Dec. 19. The 43rd Annual Lake Norman New Year’s Day Barefoot Tournament will be held New Year’s Day at Lake Norman Marina in Sherrill’s Ford. Hosted by the Carolina Show Ski Team, it is one of the longest running  barefoot skiing tournaments in the world.

The event, which begins at noon and wraps up around 3 pm, combines barefoot starts, tricks and endurance skills in one single ride. Contestants receive points for the degree of difficulty of their starting method ranging from flying dock start to backward dock start, as well as degree of difficulty of any tricks they perform.

About 25-30 Footers—barefoot water skiers—are expected to compete, coming from as far as Florida and New Jersey.

Last year World Barefoot Champion Keith St. Onge broke the long standing course record set by Jeff Blair, a Mooresville resident.

Other barefooting legends who have competed in the tournament include Ron Scarpa, Peter Fleck and Rachel George Normand. This year Normand has her sights set on being the first female to take top honors.

Admission is free, and concessions will be available on site. More information can be found on the event Facebook page.

The Carolina Show Ski Team is a 501C3 non-profit organization based out of Tega Cay, SC, whose mission is to promote water skiing and water safety. During the summer they provide ski shows every Friday night at Windjammer Park.

Lake Norman Marina is located at 6965 Hwy. 150 East in Sherrill’s Ford.

PHOTOS: LAKE NORMAN MARINA