived 2^nd in 2006 and this year, their goal was to give team No Fear (HFM) a beating they weren’t soon to forget. The Merry Club finished first this year, but the victory was a bitter one because they could not say that they had beaten Team No Fear (HFM) and 3 of the 5 boats that did not complete the race. Still confident that they had the team and boat to win, they will be back next year to defend their title. 

Here is a short video of our team’s (The Merry Club) experience to give you an idea of what it’s like to participate in a team race…

Here is an interviewed with team member Michel Lambert:

DL: Before the race, how would you have described the level of confidence of The Merry Club Barefoot Team?

ML: We knew we had a good team, but we also knew that the other teams were good too. But in our minds, we were there to win first place.

DL: Did you guys train for the event?

ML: A few weeks before the race, we train our own ways, but the day before the race, in Dunnville, we trained together and planned our strategy.

DL: Was there a team that you guys particularly feared or felt intimidated by?

ML: Yes, the team from Alberta (No Fear (HFM)), they are really motivated, and won last year’s the race with a really good time.

DL: How would you qualify your team’s performance? …satisfied?

ML: Yes, we are really satisfied. It was a team race but Daniel Larivière, who was first to start did a great job. He barefooted, at wide open throttle (47 mph), for more than 8 minutes. Daniel placed our team in first position and after that we just kept the momentum. 

DL: What are the chances that The Merry Club Team participates in the 2009 Grand River Race?

ML: I’m sure that we will be there next year. We won the cup and want to keep it for a while. But more important than winning the cup, participating in the Grand River race is an opportunity for all barefooters to get together and have fun… especially the night before and after the race when we all get together. The reason we are there (all the teams), is because we love barefoot.

DL: What is the distance your team must haul the boat to get to Dunnville?

ML: We must be crazy, we drove 7 hour from home to get to Dunnville (not counting that the boat is 2 hours away from Daniel’s home…), to participate to a barefoot race which lasted barely 20 minutes…

2008 results:

Never, in the past 6 years, had any boat suffered any damages nor teams not complete the race, but this year 3 of the 8 boats either had a mechanical break-down or hit something.

Every year, it’s the same. When we are heading up the river to the starting line, freezing are butts off and moving away any logs and debris, we all think:”What are we doing here? Is this really worth it?” But once the race starts, we forget about the cold and when we cross the finish line, we can’t wait for next year already!

The Hamburger Foot Award:

Every year, the Hamburger Foot award is given to the competitor who has put the most abuse on their body or feet. This year, since no footer really suffered any terrible abuse as a result of the race, it was agreed by everyone that the Hamburger Foot award be awarded to Terry Jones who had the ultimate reason for not attending the race for the first time in 7 years. Terry suffered a spinal injury as a result of a trampoline accident, but is on is way to a full recovery.

The Larry Bouchard Award:

Being the last official Eastern Canadian barefoot competition of the year, this occasion is taken to award some deserving barefooter the Larry Bouchard award. This award is given to a fellow barefooter who has shown enthusiasm and provided a positive impact to the sport of barefoot water skiing.  This award is in honor of a fellow barefooter, Larry Bouchard, who passed away from cancer in 2004. This year’s deserving recipient was John Adamson.

Congratulations John!

I would like to thank Larry Covre and his girlfriend Teresa Roth for organizing this event as well as the sponsors: Spinners water sports (Mike & Debbie Spence), Lenbeth Weeping Tiles (Wayne Bosse), Pure Energy Motorworks and Drilling (Dwayne & Cory Rowland) and AMH sports (Michel Lambert) for the raffle prizes.

If you would like to participate or would like information on the 2009 Annual Grand River Barefoot Water Ski Race, you may contact me vie email at danieljrlariviere@yahoo.ca or PM me on the BarefootCentral.com forum under user 1FootDan. If you have a boat but are missing some members or are footer without a team and boat that would like to participate, let me know and I will do everything possible to put you on a team or fill-up your boat. If you are not a barefoot water-skier but have a fast barefoot boat and would like to participate and be the driver for your team, you are also welcomed!