Extreme Watersports
Photos and text by Eric Fowler
Buoyed by cable giant ESPN's X-Games and other events, extreme sports are definitely "in" these days. While many of these insane pursuits are land-based, you can almost bet the first extreme sport involved water. I can just imagine some ancient man standing on the edge of a cliff, staring down at the ocean below and thinking, "Wouldn't it be fun to jump in there?" right before launching himself.
 [ Bud Piercy of Ashland has been skiing most of his life, but he didn't think he'd still be doing it at age 65. Yet Piercy, the national overall and ski jumping champion in his age bracket, still enjoys strapping on the skis, hurling himself off a ramp doing 55 mph and flying about 100 feet through the air before hitting the water--sometimes harder than others. Lining up for a jump is still a rush, he said. "You don't know whether you want to throw up or wet your pants."]
Visit many of Nebraska's lakes and you'll find extreme sports on exhibit. Especially if you use my definition of extreme. . . something you wouldn't catch me trying, not even on a bet. From all ages and walks of life, they do things that make you say, "You've got to be kidding me."
 [Nicole Barker of Lincoln grew up on skis and makes slalom skiing look easy. It's one of five skiing disciplines she and her family, the Webers, practice most summer weekends at Victory Lake, located at Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area.]
Some people go to extremes to be extreme. Take wakeboarders, for instance. You've seen their tricked-out boats with big racks on top. Put the two rope high and it gives you a little pull up, which means more air. What you can't see is the ballast tanks some of those boats carry. Filled withw ater, they increase the weight of the boat and the size of the wake, which means, you guessed it, more air.
Duane Weber of Lincoln raised his family on water skis and trick skis. On most weekends they can be found at Victory Lake near Fremont doing all kinds of crazy stuff. "Some people go to the lake to relax," Weber said. "We go to the lake to beat our bodies to death and then come home."
I jumped off cliffs at Lake McConaughy in my younger days. Skied a bit, too, but wasn't any good. I always thought ski jumping would be cool. Now it makes my knees hurt just thinking about it.
To be frank, I'm happy to sit back onthe beach and watch these days. And I don't care how much fun some of you say it is, I've still got just two words for you" You're crazy.
|
[On most weekends, D.J. Rieck and his friends can be seen flying over the water at Branched Oak Lake on Sky Ski. In 2000, he finished second in the world competition on the contraption, which adds a hydrofoil to a water ski and lends itself nicely to crazy aerial tricks. "Just lean back," Rieck said when asked how to make the thing fly. "You can make it as extreme as you want it to be."]
|
[Seventeen-year-old Kyle Alberts of Plattsmouth started wakeboarding at age 7 and did his first backflip at age 10. Last fall he finished third in his division at a national tournament in Florida with tricks like the Tantrum to Blind, big Worm and Whirlybird, which qualified him for the pro tour. "It's just progression. You get bored with what you're doing and want to get better," Alberts said of his drive to learn new moves.
|
|
|
[Mark Ingalls of Lincoln was at the lake one day when a friend suggested he enter a Jet Ski race and even gave him his to use. Ingalls won the race and soon had his own ride. "There are 16 guys an inch apart, all starting at once and all going for the same place, full speed, side by side," Ingalls said of the race for the first turn. "That's when it gets a little hairy." It also explains the helmet.]
|
[Most people head for cover when the wind starts howling at Lake McConaughy. Greg Anderson of Ogallala takes vacation.]
|
|
OFFICIAL STATE OF NEBRASKA WEBSITE - 
