Water skiing, an exhilarating combination of athleticism and aquatic adventure, has a history rooted in innovation and recreation. Ralph Samuelson first invented waterskiing in Lake City, Minnesota in 1922. Fred Waller from New York, actually patented the equipment in 1925 and later popularized it by bringing it to Cypress Gardens in Florida in World War II. However, the sport's evolution took an unexpected turn with the emergence of nude water skiing, blending the thrill of gliding across the water with the freedom of naturism.
Neither men realized the naturist potential that this sport had. It is unknown when the first naked person took a spin on waterskis, probably it was on a dare and being in the age long before cell phones, as no known photos of the event occurred.
Water skiing is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water.
The Dawn of Naturist Water Skiing
The first photographically documented nude waterskiing occurred early in 1954 at the Lake Como Club in Lutz, Florida. Lake Como Estates first became a winter nudist retreat for American Gymnosophical Association’s northern home at Rock Lodge, New Jersey in 1939. It had moved from Tampa then to avoid persecution and arrest in Hillsborough County. The club became year round in 1940 when a second organization, the Florida Athletic and Health Club formed and also used the same property at first during the summer.
During the War a property dispute that ended up in the Florida Supreme Court curtailed widespread use of the property. This dispute ended in 1949 and the club reopened its doors to new members later that year. Florida Athletics’ Lake Como Club brought motorized watersports to the lake shortly thereafter.
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Lake Como Club in Lutz, Florida, an early hub for nude water skiing.
The 1954 photos that survive show participants doing tricks, as noted above, so one assumes that the actual starting date of “naturist waterskiing” is earlier than 1954. One also assumes that many of the skiers at Cypress Gardens (the textile amusement park in Winter Haven) came over to Lake Como to both ski and practice naturism. The activity was not noted in a 1952 article on the club, but that does not mean it did not exist either. One of the best resident waterskiers at Como was Dorothy Cotterill, the wife of long-time manager of the club. No pictures of her on the lake are known to exist.
Evolution and Expansion
The wooden “Miss Como” dates back at least into the late forties at Como and served as a prob for many early naturist photos. The first photo of it being used as a ski boat was not until the late fifties, but one assumes that it could have been used for nude waterskiing at least as far back as 1949 or 1950.
By the early Sixties, the club had purchased three new fiberglass boats dedicated for waterskiing. A water ski club was formed, called Ski Bears at Lake Como. Members of this club jumped over a floating raft using a portable floating ski jump platform. This club practiced at Lake Como during the 1970s and later. The Tampa Bay Waterski Show Team performed and continues to perform to this day at Lake Como Family Nudist Resort once or twice a year.
Waterskiing at Lake Como in 1962 | Photo from Lake Como Family Nudist Resort historical archives
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In one of the oddities of life at a nudist camp, the boat in the above photo was sunk at some time in the late Seventies or early eighties, and for reasons that are not crystal clear, it was never recovered. Lee St. Mary, the Lake Como historian, went looking for another lost boat and found the missing waterskiing boat. In 2024, it still lurks below.
Sonar image courtesy of Lee St. Mary
"All-Florida Days"
The “All-Florida Days” was a weekend-long event that various Florida nudist clubs joined in, which invited members of other clubs to come over for competitions and games. Volleyball, tug-of-war, tennis, and horseshoes were some of the events that occurred. At Lake Como, after the volleyball tournament winner was crowned, the event provided the excuse to have the annual or biannual waterskiing show. This event waned after the eighties.
Interestingly, many of the participants in the waterskiing shows came clothed and had never been nude in public before. By the end of the event, many were performing naked, and a few even joined the club.
An unidentified professional waterskiier going “native” in the early eighties at Lake Como. | Photo from Lake Como Family Nudist Resort historical archives
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Unfortunately, when the new co-op took over the resort in 1997, they put speed restrictions on the lake, and casual waterskiing ended. Although they have continued to waive those for the waterskiing shows that have generally continued over the interim, each year, it has been a bit of a sell to schedule these events.
Few other North American naturist venues contain fully enclosed lakes that would enable such activities. As such, nude waterskiing has mostly been a recurring Florida event. Cypress Cove also has done this, but they did not open until the early Sixties so they cannot compete with Como’s early adoption of the sport. Jim Hadley even photographed many of the early naturist water events at Como before he opened his own resort.
Not to be undone, when Paradise Lakes Resort opened in 1981 and, during their Grand Opening, had a waterski show on their even smaller lake. To think they performed jumps and other stunts seems mindboggling in 2024.
Naturist Waterskiing at Grand Opening at Paradise Lakes, stunts and jumps, and participants enjoying beers with their free t-shirts after the performance in 1981. Photo courtesy of Jack Gipson.
As noted, venues for participating in this activity seem to have gone the way of the dodo. Certainly, brave men and women have stripped off and done this out on the ocean or on private lakes, one of which ended up being published in the Sports Illustrated body issue, but save for the professional shows, at least in Pasco County, Florida, it is just an event of a bygone era.
The Rebellious Spirit of Whistler
Throughout the decades, nudity has consistently popped up along the village streets and in our parks. It's raised its head inside bars and on mountain slopes, along the nudie dock and danced across the stage at Das Boot Ballet. From the Toad Hall photo to the legendary Pimp and Ho parties, nakedness has woven itself thickly into Whistler's historic fabric.
For some, uncovered skin is the pinnacle of a free society; naked people are liberated people that have at last thrown aside their conservative pasts and embraced the true curves of the new millennia. But whatever your thoughts on nudity you have to admit there is also something silly about getting naked in public. It lightens moods.
Whistler's naked legacy hit another level thirteen years ago. Before Cornucopia was founded, on a weekend in November when nothing worth noting was happening in Whistler, a man named Andre St. The concept of MasquerRave was to blow the concept of wine tasting into something bigger, more fun, more approachable and way less serious than tradition dictates.
The rowdy wine event with naked models was a resounding success. In fact, during its 11 years of existence, Andre's anything-goes, sexed-up party grew from 150 attendees to a remarkable 2,500 guests willing to pay the $250 cover charge. Each year, Andre made sure to raise the bar and keep people on their toea. One year he had an ABBA cover band. Another year, he put on an acrobatics show. Nude ice sculptures with vodka shots from their nipples, shadow-box sex shows, and penis-shaped hors d'oeuvres were also reported inside the Bistro's tavern.
It's been thirty years since the Toad Hall photo, 20 years since Barely Naked started and 10 years since Johnny Thrash rode the gryo sphere, but Whistler's naked torch is still burning bright.
Nude Water Skiing in Pop Culture
Even in popular culture, the idea of nude water skiing has made its mark. Walton Goggins, in HBO's "The Righteous Gemstones," portrayed Baby Billy Freeman in a memorable opening sequence where he is seen water skiing in his birthday suit. This comedic portrayal showcases the shock value and humor that can be derived from the concept.
Uncle Baby Billy Yells at Gemstone Kids While Sniffing Cocaine. Righteous Gemstones.
When asked about the waterskiing sequence, McBride laughs. He's asked a lot of his friend Goggins (the two shared lead roles in HBO's acerbic 2016-17 comedy "Vice Principals"), but even he knows where to draw the line."No, I can confirm that Walton has never showed his penis on the show," he says. "There's always a body double, and never the same elderly penis."
Anecdotal Tales and BYU Legends
Former BYU QB Jim McMahon, 1977-1981: “Kyle was a hell of a player. He was our anchor in the middle of the defense; he called all the signals. He did everything he was supposed to do. I think he had it a little tougher than most guys in college because he had to play for his dad. You know how tough that could be sometimes. But he handled it well. We were very successful with him there in the middle. We were roommates on road trips sometimes. I think we roomed together at the Hula Bowl (in Hawaii) and so there was a lot to do over there. We were pretty much out of school, so that was kind of fun. There’s really nothing you can do (on road games). You go on the road and you’ve got coaches everywhere. Once bed-check hits, you’re not supposed to be anywhere. Supposed to be…”
Former BYU RB Vai Sikahema, 1980-81, 1983-85: “All freshmen kind of tiptoe around the upperclassmen. It’s like being a rookie in a room full of veterans. Two weeks into my freshman year, I got into a fight in the dorm. And the fight happened with an offensive lineman who was another freshman. He had sprayed me with a fire extinguisher that he had pulled from the wall. Just typical freshman stuff. Too much testosterone. We get into a fight and I beat the crap out of the guy.“The next day, we got in trouble, got hauled up to the (BYU) standards office and all that. When the dust had cleared, Kyle came to me and he said to me, ‘Hey, you’re going to be a player for us.’ I think what he communicated to me was (that) he loved that I was a little dude and I’d just beaten up an offensive lineman to protect myself. I think he thought that I could help the team.