2006 Nationals

Hall of Fame Footers Reunion
When: Wednesday, Aug 9, 2006
Where: Waterski Hall of Fame

I arrived at the Nationals site Wednesday evening around 5pm. The tournament was over for the day and the guys were sitting around the BFC RV discussing options for dinner. I told them I had received an invitation from Brent Benoist and John Gillette to attend a footer's reunion at the Waterski Hall of Fame. We figured we stop by for about 15 minutes on the way to dinner. John had organized the event on short notice, so we figured no one would be showing up. Below is a copy of the email sent out by John:

From: John Gillette
Subject: Reunion!

Greetings old friends!

I’m organizing a last minute reunion of people involved with barefooting and show skiing in the late 70’s to early 80’s era. It is in conjunction with the Barefoot Nationals being held next week at the Water Ski Hall of Fame. The reunion is next Wednesday night from 7:00 to 10:00 at the Hall of Fame and Museum. It would be great if you could make it! Please pass the word to anyone you have contact with from that era.

Location: Water Ski Hall of Fame and Museum (approximately 10 miles west of I-27 on I-4, Exit 44).

Date and Time: Wednesday, August 9, 7:00 – 10:00 PM Dress: Casual

What to bring: There is no charge, but contributions to the American Water Ski Educational Foundation are encouraged. Bring videos, DVDs, photo CDs, etc. and memorable moments to share, anecdotes, etc.

I’ve attached a file describing the details in a more readable format. I hope to see you there!

Regards,

John Gillette

To our surprise, the evening turned out to be one of the coolest experiences. Famous footers such as John Gillette, Rick & Lori Powell, Peter Fleck, Don Mixon Sr and Jr, Banana George, Willie Farrell, Ron Scarpa, Keith St. Onge and many more showed up to share memories of growing up together in the sport. The crowd stood amazed as these guys shared the stories or how the sport began, who performed what tricks first, the first US Nationals, and how the American Barefoot Club was formed. I was so amazed by the conversations going on that I ran back out to my car to get our video camera and recorded everything. So get some popcorn and a drink and sit back in a comfortable charge to enjoy a 30 minute walk through barefoot waterski history.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH REUNION VIDEO
80 Meg Windows Media Video