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I started BarefootCentral.com in 1998
with one main goal in mind. To give the everyday skier front row
seats to the best the sport has to offer and hopefully inspire more
people to take up the sport. My second mission was to show the
world that barefooting is more than just what you read in Waterski
Magazine. The heart and sole of the sport lies with the weekend
warriors and athletes that have an unending passion for the sport.
The unsung champions. The men, women, and kids that consider this
sport as much a part of their lives as breathing but do it not for the
fan fair, but for the camaraderie they experience on the water with
friends each weekend.
Over the last ten years, we've
received hundreds of emails from people sharing their stories of
inspiration with us. I think it's time we start sharing some of those
stories with you. Our most recent email comes from Matt W from
Cullman, Alabama.
Dear BFC,
With spring approaching in Alabama I can barley wait to get back on the
water, a huge part in which I owe sincere thanks to you. As a once avid
athlete sports seemed to mean everything to me, baseball and football in
high school, football in college and then a 15 year long obsession with
snow skiing occupied me into my mid thirties but over the past five
years I didn’t do anything and there was a huge void in my life. I
didn’t have something to push myself to try to improve on year after
year and it was if a part of me had died. Over 15 years ago my little
brother and I learned to barefoot behind a Seadoo by coming off a
kneeboard but only did it once or twice which was also the last time I
had water skied period. Last spring as a 40 year old man who had not
been on the water in 15 years I came across Andre’s “Rock Star” video on
Youtube and was captivated, I couldn’t stop watching it, eventually I
discovered your website and the rest of your great videos. I begun
studying Andre and Zane as if I were studying game film and by May I had
bought a boat and began a great summer.
The first day went surprisingly well – on the boom, but when I went to
the short rope I painfully realized I had a long way to go. Two or three
more days and I started to get my feet back under me and by a month of
practice and film study I was starting to actually pull off dolphin
starts and a few side slides (on the boom) and after about six weeks or
so I even made my own video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-g4sHpJPME
If you choose to
watch it’s obvious I still have a long way to go before I can consider
myself much of a bare footer at all but I’m happy considering my age and
lack of experience. I feel so much more alive with a sport to pursue and
I owe it all to your work and the greatness of Andre and Zane.
Sincerely,
Matt W
Cullman, Al.
Matt,
Thanks for sharing your story.
Keep up the great work both footing and video-wise. We'll be
looking for more video from you in the coming year. I'm sure Andre
and Zane will enjoy reading this even more than I did.
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