To my regret, I had stopped doing sports after I finished my student days, because the changed living conditions did not offer any space for it.
That only changed when the work on the new house stopped. I wanted to spend my newly won free time doing sports with friends again. So I was glad when Martin, a very sympathetic work colleague, took me to practice at his water ski club.
The modest sports facility was located on the shore of a surface mining lake, densely overgrown with trees and bushes. A plain wooden house housed the clubroom and at the same time the boat shed.
The facility was supplemented by a hand-operated slipway, the jetty, and a mini volleyball court. There was no electricity. Canoeists practiced on the opposite shore of the lake, and they had an enviably spacious facility.
The lake was not too big, so both clubs had to follow a strictly regulated schedule when training so as not to interfere with each other. Very quickly I learned the water start on a borrowed slalom ski and dared the first courageous jumps over the wake of the tow boat.
Not much more was to be expected, because at the age of 40 the time for competitive sports is over. In the discipline of slalom, even skiers who have been trained for many years rarely manage to round all six buoys of the competition course.
In figure skating, gliding on a trick ski is like balancing on a rolling barrel, so acrobatic skills are an important prerequisite. Hurling over the jump at high speed requires courage and is not without danger.
I wasn’t that brave – I didn’t try it. My qualities were in another field. I played volleyball very well and knew something about engines. In the course of time I developed into a skilled boat driver.
In the slalom and jumping disciplines, the competition courses, which are marked only with buoys, must be approached with pinpoint accuracy and the speeds prescribed by the judges must be adhered to very precisely, otherwise the runner faces disqualification.
This is not so easy, because the towing boats were mostly home-made and not yet equipped with computers that automatically maintain the programmed speed. The driver had to manage this with a great deal of sensitivity with the throttle in all weathers.
My dedication and skill were rewarded. I was allowed to obtain a boating license for public inland waters at club expense. This was the sign for me that I was recognized as a full club member. 𝓣𝓸 𝓑𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭…
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