For the first time I had the opportunity to attend a water-ski "HALL OF FAME" induction last Saturday, April 22, at The Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Fla. Bob LaPoint and Carl Roberge were being inducted and rightly so as they were both absolutely incredible athletes and skiers. Bob LaPoint got his start in the sport at age 7. A native of California, LaPoint and his older brother, Kris, quickly moved up the ranks in the younger divisions. By 1967, LaPoint was declared Junior Boys overall and slalom champion at the Water Ski National Championships, and there was nowhere for him to go but up. While he got his start as a three-event skier and had a successful jumping career through the mid-1980s, it was his natural athletic ability and a solid 6-foot-2-inch frame that paved the way for countless championship wins on the slalom course. During a competitive career that spanned 35 years, LaPoint went on to become a five-time U.S. Open champion and a five-time Masters champion in slalom. He won numerous national titles and set the Men’s world slalom record five times throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, setting his highest record in September 1984 with 5 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off. The defining moment of his career was winning five world slalom titles that spanned a decade in 1977, 1979, 1983, 1985 and 1987. When LaPoint found out he was selected as a 2006 inductee into the Hall of Fame, the first words he could muster were, "This is great. This is great," he recalls. LaPoint says it’s an honor to be named among some of the sport’s greatest athletes. "It’s going to be a thrill to be in the Hall of Fame," he says. "There are people in there who are my idols, like Chuck Stearns, Larry Penacho and Barb Cooper Clack [Heddon] . . . it’s going to be fun to be in there with them." Today, LaPoint lives in Truckee, Calif., just outside of Lake Tahoe, with his wife, Erika, and five-year-old son, Kristian, and 1-and-a-half year-old daughter, Simone. La Point has two other daughters, Kaci and Kara, from a previous marriage. He works as a project manager for Robert Marr construction, and snow skis, water skis and plays golf in his free time. I've personally witnessed Bob LaPoint sit in the frigid waters of Berkely for close to 10 minutes back at the 1980 Cal Cup and then go on to run 38 off cold! I've bought Mike Suyderhoud's tape of Bob LaPoint and studied and copied Bob's technique from it. Bob LaPoint spoke of his love and dedication to water-skiing. He spoke of how he and his older brother Kris would take their boat to school at the age of 14 so the minute they got out, they could head to the lake to practice. He spoke of a scrawny little kid that was throwing seaweed at him. After throwing this scrawny little kid in the lake for doing so, the kid came back and took a swing at Bobby only to have his arm stopped by Bobby's hand half way to it's intended target. Bobby told the now wide eyed kid "don't ever do that again" and later found out the kid's name, Sammy Duvall.
I attended Carl Roberge's ski school in 1984, prior to winning my first Nationals. I've seen Carl Roberge perform his "tick tock" right in front of me at the 1980 Nationals in Tyler, Texas. In his speech to the hall packed with admirers from all points of the globe, Carl Roberge told of the turning point in his career that led to his undefeated 1996 season on the Pro Tour in jumping. He had reached a point where he either needed to quit or put his nose to the grind stone. We all know which choice Carl made. Carl was born in 1964 in Montreal, Canada. He entered his first water skiing competition at age 7, close to five years after his family relocated to San Diego, Calif. By the mid-1970s after he and his family became eligible to compete on a national level as U.S. citizens, Roberge and his two sisters, Karin and Nathalie, began to emerge as champions on the national water ski scene. In 1976, he won his first national titles in Junior Boys’ slalom, jumping and overall. As an athlete, Roberge’s talent and determination as a young boy pushed him to the height of success and launched a 20-year professional career that led to more than 100 pro-event victories. During his illustrious career, Roberge earned 21 U.S. Open titles and became an eight-time Masters champion in slalom, jumping and overall. He also was the only athlete to win pro tour championship titles in both slalom and jumping. His greatest achievement, he says, was winning an unprecedented eight stops in jumping on the Pro Tour in 1996. "My biggest career accomplishment was to go undefeated on the Pro Tour in jumping in 1996. Nobody’s ever gone undefeated on the Pro Tour," he says. Today, Roberge resides in Bellingham, Wash., with his wife, Carmen, and three children Ryan, 17, Carly, 14, and Andre, 11. He works at Business Benefits and stays active playing in an adult ice hockey league, snow skiing, snowboarding, wake surfing and making occasional guest water ski appearances on Bow Lake. Being inducted into the Water Ski Hall of Fame is a huge honor, he says. "I was really blessed, and I’m so thankful for what I’ve won and what I’ve accomplished," he recalls. "While I was [competing], I was numb to it taking it day by day as an athlete. Looking back, it’s something you always carry with you the rest of your life. Whatever you’re doing, who ever you meet, you get recognition constantly. It’s something no one can ever take from me."
In addition to Bob and Carl, many others were honored with the "2006 Award Of Distinction". The AWSEF Award of Distinction recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the sport. Recipients may include tournament skiers, innovators, industry leaders, officials and others responsible for landmark achievements in the development of water skiing as well as those whose long periods of dedication and service deserve special recognition. Candidates are not required to be retired from competition or involvement in the sport. These recipients were Norine Bardill- Labitzke, Tallahassee, FL; Dave Benzel, Groveland, FL; Mark Crone, Orlando, FL; John Roach, posthumous; and Russ Stiffler, Martindale, TX.
Norine Bardill learned to water ski at the age of 14 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Seven months later she entered the 1957 Dixie Tournament and placed third in Girls’ slalom. She went on to gain many honors while still in the Girls’ division. In 1960, her first year in the Women’s division, she established an impressive record by winning seven tournaments.
Dave Benzel has been involved in water skiing since 1971 when he began competing at the age of 21. He competed in his first Nationals in 1974 and he won six consecutive national overall titles from 1983 to 1988 in Men 2 and 3. He broke the Men 3 national jumping record five times. He has served on the board of directors for the American Water Ski Educational Foundation.
Mark Crone has been involved in water skiing as an athlete, volunteer and industry member for more than 30 years. He has served on the board of directors for USA Water Ski, the American Water Ski Association and the American Water Ski Educational Foundation. He was a two-time national slalom champion and former Masters’ slalom champion.
John Roach who passed away in 2004, participated as an overall skier in every Water Ski National Championships from the 1960s through 2003. He traveled to Sicily as a U.S. Team member for the first World Veteran Championships. He was the first athlete inducted into the Georgia Federation’s Water Ski Hall of Fame. John's lovely and gracious wife accepted the award and kindly left more of John's encouragement and enthusiasm with the crowd.
Russ Stiffler was the dominant trick skier in the 1970s. In 1975, he was the first to break 6,000 points and set the world record at 6,230 points. He made contributions as an innovator in all aspects of trick skiing. When the rules changed to allow shorter, wider skis, Stiffler made skis and experimented with many configurations. Trick skis today closely resemble the size and shape he considered optimum. Russ was one of my first slalom coaches. Year after year, in the beginning of my skiing career, Russ would drive the boat and manipulate my body position into that which he foresaw as being the future of slalom. Russ helped me build a rock solid foundation.
In the audience I ran into many friends from the past and missed running into many, many more. There were faces I haven't seen in years, each face connected to memories. God willing, I'll be attending these events on a regular basis in the coming years as they are a water-skiing event where everyone wins!
Schnitz!
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