HELENA — Just two miles north of downtown, Water Ski Mania houses a private lake designed specifically for barefoot water skiing. And Thursday through Sunday, Water Ski Mania acts as host of the 2024 U.S. Barefoot Nationals.
Eighty-six skiers from all over the country gathered in Helena to vie for the title of national champion, competing in three events: tricks, slalom and jump.
“We’re just out here competing,” said Brody Meskers, a three-time barefoot national champion. “It’s an annual tournament every year. We get the best skiers in the country coming out and showing their stuff to see who’s the best out on the water.”
Meskers made the trip to Montana from Wisconsin. He described his mindset this weekend in Helena as he chases a fourth national title.
“Just trying to remain as calm as possible, right,” said Meskers. “You get up, the boat’s roaring, the engine’s roaring. You hear the announcers talking, and it’s just — try to tune it all out and try to do what you can do.”
Also from Wisconsin and competing in Montana this weekend, Faith Dix described her mindset.
“Really, I’m just trying to have fun,” said Dix. “Once you kind of get the itch, and you try it (barefoot), and you really love it — then you ski, just going out more and more and enjoying the fun of it.”
Outside of individual competition, Dix is also a member of the U.S. barefoot national team. Dix said she appreciates the sense of community that barefoot offers its competitors and supporters.
“Yeah, it’s great being able to come out and see everyone again because I haven’t seen so many people since I went to nationals in Texas two years ago,” said Dix. “So, I haven’t seen a lot of them since then. So, it’s really nice just to be able to come out and cheer each other on and have fun.”
Many agreed with Dix’s assessment of community within barefoot.
“The community for barefooting is something special,” said Andrew Martin, manager of the U.S. barefoot nation team. “It’s something everybody looks forward to from year-to-year, and even beyond. There are skiers who no longer participate in the sport but show up years later and they know people — it's a family reunion, essentially, each time they come to a competition.”
