CLOSE
Sign up to get news on contests, pro events, new products and special offers.
WATERSKI MagazineFirsts, longests and never befores rejuvenate the U.S. Open.
Over the course of this decade, the U.S. Open had become the most controversial water-skiing tournament on American soil. Struggling to retain its prestige, the Open had been shuttled to six different host cities in eight years, run through sites with treacherous water conditions and had built a reputation as a virtual gripe-fest among the world's top skiers. In the days leading up to the 1999 U.S. Open, nobody knew what to expect.
Voices, however, were prepared to lash out of habit. This was the first time in history that USA Waterski (formerly AWSA) wasn't running the tournament. Not since 1967 had Austin, Texas, hosted the event. And Malibu Boats had taken over operations, its first attempt at organizing a major tournament.
The most profound review of the Open at the close of the weekend came from Freddy Krueger. Last year Krueger had called the Pensacola, Florida, site “ridiculous” and compared conditions to “the middle of a hurricane.” Following the '99 event, Krueger called the Open “a premier event” with “premier conditions.”
Uncle Frank in Grand Forks could have made that statement just by looking at the results. The 1999 U.S. Open had some of the most phenomenal scores in pro tournament history. In men's slalom the top 10 skiers ran more than halfway down 39.5 off. The U.S. Open women's jump record going into the event was 151 feet (Emma Sheers in 1997). This year Rhoni Barton's 153-foot jump wasn't even good enough to get her into the finals (four women went 154 or better).
If the women's cut seemed almost impossible, winning men's jump was – to take a word from Krueger out of context – ridiculous. In a preliminary round, Jaret Llewellyn had tied the world record of 224 feet. When Krueger came around for his third and final jump during the medal round, he knew his 215-foot jump probably wouldn't hold with Llewellyn and five others still waiting back at the dock. With a late cut and perfect timing, Krueger launched 225 feet for the Open's second world record in as many days.
It surely can't be coincidence that Malibu's first major pro event was also the first time in which 10 men ran more than halfway down 39.5 off, four women jumped better than the standing tournament record, and the first jump of 225 feet was recorded. While it may have been the tournament of “firsts,” the athletes and fans walked away hoping that it won't be Malibu's last.
