Aquaskier.com : Article - One Legged Wakeboarder - Disabled Wakeboarding

As we skim across the water of Lewisville Lake, the tower-mounted speakers blast a thumping tune from the Crystal Method and the big V-8 churns out a low roar that is common to North Texas lakes. The twenty-three foot Mastercraft Maristar is a V drive wakeboarding boat, complete with c.d. stereo, tower, and wake plate for creating a mildly aggressive wake. And while all of this is pretty common on Texas lakes we have something that is not, a one legged wakeboarder.

Wayne Holt is a wholesale account executive for a mortgage company and avid wakeboarder. He has been wakeboarding over eight years, and it shows. He slows his boat to a stop and says, “I’m gonna make a run”. With that he grabs his board from the tower rack, puts on a ski vest and jumps in. In no time he says he’s ready and the boat lurches forward. He pops up instantly and demands more speed. As the speed increases he swings wide out to the side of the boat, makes a quick slice that provides him with a burst of speed towards the wake and jumps a good four and half feet into the air, then lands gracefully down the other side. All of us in the boat cheer him on.

"The tower-mounted speakers blast a thumping tune from the Crystal Method and the big V-8 churns out a low roar that is common to North Texas lakes. And while all of this is pretty common on Texas lakes we have something that is not, a one legged wakeboarder."

Wayne then sets up directly behind the boat for a surface 360. I watch in amazement as he confidently spins completely around. Just then we cross a rough wake of another boat and things get choppy. His broad shoulders tighten as he hangs on to the rope and skips roughly across. When most skiers would have bailed or busted, Wayne has demonstrated balance and control.

Wayne has been disabled since he was two and half years old when a fireplace fell on top of him, causing a spinal cord injury. Since then he learned to walk on crutches and not let anything stop him from pursuing an active and normal life. Later on he had his right leg amputated due to knee injuries. He played wheelchair basketball for years, but wakeboarding seems to be his true passion.

Disabled wakeboarding is a fairly new sport for people with disabilities. Disabled water skiing has been around for decades, so the natural transition to wakeboards was inevitable. The equipment is custom, consisting of a standard wakeboard deck attached to a cage and single binder like you find on a slalom ski. The skier sits in the sling and places both feet into the binder on the front of the board. The cage is custom fabricated to the dimensions of the skiers’ hips so that it is a tight fit. This ensures that the rig stays attached during jumps.

Whenever Wayne is not working or skiing Lewisville Lake, he volunteers his time to disabled skiing clinics, providing demonstrations and instruction. He works closely with the Metroplex Adaptive Water Sports (MAWS), encouraging people with disabilities to water-ski and be active in sports. Disabled water sports are available to people with all kinds of disabilities including paraplegics, quadriplegics, M.S., spina bifida, amputees, and the blind. His proactive approach to life and positive attitude are reflected by the name of his boat “Wake Up and Live!”

Adam Fort

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