July 29, 2025 • 5 mins
Water skiing doesn't always require skis. We talk with champion barefoot waterskier and coach Ben Groen about the Barefoot Waterski Nationals taking place July 30 - August 2nd in Auburndale, FL.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Water skiing is
a sport has deep roots in central Florida, particularly in
Polk County, and starting Wednesday through Saturday, barefoot water skiing
takes center stage in Auburndale. The Barefoot water Ski Nationals
are going on through August second at Lake Merketle Park
in Auburndale. Ben Growen is a professional water skier, instructor
(00:21):
and coach. He's originally from New Zealand and has won
championships and he's currently the World Tricks Champion. Growing has
also made a barefoot ski video that's gone viral and
now works as an instructor at the World Barefoot Center
in Winterhaven and joins us now on Beyond the News.
Ben Growing Welcome, Thanks God, thank you. I really appreciate
your having us and are having you here on the podcast.
(00:43):
Tell us first of all, what's different? I mean, what's
different about skiing barefoot or some of the things that
you do, some of the tricks you do as opposed
to skiing with water skis. I mean, the people are
on the newsroom, we're looking at some of the videos
and they're saying, well, you know, first he's got to
have really calloused when he does that.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah. So obviously, you know, barefooting is bearfwater skis, water
skiing without the skis. So the biggest thing there is
your surface area gets fairly diminished, and with less surface,
therey you got up those boat speeds. So the athletes
is the Nationals this week deski in anywhere from the
mid thirties up to about forty five forty six miles
per hour, so that water gets really firm and solid
(01:24):
for them to be doing all their treks and carving
and jumps and things like that on top of the surface.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Now, what tell us about some of the performances and
some of the performers that we can expect to see
at the barefoot water Ski Nationals this weekend.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, so you've got your top athletes from across the
United States are going to be competing. You've got the
current under seventeen boys world champion, Noah Kinnerman, who's coming
up really strong through the fictional man's division and he's
actually competing for a shot at the national title against
the defending champion, Brody Meskis. He's a four time national
(01:58):
champion now and he's trying to go for five, which
make him the third skier in the history of the
sport take five titles. So there's a big rivalry between
these two guys, and they actually trained together and work
together at the World Barefoot Center with me in Florida.
So it's fun to watch them kind of train off
the water together, and you know, this week it's game on.
They're going out against each other. You'll have the under
(02:20):
twenty three women's world champion and jump, Meghan Adams, competing
in the open division for ladies, along with the under
twenty three women's overall champion, Faith Dick. Meghan's from Minnesota.
Faith is from Wisconsin. See but some of the top athletes,
not just in the country, but in the world here
competing either defending titles or you know, trying to make
their name and make a stake themselves in the sport.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
As we mentioned, you recently did a video that has
gone viral of you demonstrating some of your abilities and
it's you know, it has an obvious appeal to look
but what do you think some of the most entertaining
and exciting aspects of barefoot water skiing and how why
it is it is such an exciting sport to watch
(03:03):
and participate in.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, it's you know, I think for a lot of
people it's something they've never seen before, so it really
catches the eye. And some of the more crowd pleasing
trick know where you're doing push ups on your hands
on top of the water or you're spinning around your back.
The jump event is another really popular one at fast paced.
Hence you know these guys and girls are hitting the
jump ramp at forty five miles per hour and flying
(03:26):
fifty to sixty seventy eighty feet and then landing and
skiing that away. Those are the more exciting parts of
sport to watch. And actually Friday will be having a
free to attend night jump event that evening where these
top skiers from the nation will be going out after dark,
competing under the light for a bit of prize money
and a shot at a national jump champion There.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Excellent for people who want to attend. What's the general
schedule and what's the procedure there admissions for certain events
and how does that work.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So there's no admission to turn up. We're very blest
to work with USA Water Ski in Polk County with
this beautiful lake here Champion Lake next to Lake Myrtle,
so it's free to attend these events thanks to the
help from the city and our schedule. We start at
seven point thirty every morning Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then Saturday.
We may be starting a little bit later depending on
how the week goes, and will be ski in basically
(04:18):
all day to about four pm most days, doing the
trick events, the jump events, and the slaal events throughout
the day.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
What's the plan? What's the make good plan? If you
have to deal with thunderstorms or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Obviously, being in Florida and being in the summer, that's
how big is concern. If lightning does get close enough,
we have to just shut things down until that passes.
But fortunately our officials, our lead officials, they kind of
budget time into every day go allow for a little
bit of that, so we've got wiggle room there. If
a big storm does come in, we can kind of
hold off. We've got an hour or so we can
(04:51):
wait for that weather to pass, make sure everyone's safe,
and then we'll be back on the water and tearing
it up as long as we can.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
And just to note before we wrap up here, what
a magnet of water skiing the central Florida, Polk County
Winterhaven Lakeland Auburndale area. Is You're originally from New Zealand,
and like many others, you have located in Central Florida
to pursue the sport.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, exactly. I moved here. Well, I came here fifteen
years ago do a bit of water ski training myself,
and I just absolutely fell in love with the area,
the amount of lake and the weather and the community
I air. It's just it's something special and definitely a
place close to my heart now forever.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
That's been growing and he is of course part of
the Barefoot water Ski Nationals, the organizer of the event
going on through August second at Championship Lake, which is
part of the Lake Myrtle Park Sports Complex in Auburndale
in Polk County. Ben Growing, thank you very much for
joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Thank you, Gordon, appreciate it.
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. Water skiing is
a sport has deep roots in central Florida, particularly in
Polk County, and starting Wednesday through Saturday, barefoot water skiing
takes center stage in Auburndale. The Barefoot water Ski Nationals
are going on through August second at Lake Merketle Park
in Auburndale. Ben Growen is a professional water skier, instructor
(00:21):
and coach. He's originally from New Zealand and has won
championships and he's currently the World Tricks Champion. Growing has
also made a barefoot ski video that's gone viral and
now works as an instructor at the World Barefoot Center
in Winterhaven and joins us now on Beyond the News.
Ben Growing Welcome, Thanks God, thank you. I really appreciate
your having us and are having you here on the podcast.
(00:43):
Tell us first of all, what's different? I mean, what's
different about skiing barefoot or some of the things that
you do, some of the tricks you do as opposed
to skiing with water skis. I mean, the people are
on the newsroom, we're looking at some of the videos
and they're saying, well, you know, first he's got to
have really calloused when he does that.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah. So obviously, you know, barefooting is bearfwater skis, water
skiing without the skis. So the biggest thing there is
your surface area gets fairly diminished, and with less surface,
therey you got up those boat speeds. So the athletes
is the Nationals this week deski in anywhere from the
mid thirties up to about forty five forty six miles
per hour, so that water gets really firm and solid
(01:24):
for them to be doing all their treks and carving
and jumps and things like that on top of the surface.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Now, what tell us about some of the performances and
some of the performers that we can expect to see
at the barefoot water Ski Nationals this weekend.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Yeah, so you've got your top athletes from across the
United States are going to be competing. You've got the
current under seventeen boys world champion, Noah Kinnerman, who's coming
up really strong through the fictional man's division and he's
actually competing for a shot at the national title against
the defending champion, Brody Meskis. He's a four time national
(01:58):
champion now and he's trying to go for five, which
make him the third skier in the history of the
sport take five titles. So there's a big rivalry between
these two guys, and they actually trained together and work
together at the World Barefoot Center with me in Florida.
So it's fun to watch them kind of train off
the water together, and you know, this week it's game on.
They're going out against each other. You'll have the under
(02:20):
twenty three women's world champion and jump, Meghan Adams, competing
in the open division for ladies, along with the under
twenty three women's overall champion, Faith Dick. Meghan's from Minnesota.
Faith is from Wisconsin. See but some of the top athletes,
not just in the country, but in the world here
competing either defending titles or you know, trying to make
their name and make a stake themselves in the sport.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
As we mentioned, you recently did a video that has
gone viral of you demonstrating some of your abilities and
it's you know, it has an obvious appeal to look
but what do you think some of the most entertaining
and exciting aspects of barefoot water skiing and how why
it is it is such an exciting sport to watch
(03:03):
and participate in.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, it's you know, I think for a lot of
people it's something they've never seen before, so it really
catches the eye. And some of the more crowd pleasing
trick know where you're doing push ups on your hands
on top of the water or you're spinning around your back.
The jump event is another really popular one at fast paced.
Hence you know these guys and girls are hitting the
jump ramp at forty five miles per hour and flying
(03:26):
fifty to sixty seventy eighty feet and then landing and
skiing that away. Those are the more exciting parts of
sport to watch. And actually Friday will be having a
free to attend night jump event that evening where these
top skiers from the nation will be going out after dark,
competing under the light for a bit of prize money
and a shot at a national jump champion There.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
Excellent for people who want to attend. What's the general
schedule and what's the procedure there admissions for certain events
and how does that work.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
So there's no admission to turn up. We're very blest
to work with USA Water Ski in Polk County with
this beautiful lake here Champion Lake next to Lake Myrtle,
so it's free to attend these events thanks to the
help from the city and our schedule. We start at
seven point thirty every morning Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then Saturday.
We may be starting a little bit later depending on
how the week goes, and will be ski in basically
(04:18):
all day to about four pm most days, doing the
trick events, the jump events, and the slaal events throughout
the day.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
What's the plan? What's the make good plan? If you
have to deal with thunderstorms or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
Obviously, being in Florida and being in the summer, that's
how big is concern. If lightning does get close enough,
we have to just shut things down until that passes.
But fortunately our officials, our lead officials, they kind of
budget time into every day go allow for a little
bit of that, so we've got wiggle room there. If
a big storm does come in, we can kind of
hold off. We've got an hour or so we can
(04:51):
wait for that weather to pass, make sure everyone's safe,
and then we'll be back on the water and tearing
it up as long as we can.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
And just to note before we wrap up here, what
a magnet of water skiing the central Florida, Polk County
Winterhaven Lakeland Auburndale area. Is You're originally from New Zealand,
and like many others, you have located in Central Florida
to pursue the sport.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, exactly. I moved here. Well, I came here fifteen
years ago do a bit of water ski training myself,
and I just absolutely fell in love with the area,
the amount of lake and the weather and the community
I air. It's just it's something special and definitely a
place close to my heart now forever.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
That's been growing and he is of course part of
the Barefoot water Ski Nationals, the organizer of the event
going on through August second at Championship Lake, which is
part of the Lake Myrtle Park Sports Complex in Auburndale
in Polk County. Ben Growing, thank you very much for
joining us on Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Thank you, Gordon, appreciate it.
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