ENDURANCE RACING TEAM :

Team MVS Barefoot is competing again this year in the second season of the Barefoot Waterski Racing Cup Series sponsored by Barefoot Central and SkiPro Extreme. The Racing Cup Series “is designed for hard core endurance racers who long to prove that their team is the most dominant and consistent endurance racing team on the planet” (Barefoot Central, 2005). Teams compete in Cup Series races across the country – from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Tin Top, Texas. They compete on lakes and rivers, in smooth and rough water.

Here’s how it works: Each boat contains a team of four to six barefoot-skiers (“footers”) and a judge. The race proceeds relay-style with team members taking turns barefooting at speeds of 40-55 miles per hour as long as they can. When one goes down, that footer comes out and is replaced by another team member in the boat. Then they’re off again until the next footer falls, continuing for the length of the course, which can run anywhere from 20 to 40 miles!

An exciting development in barefoot racing last year was the inception of the Rapid Transition Technique, introduced by Team Ski-Pro East in 2004. Instead of wasting critical time during the “transition” (i.e., getting the next footer in the water after his teammate has fallen), competitive endurance teams are now using the rapid transition technique to maximize efficiency during a race. One rope with 2 handles (one on each end) is passed through a ring attached to the pylon, with a stop at each end of the rope. The skier on the water and the “on-deck” skier in the boat each have a handle in hand attached to the same rope. When the skier on the water drops, the new skier enters the water with his handle and is ready to deep-water start before the slack is out of the rope. The weight of the skier in the water pulls the other handle into the boat while the boat is moving. Under perfect conditions, a planned transition can be performed in less than 25 seconds.

Racing Teams participating in the Cup Series must compete in at least 4 events to qualify to win the coveted Barefootcentral.com Racing Cup Trophy and the 1 st place cash prize, which is estimated to be a minimum of $5,000 in 2005. If all of the team members are not able to participate in a race, “Wildcard” skiers can be utilized (once they are registered with Barefootcentral.com’s Wildcard Skier Listing ).

In 2004, MVS Barefoot hosted its first local race – The Mississippi Endurance Race, which ran between Winfield, MO and Grafton, IL, a total distance of 41 miles.

The 2005 Mississippi Endurance Race will be held on October 8 th in Lake Saint Louis/St. Charles, Missouri.
Links to:
RULES/REGISTRATION
WEEKEND SCHEDULE/LOCATION
COURSE MAP
Contact Julie at (314) 495-8561 for more information.

To see photos and videos from the 2004 Mississippi Endurance Race and an article about Barefoot Central’s experience on the river, check out : http://www.barefootcentral.com/2004_St_Louis_race.htm