04/23/2026
Let’s bring back this type of entertainment!!
Today for Throwback Thursday we are going to throw it back to the early 1950s with this shot of a water skier hitting a jump near Shepard Park. In the background you can see the old wooden pier at the steamboat company and train station.
Water skiing was invented in 1922 when 18 year-old Ralph Samuelson used a pair of boards as skis and a clothesline as a towrope on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota, and the sport grew quickly!
The first wooden ski jump was built in 1928 and by the 1930s the first water skiing competitions were held!
In 1972, water skiing was even featured as a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games!
The Adirondacks saw a boom in recreational water skiing in the 1940s and was a popular recreation of folks for the next few decades, much to the dismay of some locals who didnt like the fast boats going all over the calm waters of the lakes and ponds.
Since these days, water skiing popularity in America has declined significantly, with participation dropping from 6 million in 2007 to 3 million in 2022. This decline is driven by high costs for specialized boats, intense competition from easier-to-learn tow sports like wake surfing, and a shift from public to private access making a lot of smaller ponds and lakes inaccessible.
But here in the Adirondacks there still are a few folks who head out on the calm waters to take part in this 100+ year old pastime!
