Pam Wilkenson is writing a 100 years anniversary history and asked about the pyramid we did back in 1974. This is the draft I sent to her - rough. I hope she rewrites.
First photo: Gary Kenny’s boat (he can verify), Lou Emery standing. Bill, on left, Terri standing next to boat. Gary in boat, Tim behind boat.
Trying six skiers behind my Dad’s boat (115 HP). Tim Shelley, Alyson, Gary K., Lou Emery, Terri-Ann Cobb Stone, Bill Shelley.
Getting ready to try five person pyramid, my grandfather, Warren Cobb is in yellow/white boat to the right - taking movies. We dragged down our boat so bad, we were bobbing up and down trying to get up on the skis while my Dad tried to get the boat to up to speed enough to plane off.
Trying to recall our story of the upper lake water skiing pyramid: Hope you can make sense of this - and feel free to rewrite after getting Bill, Tim, Gary's input....
My dad Ted Cobb drove the boat. We had a 1973 - 115 hp boat. I believe it was the summer 1974 that we did these pyramids. There was one young man, Lou Emery from the middle lake that was with us along with Tim and Bill Shelley and Gary Kenny. My sister Terri and I were on top. We schemed upon this idea I believe when we went to Florida for a spring break family vacation April 1974, where my parents took us to the Cypress Gardens, and we watched their ski shows.
We did several planning sessions on our shorefront at 31 Cobbs Dr. on the west shore of the upper lake. We gathered five ski ropes and tied them to a large pine tree on our property and laid them out, straight out where the skiers would be. The three boys on the bottom ski ropes were a little shorter than Terri's and mine. We used the shore, our shoreline is slanted a bit, but we held onto the ropes, Terri and I stood between the three guys and climbed, putting a foot on their knee, holding onto their shoulders, and one hand, still holding the ski rope, and we climbed up on their knees as the guys bended there, both their knees, while we were underway. This was practiced on the shore, so we stood on their shoulders with the ski ropes and my mom and dad helped adjust the ropes so that Terri and I would stand up straight and have the right length rope, which was actually a little longer than the guys. We practiced that several times on the shore, and then tied the ski ropes to my dad‘s boat and the five of us all began on two skis each. Our 115 hp motor lugged down while trying to get five of us up. All five of us are adult weights, in our teens, up on the two skis. Once my dad did a loop around the lake with the five of us; Terri and I dropped a ski and we’re on one ski. Then we circled around again, and I don’t remember who went and got those two skis from in front of our place but we skied around and then when we got close to our shorefront again my dad swooped in (probably too close to the shore) and Terri and I put a foot on the guys knees one first and then dropped our remaining ski and then the foot on the other guys knee and very slowly hanging on their shoulder and one rope. We put 1 foot up on their shoulder while leaning heavily on the rope hoping my dad kept a very steady speed with the boat. Once we stood on their shoulders, and we’re comfortable, My dad drove us around the lake a couple times. Many people came out on their docks and watched us, and we waved to all. After that, we all looked at each other, because we did not plan a way to get down from the pyramid, the first time. We told my dad by sign language to circle around in front of our camp again and Terri and I decided to just fall backwards into the water so Dad slowed down a little bit. Terri and I pushed off like frogs dangling in the air, falling on our backs into the water while the guys went forward a little bit more and then they let go of their ropes. That was how we got off for the first time. After that we practiced getting down the same way we got up (which was scary climbing down in front of the guys, putting our feet on the front of their wet skies, while going 35 mph), so my dad took us out again, and we actually got down on each of the guys knees and then very carefully, we each stepped on the guys two skis, 1 foot over to the very front of his two skis almost on his foot the front pocket and then put my other foot on the other front pocket so his skis had the weight of him and me, and then my dad took us around and dropped us on the shore normally and the guy just skied us in on their skis.
Maybe the guys will remember that they tried a three-man barefoot pyramid, which did not work. I was on the top and they were both slalom skiing on one ski and I can’t remember if one successfully barefooted and then we fell when the second one did I think it was Tim and not sure who the second guy was. I went flying through the air and my life vest said it was rated for 50 mph and I went flying through the air when they fell and skipped like a stone along the top of the lake until I came to rest, and I decided never to do that again.
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