Stone Watersports Club - Stone Racing History

Marathon Race Late Seventies Sponsored By Chris Jones

Front row L-R Pauline Bourne,Lorraine Martin,Don Brooks,Russell Cox, Gary Brooks,Kevin Barnes, Martin Brooks

Middle row L-R Carol Carpenter, Peter Carpenter, Tony Cox, Martin Cox,Debbie Hobbs, Liz Hobbs, Mike, Norman?, Ken Todd

Top Row L-R Malcolm Bennet, Tommy Cox, Mervyn Philips, Terry Skingles,Wesley Philips, Peter Ball, Barbara Ball, Chris Jones,
Ray Watkins,Tony?

History of Ski Racing at Stone
Stone Watersports has a long history of waterski racing. The first club race held on the River Blackwater was in 1971. It was called the “Marathon” an annual race which still takes place in August each year.
The Marathon was a measured 50 mile course which was quite a distance on good weather days, and interminable on rough days.
Skiing hands out in front, it took a strong pair of arms to hold on and complete what could be a three hour race on a slalom ski or a pair.
Back in 1971 the race was won by a local lad behind a boat called Ronski.
The following year it was won by Gee Whizski, a boat owned by two very enthusiastic skiers who encouraged a young Pete Carpenter to join their team. Needless to say they didn’t get a look in with the skiing and Pete went on to win the race for the next three years.
The arrival at Stone, of a character called Roy Carey, a national racer, had a lot of club members in a flap. With his “race ski” made by Ron Williams, he encouraged many of our skiers to take the plunge and join him on the national circuit.
In the first year, we had so many good skiers competing at national level. A main race could have 60 boats competing, in fact there were thirteen club members in the National support race, and we almost gained enough points to win the club championship. The team was very supportive of each other, in fact one boat was put together in the car park.That year we were given the Welsh Flag [which still hangs in our clubhouse] by Penarth Club, in recognition of the commitment and achievement. We have been lucky at Stone, to be able to boast some of the finest waterski racing champions in the world:
The Brooks brothers, Gary and Martin, Tony, Russell and Martin Cox, Peter Carpenter, David Martin, and Kevin Barnes, dominated the National and European scene for several years. Liz Hobbs, twice World Champion dominated the Ladies Class, and was legendary, she was watched closely by a young Nikki Carpenter who followed in her footsteps, to become a National and European Champion, for several years.
The list of skiers who competed at National level goes on, and some are familiar faces at the club, even today:
Lisa Busby, Debbie Barnes, Dawn Collins, Louis Newbury-Smith, Jonathon Twigg, were all part of the team that helped put Stone on the map.
Racing has not faded out at Stone as it has done for many other clubs. The last few years have seen a dedicated band of skiers and their families carry on the Stone tradition , gaining European Championships, competing and gaining medals at World levels; Karl Brooks, Rob and Dave Sewell, Sam Clapson, Billy and James Smith, Daryl Tyndall, Clive Wyncoll, Natalie and Ian Scott, Kurt and Scott Brooks and the latest, youngest competitors Nadia Mersey and Sam Clark.
The list goes on and there are probably many more names that I could mention, I‘m sorry if I have left your name out.
Of course, all these skiers would not have done so well without the drivers and observers whose names are rarely mentioned but are an integral part of the team, and our very own judges, Mike Spindley, Trevor Barnes and Derek Sewell who give unstintingly of their time to bring order and fairness to this very tenacious sport.
Hopefully, Stone will continue its long history in the future, and will produce even more competitors and champions among its many excellent skiers.