Did you think you need water skis or a wakeboard to zoom across the surface of a lake? Think again. This man proves that all you need are your own two feet, and plenty of practice.
Benjamin Thompson, the man in the video, has been described by YouTube commentators as having the “thickest soles” and the “cleanest butt crack”. Though these speculations are difficult to confirm, they emphasise the impressiveness of this man’s feat (pun intended).
The video begins as any water-sport video would: with a man jumping off a boat into a lake, and grabbing a tow rope. However, the plot thickens as the boat picks up speed. Thompson achieves a standing position without the use of any gear, zooming across the surface of the water with just the soles of his feet.
After achieving his ideal speed, he pulls himself forward and releases the rope, as if he was sitting down. The result is Thompson flying at an incredible speed on his bottom across the water’s surface, arms spread for balance. If that wasn’t skilful enough, he meets the shore with more gracefulness than someone going at a fraction of his speed.
If you’d like to take a look at this impressive water sport, watch it here:
This sport is aptly referred to as barefooting. Barefooting requires much greater speeds than normal water-skiing, to ensure the barefooter doesn’t sink through the surface.
The sport originated in Florida in 1947, before gaining popularity in Australia in the 1960s. Nowadays, there are several barefoot water-skiing competitions, in which participants are required to perform a wide variety of tricks, as well as aslalom and jumps.
The sport is as impressive as it is difficult to master. The high speed of the boat makes falls much more painful, and causes the water’s surface to be extremely painful against the soles of the feet. Nonetheless, Benjamin Thompson goes to show what can be achieved if one continues to push the boundaries of sport.
If you want to read more about strange water-related sports, check out canal-pole-vaulting here.
