With a nickname like "Animal" you know right off Mark Turner is not your average waterskier. He lives in California and is an extremely talented and successful person on the water, and does not let his disability get in the way of breaking records. Mark's not had the use of his legs since he was a baby.

At the age of 13, Mark's mother encouraged him onto a sit ski (adaptive waterski) on Donnor lake. He was so resistant and purposely fell over so he could quit, letting his mother know "told you I'd hate it, mom!" He tired it again the next day and it went a little better, and he agreed he'd keep it open for the future.

Locally, there was a group that did disabled waterskiing a few times a summer. Mark went out with this group and tried it a few more times and something finally clicked. He figured he was not bad for a beginner and thought if he bought his own equipment he could improve his skills even more. He was right and became progressively better from 1991-1992.

Around 1993 his family bought a Mastercraft boat and skied at the local lake many summer weekends and had a blast.

Mark decided to take his talent to the competition scene at the age of 14 and excelled. His first tournament was the junior division of the Western Regionals in the early 1990's. The first few years of competition he won first place in wake crossing and then in slalom.

He progressed to the men's competition when he was 16 and experienced lower placements but gradually worked his way back up to the top of the rankings.

Along the way he was winning small tournaments, but there was not a big crop of disabled skiers at these tournaments and didn't really feel like they were big wins. None the less, there was some competition, and it was fun to ski.

In 1995 he trained for his first Nationals and placed third. He skied better in 1996, but so did his competitors, and placed fourth. He came back hard and was ready in 1997. Mark had been running 32 mph at 15 off and was told to shorten his rope. His performance exploded, and in a single day went from never running a full 32 mph pass to getting in deep at 34 mph at 32 off.

By early summer in 1997, he was getting a few at 36 mph at 35 off and at the age of 20 he won his first regionals in 1997. It was a good feeling because his competition was stiff. Mark went on to win the 1997 Nationals by skiing 1/2 at 38 off at 36 mph.

Mark dropped all of his shortline training in favor of the full course, as disabled people call it. The half course is basically the same as the full course, but half the distance out to the balls. Any full course pass at the disabled competitions beats any speed pass on the narrow disabled course.

He won Nationals in 1998, and is looking to do it again in 1999, and eventually take home a world. In 1998 he also tied a world record, and will receive his official record certificate at the 1999 Nationals.

Mark was mentioned in 1998 and 1999 issues of "The Waterskier" USA WaterSki publication, in the nationals round up issues, under disabled nationals. He has also been selected for the world team, and will ski in Ireland and London at the 1999 world's. He's the youngest skier ever selected for the world team.

Quite impressive, huh? His peers rave about him and his enthusiasm for the sport. Mark loves to teach others to ski. If a skier is having a problem with their pass, he always tells them how to fix it. Mark will tell them, "Go faster, and shorten the rope," his waterski coach Kent Sandhagen told me, of the KeNevA Ski Club. He must know what he's talking about. That same advice allowed Mark "Animal" Turner to excel and become a champion. Kent coached Mark to his World Championship beginning on the first day they met. He named him "Animal" and convinced Mark he could ski the wide course and win the world.

Animal's 1999 Update

Regionals and Nationals... he came in second both times, being overtaken by the same person twice... breaking a two year winning streak. BUT.. the big news is that he traveled to England over the summer, for the 1999 Disabled World Championships and won! He ended up getting 2 balls at 27mph (43klm) and beating the 2nd place person by 6 balls. Mark had an awesome time, traveling to England, Ireland, France (Paris) and Switzerland all in about three weeks! He is known for dying his hair so for this event he died it red white and blue for the occasion. Mark was recently contacted by a writer for Sports Illustrated For Kids, and should have a small article and maybe picture published soon, as well as a larger article in WE magazine www.wemagazine.com

Disabled Waterskiing Help Organizations and Businesses

There are several organizations and businesses available that cater to disabled water-skiers. The National Ability Center, in Park City Utah, falls into this category. Their goal is to provide the disabled and their families affordable, quality sports, and recreational experiences. They have a waterskiing program which includes waterskiing, kneeboarding, water rides, and a picnic.

Texas Adaptive Aquatics is another business dedicated to providing waterskiing experiences for the disabled. Their programs are designed for the new skier and the skier who wants to rediscover the sport following an injury or accident.

For more information on disabled waterskiing, contact USA Waterski.

Photo courtesy of Mark Turner.

 

Forever In Your Wake,

Julie Bostian

Waterskiing Guide

 Post your questions or comments to my waterskiing bulletin board. I invite you to tell me what you think about my site, or suggest any ideas for future contests.

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