By RTB

April 11

Today in History

On April 11, 1999, Curtis Sheers won the Correct Craft Ski Fly Worlds after setting a world record in the preliminary round the previous day.

Here’s an excerpt from Waterski Magazine reporting on the record breaking feat:

“Ho … man … shh … wow ….”

“This was the reaction on the dock at the Correct Craft Ski Fly Worlds when Australian Curtis Sheers hung across 279 feet of water, smashing his own ski-flying mark of 255 feet set during an exhibition last year and cruising past the traditional jump record of 222… by 57 feet.”

” ‘Amazing,’ said Sheers, 21, trying to comprehend that he had flown over more flat surface than Evel Knievel ever cleared. ‘I saw the 255 ball and kept going. It seemed I was up there forever.”

“A day later, Sheers fittingly won the final round of the tournament with a 273-foot jump to outdistance Krueger by 6 feet, claiming the biggest one-event purse of the year – $15,000 – which included $3,000 for the weekend’s longest jump.”