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Back in November 1989,
on a bright sunny day in Arizona, Scott Pellaton set a record that to this day nobody has even come close to
matching and most likely never will. It was the World Record in Speed Barefooting. Scott
stepped off a ski behind a drag boat at about 50 mph, then accelerated
to 135.74 mph in only a 1/4 mile distance in less than 4 seconds . Scott is the only person on
the planet that knows how that feels. It must have been amazing to
experience.
Today,
skiers are spoiled with state-of-the art equipment. We can specify
different types of non-stretch ropes, handles with a multitude of shapes
and grips, tow heights from low to tower height. The wetsuits we
use today are made from state-of-the art materials with all kinds of
coatings and thicknesses. Back in Scott's day, he didn't have
those choices. He was helping invent the products we use today as
he tested different types of wetsuits, ropes and handles at the
ultimate limits of the sport. When he set his record, he was
skiing on a 200 foot Poly-E line with a tandem handle. Imagine the
acceleration he felt, then think about the amount of stretch that his
line must have had. He was skiing behind a blown alcohol drag boat
that had no ski pylon, rear view mirror, tower, or speedo. The pull was from the back of the boat about 2 feet off the
water. It had to feel like being pulled behind a rocket on the
end of a huge rubber-band in the middle of a pouring storm with all the spray
off the back of the boat. The adrenalin rush must have been overwhelming.
Today, Scott resides in
Brentwood, California, east of San Francisco, with his wife Erin of 18 years, his daughter
Alicia (15), and son Scott (17). He works as the National Sales
Director for Sanger boats, a division of Kal Kustoms Enterprises.
Kal Kustoms controls the sales and distribution of Sanger Boats, Ski Centurion,
and several other boat lines. Scott has been instrumental in keeping Sanger Boats in the barefoot
market and keeping their boats on the cutting edge of barefoot waterski
technology. He has helped make the Sanger DXII the most popular
barefoot boat in the US. Barefooters can be the pickiest buyers and
will debate a boat's wake characteristics for hours. Scott has
helped make Sanger Boats the boat of choice for pulling the US Nationals Open Pro Wakes
division ever since they introduced the Sanger DXII Barefooter to the
market, and Sanger is selected as the boat of choice for wakes by over
75% of the skiers that get to choose their boat.
Scott spent most of 2004 working with Mercruiser and Sanger engineers to
solve the inboard top end speed problem for good. In late 2004, Sanger
introduced an 8.1 Liter 420HP Mercruiser engine option for
both the DXII and DLX models. The 8.1 pushes their boats 50-53 mph
pulling a skier.
Scott also supports barefooting in many
other ways. He runs a national boat promo program for barefooters,
he is major sponsor to the US Barefoot Nationals every year, and sponsors Regional and
Canadian events as well. He not only sponsors the events, he makes sure
he attends many of them as well. He enjoys communicating directly to the
skiers, both young and old, and takes the feedback he gets back to Sanger
engineers for product improvements.
Though he doesn't speed ski anymore, his hobbies are
still water based. He enjoys waking up in the mornings and going
skiing on the California Delta. He still barefoots now and then, but
mostly he likes slalom skiing as his morning exercise. One of his
favorite hobbies is driving his 40 ft Nordic racing boat in off-shore endurance speed
skiing races. His boat tops out around 90mph. He loves anything that goes fast. His need for speed on the water is still in his sole.
When we contacted Scott
about doing a Where Are They Now on him, he was thrilled. He began
telling us about all the old video footage he had packed away somewhere
and that we just had to see it. He guaranteed it would blow our
minds. The crashes they experienced at speeds over 100mph were
horrific to watch. Scott was part of the Test Crash
Dummy crew that developed the safety equipment as they went along that
would ultimately allow
the speed footers to survive after letting go at speeds over
100mph. If you think a barefoot jumping fall can be bad, it's
nothing compared to the wipe-outs the guys took. It was as extreme
as you could imagine it to be; broken legs, arms, noses, bruised
internal organs, and torn ligaments. If it could be ripped, broken, separated,
dislocated, or lacerated, it happened.
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The
Crashes were EXTREME! |
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Scott sent us some
video footage on the history of speed barefooting that was shot over 10
years ago but never released to the public. It contains some
vintage footage of some of the best runs as well as what it looked like
when things didn't go according to plan. Instead of talking about
it, we thought you'd rather see for yourself. So for all you kids
that have never seen speed barefooting, strap your seat-belts on, keep
hands inside the cart, and hold on tight. You're in for a treat.
While
we were at the 2004 US Nationals, Mike Salber had a chance to sit down
with Scott and catch up with what he's up to these days. So click
on the link below and enjoy the conversation between Scott and
Mike.
We
want to thank Scott Pellaton for sharing this rare footage with Barefoot
Central. It has been a treat watching and editing it. We
have a hole new respect for him now! He was definitely the
Evil Knievel of our sport.
If
you like what you see
in the on-line video, you
will love the DVD. It contains the complete documentary on Scott's
carrier. More video, more information, more crashes. It's a must
have.
Only
$14.95 + S&H
Click
Here to Order DVD
Warning:
If after watching all the video, you are thinking you want to try this
sport, don't do it without first talking to someone like Scott Pellaton.
It took him many years and many falls to built up his ability to ski at
speeds over 100mph. When you fall at speeds in excess of 70mph, it
feels the same as falling on concrete, and the injuries can be just as
serious. It's not a sport to just try out over a weekend. Anyone
who wants to contact Scott can be reach him by email at spellaton@sbcglobal.net.
Mike
Salber & Chuck Gleason
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