The 2021 Eastern Regionals was held on the Schuykill River at Port Indian in PA. It began with 3 days of clinics with the WBC’s Ashleigh Stebbeings helping skiers improve their trick and slalom runs. From the young to the old, first time footer to wiping some 30 year old dust off the feet, the boat was full of laughs and encouragement.

Thanks to some great planning the ramp was set up for the clinic and a lot of feet made their first jump. An exhibition was put on the water Friday night for an excited crowd. It started out with two whacky feeble characters chasing each other around show-center. That was followed by some trick skiing, swivel skiing, a high flying air chair and the new crowd favorite, the meat spin. The show finished up when some new jumpers wowed the crowd by hitting the ramp on the boom. A couple of not so planned inversions closed the show.

To encourage new competitors, first time tournament skiers and juniors skied for free thanks to some awesome sponsors. A last minute decision was made, with the full approval of the wind god, to move the tournament to a more spectator friendly part of the river.

Kevin Garrity kicked off the tournament with Boy’s A and the rest of the skiers seamlessly following for an efficient tournament. Claire Flowers traveled the furthest to compete in her first 3 event tournament in Girl’s A while Cheney Harper made her tournament debut in Women’s B. Unbelievably, Alejandro Scheel made his tournament debut after magically learning how to barefoot just two days before without one faceplant. That was short-lived when he joined the faceplant club in the tournament and deservedly won the yard sale award. Peter Bostock, with a little motivation, slalomed some really clean one foot crossings to get a PB and move into Men’s B while winning the crowded Men’s C slalom division and Derek Krehling won the Men’s C tricks. Tina McCauley came in first in Women’s B tricks and won the vintage barefoot suit trophy. The legend, John Cornish dominated and inspired in the Senior Men’s division. Jess Caserta had a great showing in his 39th consecutive Eastern regionals! Several competitors went for the extra points jumping off the tower and all were successful although some made more noise than others hitting the water.

The tournament finished up with some great food and the awards ceremony. We would also like to congratulate and welcome to the Eastern Region board, Mike Jenkins. The 2022 Eastern Regionals site, dates and LOC have not been confirmed yet, but we are working on it. Any help or ideas for next year would be appreciated.

The post 2021 EASTERN REGIONALS first appeared on Barefooters Of The Eastern Region.

The 2020 Eastern Regionals was an event you did not want to miss.  The Beasts from the East competed bravely in both Slalom and Trick events.  With temps in the 90s and no wind, the weather could not have been better.  The water conditions on the Schuylkill River remained calm and smooth throughout the day.

This year the tournament was hosted once again by the Port Indian Ski Club.  The neighbors and members stepped up to help out with lodging, shuttle boats, safety boats, and a venue for the event.  Last-minute changes pushed the venue upriver to the famous Bostock Brauhaus.  The Bostock’s hospitality was second to none and was appreciated by all participants.

We had 20 skiers participate starting with tricks and finishing up with the slalom event in the afternoon.  Patrick Payne won Boys A and it was his first time competing.  In Mens C, Jess Caserta took first place and Brad Harper took a close second.  This was Brad’s first tournament and he tricked an 880 putting him into Mens B.  Don Stoppe claimed first place in Mens B, and Mark McCauley dominated Mens A.  Lexi McCauley won the Open Womens Division and  Victoria Bostick, 9 years old, claimed first place in the seahorse division.

For Complete results CLICK HERE!

Socially Distanced Awards and Dinner followed the event.  Regional directors Tina McCauley and Sam Dubs are moving on, so the region voted in Michelle Comp and John Garrity to take their places as the new Eastern Region Directors.  They are great ambassadors to the sport of barefoot waterskiing and will represent the region well.

The evening celebration was attended by many and consisted of beachfront bonfires and dancing.  Memories were made that will never be forgotten.

Huge thanks to the Garrity Family for helping out every step of the way, Rich Kaufman for organizing so many details and passing down your knowledge to others, Ben and Ash Stebbeings from World Barefoot Center for helping out with various official positions, Peter Bostock for putting together the best-looking start dock ever, Tina McCauley for setting up the tournament and scoring, Mark McCauley for his perfect driving skills, Don Stoppe for his fair judging, Sue Andrews for safety, and everyone else who helped make this event happen.  It was a group effort that made it such a success.

The post THE “BEASTS OF THE EAST” ARE BRINGING THE EASTERN REGIONALS BACK IN BLACK AND GOLD! first appeared on Barefooters Of The Eastern Region.

By Amanda Krehling

It was a historic weekend at the Atomic Footer’s homestead in Middletown, Pennsylvania with Friday marking the permanent shutdown of Three Mile Island, the nuclear power plant known for the infamous meltdown in 1979.

While much of the community will think of this date as the last weekend to see the iconic “cloud makers” in production, the barefoot community will remember it for the inaugural Nuclear Showdown event and first tournament other than Regionals to be held in the Eastern Region in more than eight years.

Skiers from across the East and spanning all the way to Tasmania, Australia, arrived by car, boat, and sea plane to ski in the shadows of the cooling towers on the Susquehanna River. The Nuclear Showdown, a record-capable and grassroots event, included both new and familiar faces to the sport.  Complete Results HERE

Men’s A competitors put on quite a show with Don Stoppe breaking out the old school teeth-hold and neck-hold tricks and Rich Kaufman and Mark McCauley both posting slalom scores that qualified them for the 2020 Worlds.

The international division was swept by Bruce Wilson, who will return to Australia with a new PB in Tricks. Michele Comp represented the lady footers by putting up an honorable showing in her first barefoot competition; she not only successfully completed her flying dock start but also got a PB in slalom. Other brand new faces were Josh Matincheck, Brian Krehling, and Kyle Price, who all competed for the first time this weekend.

Men’s C housed the biggest group of skiers in the Nuclear Showdown, with Peter Bostock of the Port Indian Ski Club taking gold. Other competitors included John Garrity, Sam Dubs, Derek Krehling, Eric Rankin, Nate Comp, and Matt Morris.John and Kevin, Beasts of the East

There was a family showdown between the Jersey boys, with Kevin Garrity of Boy’s A surpassing his dad’s PB with a slalom score of 4.50. Since Harrisburg International Airport is right next to the tournament site, there was speculation as to whether or not John Garrity was going to hop a flight to Florida to start training for next season!

Speaking of Florida, a big shout out is owed to the World Barefoot Center, as well as BlueTek IT Solutions, Atomic Pucker, and the Atomic Footers Ski Club for the swag bag donations. This event would not have been possible without the support of the Port Indian Ski Club, our boat drivers Dave Miller and Mark McCauley, or the help of the many volunteers affiliated with the Atomic Footers Ski Club and the barefoot community.

A special shout out to Rich Kaufman and Tina McCauley who remain committed to advancing the sport and arrived a day early to hold a Judges and Scorers Clinic Friday evening.

This weekend may have signified the end of an era at Three Mile Island, but it marked the beginning of a new barefoot tradition in the Eastern Region. And while no three-eyed catfish were spotted on the Susquehanna River, it’s possible a few Footers went home glowing a little greener after this weekend!

The post ATOMIC FOOTERS EXPLODE ON TOURNAMENT SCENE BY HOSTING NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN first appeared on Barefooters Of The Eastern Region.