One-on-One
with West Coast Willie, "One Way Willie", The Master", and the "Bayou Boogie Barefooter"
an interview with Paul Stokes

WILLIE FARRELL

Today, I will interview a true icon of the sport of barefoot water skiing, William Farrell. a.k.a. Bayou Boogie Barefooter, West Coast Willie, and One Way Willie.

Stokeman: I won’t ask you your age, but I will ask, do you take Advil or Viagara before you go foot’n? Just kidding!!! How old are you?

William: 46 years young

Stokeman: Let’s cut to the chase. You just got back from a historical performance in the Senior Worlds. I was glued to my computer waiting for the next press release to arrive from New Zealand. Congratulations on winning the Senior Men Overall. You took home several gold medals. Tell us a little bit about this awesome experience.

William: This accomplishment was particularly sweet because I probably have never skied less because of the change in seasons, and the rain in California (it had rained 31 out of 52 days prior to leaving).

Slalom Tricks Jump Overall

FARRELL William USA 17.4 8030 15.2m 2,703.70 2

STEKELENBURG John AUS 17.4 5650 21.6m 2,703.61

Stokeman:  Well I know from reading the stories posted by Andrea Eggert, that you kicked some major butt. http://www.barefootcentral.com/senior_worlds_update.htm.  What an exciting event. Hats off to John Stekelenburg, I have watched John train and compete. He is fierce competition.

OK... Let’s get some background. You are a man with a few nick names. You must have an interesting background. Where did your barefoot career start?

William: I was once known as the "Bayou Boogie Barefooter": As a senior in high school in Louisiana. We would spend a lot of time on the Bayous either fishing, hunting, or trolling and for thrills we’d drag each other behind the boat attempting to barefoot. Then thru Bill Price & Ed Finley I participated in a 3-day barefoot clinic taught by Australian Pioneer John Hacker on the Tchefuncte River. Back then we didn’t have any equipment – we used three pairs of cut-off jeans for wet pants and a Cypress Gardens vest for buoyancy!

 That was when barefooting was in the budding stages. Willie was there at the start of competitive barefooting. (fact: Willie is one of four who have been to every Nationals.)

Stokeman:  Where do you shred glass now?

The one and only,

William: now known as "West Coast Willie": About 7 miles from my house on a private facility called the Beach Lake which is a misnomer because it does not have a beach and it certainly isn’t a lake. It’s called a slough in California, which you would call a canal in Florida or a bayou in the SouthCentral.

Stokeman: I feel, you have the smoothest surface turns in the business. What do you attribute that to?

The Master

William:  I've also been referred to as "One Way Willie": Years of practice that have melted a number of styles together. Heck, in 1990 (Piqua Ohio) Chief Judge Sam Spano gave me 16-180 turns and John Cornish said that surface turns could never be done continuous. In 1994 I moved up to 8-360 turns and the rest is history. But seriously, three things that are common factors in all styles of turns: An up weight, a pull on the handle (which initiates the spin), And to land, after the turn, in a comfortable barefoot ski position after the turn. From that point it’s just a matter of repetition. But it’s important to say that turns (360 and greater) do take a lot more practice that most people are willing to put into the trick. I’ve also seen more top skiers in clutch situations go down on reverse 360 turns.

Stokeman: You always have great barefoot stories. Share one with us.

William:  Back in 1980, the Barefoot Worlds were hosted at Marine World Africa USA. We performed start methods and jump in the show circle/stadium. On the perimeter was an Africa wildlife setting – a combination of giraffes, gazelles, zebras, monkeys, wildebeests and rhinos.

At the end of the run the towboat would pull a power turn and skiers would slide/glide close to shore. After my run I settled into the water and I came eye-to-eye with an irate rhino. His nostrils flared and he kicked up dust as if he was going to charge. I proceeded to dive down into the murky water to get as far away as could! The boat swung back to get me and I climbed back into the boat to ensure my safety.

Stokeman: Barefooting has been a huge part of your life. Is the fire still burning bright?

William: Yes and No. With two children it is very selfish to think that I would be able to continue to dedicate the time and energies to myself. However, I do thoroughly enjoy a good session on the water and striving to remain competitive.

Stokeman: Thanks for your time Willie. Is there anyone you would like to thank?

William: There are so many people that have encouraged and assisted my skiing through the years. They know who they are and I hope they know how grateful I am to them. No single individual has been as supportive and instrumental as my wife. Dawn has been my biggest critic (everyone knows how sharp she keeps here pencil) and yet she has managed to coach "the uncoachable". On or off the water she has been my greatest asset. One last thought would be that "the family that foots together stays together".

Stokeman Out