PA champion barefoot water skier still gliding across water at 71 years old
John Cornish has skied at top speeds on waterways, skittering across the surface of the water with nothing to glide on but his bare feet.
He once barefoot skied behind a drag boat with a 650-horsepower engine to see how fast he could go. A trooper used his radar gun, and on the first pass, Cornish topped 75 mph. On the second pass he was close to 90 mph when he fell.
“It was fun, it was just a raw thing to go out and ski,” said Cornish. That was in Tennessee, but he actually grew up in Addison, Somerset County, along the Youghiogheny Reservoir in southwestern Pennsylvania. He started barefoot skiing at age 15.
“My goal was to get between 90 and 100 mph,” he said. “I know I got close.” At high speeds, the friction can causes burns on a person’s feet, he said.
Cornish, now 71, spends the year between his homes in Pennsylvania, Lexington, South Carolina, and Winter Haven, Florida. He is a retired Somerset County educator - a former teacher, principal and superintendent.
He started barefoot water skiing because it's the next step up from being on skis, he said.
“It’s so different, it’s all based on science, physics of friction, and making your body a lever. It’s the speed you have to have is what causes the forces to hold you up on the water. It’s just really cool when you’re doing it,” he said, comparing it to the experience of riding a motorcycle - feeling the wind and experiencing the smells and sights.
“Gliding across a body of water on your feet has many of those same things, except you’re on your feet. It’s just a feeling and an accomplishment. It’s like nothing else,” he said.
It’s an extreme sport that takes his passion to the next level. He’s done show skiing, slalom skiing, kite flying, and he’s decided to stick with barefoot water skiing.
With the variety of ways people can enjoy the water from kayaks to paddle boards, he said fewer people are taking the time to learn to water ski, but they should.
“The overall sport of water skiing, and that means on skis, whether you are doing tricks, slalom, long jump or bare-footing has declined, but that is due to the increase in wakeboards and surfing. They are not quite as difficult; you don’t go as fast,” he said.
“It’s a great family sport,” he said because it takes three people to ski: a boat driver, a safety observer and the skier.
Cornish’s father owned Captain Jack’s Lakeside Marine on the waterway near their home, and as a young man, Cornish spent his summers on the reservoir.
“With the availability of the water, it always fascinated me. I wasn’t that great at high school sports," he said.
He realized he was good at water skiing and participated in shows, including in Cyprus Gardens, Florida, which is the premier show ski area of the world. He participated in barefoot endurance competitions and hosted the first Eastern Regional Barefoot Tournament in 1978.
He has suffered injuries for all that work though, including tearing his hamstrings, biceps, and injuring his knees and shoulder.
“It’s an extreme sport, he said.
As a barefoot competitor, Cornish has won three overall national titles and numerous individual event titles along with many top placements during his 18 years of competition. He is the 2019 USA Water Ski and Wake Sports Hall of Fame Award of Distinction recipient.
He said the world record for barefoot skiing is around 135 mph, but it was done by someone wearing booties on their feet. Cornish was barefoot and in his regular suit with a helmet.
His skill and determination helped him to compete across the globe. Cornish was an alternate on the U.S. team for the 1978 worlds. In later years, he coached two U.S. teams, including for the 1986 World Championships in Kelheim, Germany, where the U.S. won its first gold medal.
He’s still active in the sport today. In October he placed third overall in International World Waterski and Wakeboard Federation’s first Masters World Barefoot Championship in Texas.
If you want to water ski
Here are tips from Cornish:
Use the right equipment. He recommends a suit with a padded area for the buttocks and built-in flotation. They work better than a vest that can get caught in the wakes of the water during a fall.
A boat with a training boom works really well learning to ski. In the past, people learned to barefoot water ski by taking one of their feet off of a ski at a time, but now there are ways to skip the skis altogether. “If you have the opportunity and can find someone who has a boom and boat, they can teach you and/or go to a ski school. They are professionals and know what they are doing.”
Calm water conditions are best, and many water skiers go out early in the day before other boaters start making wakes.
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Where to water ski in Pennsylvania
Youghiogheny Reservoir is one of his favorite places to go. In the early spring, watch for debris because it’s a river lake. Also note that it’s lowered in early fall as it’s a flood control waterway for Pittsburgh.
“It’s a very nice lake, you can usually find a place to ski," he said.
He also recommends the Clarion River, a narrow, winding waterway. He said it’s accessible to ski 12 months a year, but there are limited access points.
“It is pretty with mountains and trees around it," he said.
The Monongahela and Allegheny rivers in Pittsburgh have good opportunities for water skiers.
“It’s beautiful,” he said noting that you have to watch for barge traffic and debris.
In eastern Pennsylvania, he recommends Harveys Lake, Lake Wallenpaupack, and Crystal Lake.
“They do get crowded,” he said. Check the rules about when to go and best times to be on the water.
Raystown Lake is really nice, but it’s on the bigger side. “It’s mostly windy and open,” he said.
Conneaut Lake, Kinzua, Allegheny Reservoir, Shenango, and the east branch of the Clarion River, have all provided good water skiing for him over the years as well.
People want to go on calm days when there’s no wind to disturb the surface of the water.
“Everybody loves glass water,” he said about wanting a smooth surface to ski across.
Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors ,Twitter @whipkeyoutdoors and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Barefoot water skiing in Pennsylvania what lakes are good to water ski
