Water skiing at the 1972 Summer Olympics facts for kids
Water skiing is a super fun sport where you glide across the water on skis, pulled by a motorboat! It was featured as a special demonstration sport at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.
This was the only time water skiing was shown at any Olympic Games. Thirty-five athletes from twenty different countries took part. They competed in six exciting events: slalom, figure skiing, and ski jump, for both men and women. The slalom events happened on September 1st, and the figure skiing and ski jump events took place on September 2nd.
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Water Skiing at the 1972 Olympics
What is a Demonstration Sport?
Sometimes, the Olympics will include sports that aren't officially part of the main competition. These are called demonstration sports. It's a way to show off new or less common sports to a big audience. If a sport becomes popular enough, it might become an official Olympic sport later on! Water skiing was one of these special sports in 1972.
The Water Skiing Events
There were three main types of water skiing events at the 1972 Olympics:
- Slalom: In slalom, skiers go through a course of buoys (floating markers) on the water. The goal is to pass around as many buoys as possible without missing any. The boat goes faster and the rope gets shorter as the skier clears more buoys, making it harder!
- Figure Skiing (Tricks): This event is all about showing off cool tricks and moves on the water. Skiers perform spins, flips, and other acrobatic stunts. Judges give points based on how difficult and well-performed the tricks are.
- Ski Jump: Just like in snow skiing, water ski jumpers go off a ramp and try to jump as far as they can across the water. It takes a lot of speed and courage to get a long jump!
These events tested different skills, from speed and agility in slalom to creativity in figure skiing and bravery in the jump.
Men's Event Results
Here are the top results for the men's water skiing events.
Men's Slalom
In the men's slalom, skiers tried to go around as many buoys as possible.
| Place | Name | Buoys |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Roby Zucchi (ITA) |
44.0 |
| 2 |  Wayne Grimditch (USA) |
38.5 |
| 3 |  Jean–Michel Jamin (FRA) |
38.0 |
 Heikki Olamo (FIN) |
38.0 | |
| 5 |  Hans–Willi Eilermeier (FRG) |
32.0 |
| 6 | Karl–Heinz Benzinger (FRG) |
29.5 |
| 7 |  Bruce Cockburn (AUS) |
28.5 |
| 8 | Graeme Cockburn (AUS) |
28.0 |
| 9 | Ricky McCormick (USA) |
27.5 |
 Kim Reid (CAN) |
27.5 | |
 lan Walker (GBR) |
27.5 | |
| 12 |  Andres Botero (COL) |
21.0 |
| 13 |  Pierre Clerc (SUI) |
17.5 |
| 14 | Pierre Plouffe (CAN) |
7.5 |
| 15 |  Wolfgang Loscher (AUT) |
6.5 |
Men's Trick Skiing
For the men's trick skiing, athletes earned points for their amazing moves.
| Place | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky McCormick (USA) |
5340 |
| 2 | Wayne Grimditch (USA) |
4510 |
| 3 | Karl–Heinz Benzinger (FRG) |
4240 |
| 4 | Bruce Cockburn (AUS) |
3940 |
| 5 | Graeme Cockburn (AUS) |
3860 |
| 6 | Max Hofer (ITA) |
3850 |
| 7 |  Edgardo Martin (ARG) |
3720 |
| 8 | lan Walker (GBR) |
3560 |
| Roby Zucchi (ITA) |
3560 | |
| 10 |  Jean Veys (BEL) |
2990 |
| 11 | Pierre Plouffe (CAN) |
2930 |
| 12 | Jean–Yves Parpette (FRA) |
2740 |
| 13 | Pierre Clerc (SUI) |
2640 |
| 14 | Paul Seaton (GBR) |
2160 |
| 15 | Heikki Olamo (FIN) |
2060 |
| 16 | Michel Finsterwald (SUI) |
1770 |
Men's Jump
The men's jump event saw skiers flying through the air to see who could go the furthest.
| Place | Name | Metres |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky McCormick (USA) |
43.75 |
| 2 | Max Hofer (ITA) |
37.70 |
| Hagen Klie (FRG) |
37.70 | |
| 4 |  Carlos Garcia (MEX) |
36.40 |
| 5 | Bruce Cockburn (AUS) |
35.50 |
| 6 | Pierre Clerc (SUI) |
35.40 |
| 7 | Roby Zucchi (ITA) |
35.10 |
| 8 | Jean–Yves Parpette (FRA) |
34.75 |
| 9 | Paul Seaton (GBR) |
34.40 |
| 10 | Pierre Plouffe (CAN) |
33.90 |
| 11 | Graeme Cockburn (AUS) |
33.10 |
| 12 | Kim Reid (CAN) |
31.90 |
| 13 |  Alan Dagg (IRL) |
31.05 |
| 14 | Wayne Grimditch (USA) |
30.15 |
Women's Event Results
Here are the top results for the women's water skiing events.
Women's Slalom
The women's slalom event also challenged skiers to navigate a course of buoys.
| Place | Name | Buoys |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liz Allen–Shetter (USA) |
35.0 |
| 2 |  Willy Stähle (NED) |
31.5 |
| 3 | Pat Messner (CAN) |
29.0 |
| 4 | Sylvie Maurial (FRA) |
28.0 |
| 5 | Kaye Thurlow (AUS) |
27.0 |
Women's Figure Skiing
In the women's figure skiing, athletes showed off their best tricks and earned points.
| Place | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willy Stähle (NED) |
3140 |
| 2 | Kaye Thurlow (AUS) |
2750 |
| 3 | Sylvie Maurial (FRA) |
2560 |
| 4 |  Sylvie Hülsemann (LUX) |
1780 |
| 5 | Liz Allen–Shetter (USA) |
1550 |
Women's Jump
The women's jump event also featured impressive distances as skiers launched off the ramp.
| Place | Name | Metres |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylvie Maurial (FRA) |
27.40 |
| 2 | Kaye Thurlow (AUS) |
27.30 |
| 3 | Liz Allen–Shetter (USA) |
25.70 |
| 4 | Willy Stähle (NED) |
25.35 |
| 5 | Petra Trautmann (FRG) |
24.10 |
| 6 | Karen Morse (GBR) |
23.25 |
