BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
To many people, water skiing and bare feet don?t necessarily fit in the same sentence.
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Gord Croteau, who was born and raised in Sudbury, is the top barefoot water skier in Canada. He?s lived many years in the United States, where he can train year-round. |
But for those involved in this unique sport, ?skis? aren?t part of the sport and careening at high speeds behind powerful speed boats barefooted is what the sport is all about.
Sudbury native Gordie Croteau, a member of the Canadian National Barefoot Ski Team, first learned how to barefoot water ski when he was 13 years old in 1980.
A woman from an Ottawa water ski school came to Sudbury and taught Croteau how to ski for three dollars a lesson. From that point on, Croteau climbed his way to the top of the barefoot water skiing world.
Last weekend in Edmonton, Croteau will competed in the Canadian National Barefoot championship. Croteau is a three-time Canadian champ, winning the competition in 1997, 2001, and 2002. He was looking to add a fourth Canadian title to his showcase.
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CROTEAU |
?Once you win one, coming in any other place is just unacceptabl,? says Croteau.
Croteau trains hard to be where he is today. He left Sudbury in 1987 and worked for water ski shows in the Caribbean and Canada. He then moved to the western United States because there are more tournaments and the
weather allows him to train almost every day.
?My day starts at five a.m. when I go running or skiing and then I work at a car dealership from nine to five and then I ski until dark,? said Croteau. ?I ski 340 days a year because it?s my passion.?
Croteau competes in three events.
The slalom, which is like winter slalom skiing. The athlete has to cross the wake as many times as they can in 15 seconds. The skier makes front and backwards passes. If they do it on one foot they get one point for every pass and half a point when they cross on two feet. Croteau?s personal best is 18.2 points.
?It?s one of the top 10 scores in the world.?
Croteau also competes in the trick event. The skier has two, 15-second passes in front of judges and has to perform as many tricks as possible. Each trick has an assigned point value. The harder the trick, the more the value. Croteau?s personal best is 3,600 points.
?One of the hardest tricks to perform is the toe turn,? said Croteau. ?You hold onto the tow strap with one foot and turn front to back on one foot and then come back. It?s very difficult to perform, especially at 40 miles an hour.?
Finally, Croteau competes in the barefoot jump event. He is towed towards an 18-inch high ramp at 45 miles per hour before soaring through the air, trying to obtain the longest distance.
?My best so far is 65 feet,? said Croteau. ?The world record is about 82 feet, so I?m in the middle of the pack.?
Besides dominating the Canadian national scene, Croteau also competes in the World barefoot skiing
championships, which is held every two years. The top six Canadian skiers are selected by Water Ski Canada to represent the country.
Croteau competed last year and placed 21st overall. Croteau is looking forward to the next world championship in Australia.
?I hope to have a better showing,? said Croteau. ?I hope to finish in at least the top 10 next year.?
Croteau?s whole life is about being on a lake barefoot.
?I love being on the water because it keeps me in great shape,? said Croteau. ?It?s always a challenge because there?s always something new to learn.?
Croteau, who now lives in Lake Havasu, Arizona, has been away from Sudbury for 15 years and because of time and travel distances, he doesn?t get back to the Nickel City too often.
?I don?t get to go back as much as I would love to. I have family there still, but my schedule and travel distances get in the way. I wish there was more time though,? said Croteau.
?It?s beautiful there, but I can tell you I don?t miss the cold at all.?
