Author Topic: American Skier in the Olympics??  (Read 4015 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline RonT

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1202
    • RonTanis
  • Boat Make/Model/Year: American Skier/Eagle V-25/2001
American Skier in the Olympics??
« on: August 01, 2012, 04:14:31 PM »
A common question I get is why did you ever sell American Skier?? As we sit home and watch the Summer games I am reminded on one of those reasons. In 1972 the Summer Games in Munich included Water-Skiing as an "Exhibition Sport", my friend Ricky McCormick brought home the Gold medals in Tricks & Jumping. A common goal of mine and founder Ken Elkind was to some day see our boats pulling the waterskiing events in a summer games. The AWSA continued to push hard for the inclusion of water-skiing and we thought we were really getting close in the early '90s. The IOC (international Olympic Committee) was actively searching for ways to include it. One of the primary objections was the use of another human controlling a machine (boat) which was towing the athlete. One of the developments from this was the electronic speed control (cruise) another was the way we tested boats for power & acceleration using human skiers as test loads. The AWSA  & the IOC contracted me to develop a mechanical water skier that could be used as a test load for towboat evaluations. In 1991 I developed & sold the "Tanis Drone" to the AWSA, WaterSki Magazine, & each & every ski boat manufacturer as the standard for testing. (still used today) A ski boat must accelerate to 36 MPH within 220' while pulling the Tanis Drone.  In the late 90's we really thought we were going to make the 2000 Summer games in Sydney, the olympic politics were in high gear. I was busy developing the ultimate slalom & jump boat, (TBX-PRO) my goal was to have our boats as one of the towboats in the Summer games. It had already been decided that the towboat selection would be based on performance not marketing dollars....we had a shot. The 1999 & 2000 model TBX-PRO was the top dog at the towboat tests! Then scandal broke out within the IOC and all of our hopes & dreams of going to the Olympics were shattered, it was announced that the sport of water-skiing would not be included in the games. Nearly 20 years of perfecting a slalom boat was changing fast, seems everyone changed their priorities to boats that make huge wakes & played loud music.......................................

Offline Mike Harry

  • Captain
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1042
  • 1986 American Skier Barefoot Skier
Re: American Skier in the Olympics??
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2012, 04:45:10 PM »
Cool story for sure. I feel your pain, I really do. Back in the early 90's Kung Fu was up for vote to be included in the Olympics. I had won semi regional, regional, and 2 national championships in the AAU for both fightning and what we call empty hands forms. I was told that IF we were to be voted into the Olympics that I had a spot at the trials (at least). I trained very hard for something that would never come. Same story...... Kung Fu is highly traditional and the traditionalists (Kung Fu is split by a northern and southern line) could not come up with fair judging system because both styles are very different. If it were only fightning it may not have been a problem, but the emty hands forms differ so greatly that there was said to be no way to judge which  form was better than the other.

Since you shared, thought I would as well. Didn't mean to jack your thread.

Also would love a look (picture) of this Tanis Drone whatchamacallit. Sounds pretty cool for sure.

Offline Pelvic Woo

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 68
Re: American Skier in the Olympics??
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2012, 06:11:43 AM »
And yet we still have badmitten as an Olympic sport.
1988 Advance/1990 Comanche

Offline Joel

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1022
Re: American Skier in the Olympics??
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2012, 05:08:02 PM »
And two teams got thrown out for trying to lose... in badmitten...  You've GOT to be kidding...   :(  The next Olympic water sport will probably be Marco-Polo...
Joel - Columbus, OH - 1991 Advance