Skurfin' U.S.A. -- Whatever Name You Want To Call It, This New Hybrid Water Sport Could Be The Wave Of The Future

Ken Bernard's sport may not have an official name, but he holds the world slalom record in it.

Skiboarding? Skurfing? Maybe wakeboarding?

What would you call the activity performed by someone whose feet are strapped to a surfboard and who bobs behind the wake of a speedboat while grasping a water-skiing rope?

How about water snowboarding? Surf skimming? The terms overlap in boardspeak as easily as sailboarding and windsurfing do to board sailors.

It all started in 1983, when Californian Tony Finn was bummed by whitecaps that made water skiing difficult and by puny, inconsistent waves that kept surfers beachbound. He sought steady surfing action and speed.

His idea: Get towed by a boat while balancing on a kid-sized surfboard. Soon he started refining his prototype boards, marketing them from his Volkswagen van.

Not much later, Finn had Kransco, the Oceanside, Calif., maker of Hydroslide kneeboards and Morey Boogie bodyboards, cranking out Skurfer water-ski boards.

Bernard, a native Hawaiian who grew up in California and now lives in Redmond, tried skurfing in its early form. A surfer almost from the days when his diaper served as his swimming trunks, Bernard dabbled in wakeboarding when he wasn't competing as a swimmer, water polo player or pro skateboarder.

Now Bernard, 28, works as a purchasing manager for a Redmond trucking and excavation company, the kind of firm that prepares stadiums for big-truck shows (he claims to hold the world record in longest wheelie in a monster truck).

Bernard moonlights with HO Sports, working in the wakeboard division of the Redmond ski manufacturer.

He backs up his assertion that his apartment, just a few board lengths from Lake Sammamish, is "R&D Center of the World" by counting 40 boards in his possession, many of his neon favorites lining the walls.

"We can get ballistic," admitted Bernard, who competes in freestyle events at about 18 mph and slaloms at 25. "But I have more girls on the lake (trying skiboarding) because they don't want to water ski at 38 mph and fall. That hurts. But the average person can go in (the water) without even getting their hair wet sometimes."

The average person is the target audience of the manufacturers. All the major water-ski equipment makers have tested the wakeboard waters. They figure the prospects for profits are as much a sure thing as a beginner getting up on a board by the second or third try.

Paul Wiley, who operates two water-ski shops, said the sport is gaining popularity on Puget Sound-area lakes.

"You can use them when it's really so ugly out there, you can't do other things," Wiley said, referring to choppy waters caused by the wake of afternoon cruisers or strong winds. "And you can use them behind a lot of boats you could never water ski behind - 35-foot Bayliners or something that's a very underpowered boat that would never pull a water skier."

Coordination with the boat driver is important for a beginner. Dock starts usually are easier than water starts, which require the boarder to float with knees pulled tight to the chest and wait to be pulled up. Unlike with skiers, the driver does not have to crank the throttle, however. A gentle start works best.

Knowing how to water ski helps, but isn't a prerequisite, boarders say.

Said Brad Mathews, with Redmond's O'Brien International, a water-skiing manufacturer: "Somebody familiar with snowboarding, skateboarding, surfing or windsurfing, where you're used to standing on a board sideways, will like it and find it easy to learn."

Competition isn't widespread yet, but boarders can do many of the same tricks skiers do: backscratchers, helicopters, butt slides and mule kicks. At the National Skiboard Championships in Colorado Springs June 15, Bernard competed in the three disciplines: freestyle, air (placing second) and slalom.

As in water skiing, slalom skiboarding has a six-buoy course. The object is to go around as many balls as possible at the shortest rope length. The standard rope is 75 feet long. In skiing parlance, competitors move to various increments "off" the standard length.

Bernard usually starts at 28 off, which means his rope is 47 feet long. At nationals, after a slow boat speed canceled his opening qualifying round, he succeeded at 32 off. He advanced to 38 off, recording a record three balls.

Bernard promptly recorded his personal best in indelible ink on his board.

Most mornings he works out with weights and stairclimber. He logs lake time in the afternoon, testing board innovations.

Most have a foot setup as on a snowboard, with one foot strap a bit ahead of the other. The toes slide into a rubber toe piece, and the heel stays in position with a soft bungee cord that allows the foot to slide out easily in a fall.

What appeals most to Bernard, however, is the length of time you can play.

"It doesn't tire you out like slalom skiing," Bernard said. "Fifteen minutes is a long time water skiing." But wakeboarders can cruise twice that long.

"Basically," Bernard said, "it's for people who want something fun to do on a summer day." ----------------------------------------------------------- SKIBOARDING

AKA: Skurfing, wakeboarding.

Size: 53-58 inches long; 12-18 inches wide, 2 inches thick.

Cost: $150-$350.

Speeds: 12-30 mph. Average is 15-18 for freestyle or towing; slalom competition up to 25 mph.

Boat engines: 12 horsepower and up.

Rope length: 45-55.

Composition: Polyethylene shell; most have adjustable footstraps and fins.

Note: Life vest strongly recommended.

Source: World Skiboard Association.