Mapple Tribute

I don't know where to start....what to say. I had 2 heroes growing up: Bob LaPoint, and Andy Mapple. As a testiment to how incredible the towed Watersports industry is, I have become friends with both of my heroes through the years. Bob is someone I work very close with, and consider a great friend and mentor. Aside from having the pleasure of competing against Andy for multiple years on the Pro Tour, I had another, deeper relationship. Over a period of 5 years, from 2006-2011, Andy was kind enough to spend long hours on phone calls, sharing his vision for the future and how we might grow professional water skiing into something we can be really proud of. He had big hopes and dreams. And he had a lot of other things he probably should have been doing....but he believed sharing his ideas and time with me was a worthy cause. I'm forever grateful for that. But the beginning of my relationship with Andy Mapple was 2003....when he, myself, Jamie Beauchesne and Glen Plake all met up in Acapulco at Ski Paradise, to shoot for Warren Miller's "Impact". I'll never forget that trip,...I got to hang with 2 legends: Glen Plake and Andy Mapple. That left an imprint on me....made me want to dedicate my life to skiing...and gave me the bug to one day become a filmmaker. As a tribute to Andy, and what he did for not only myself, but the industry and the World....here is a skiing story from 2003, with never before seen footage that I'm proud to finally share. Just wish Andy was still here to see it....and to feel the incredible outpouring of love from the water sports community. I hope he knew how loved he was.

[@kateblackmore7262]

I got to ski / train with Andy and Deena back in February of 1992. We was my hero. I wanted nothing but to be able to ski like him. Very few people get to train with their idol but I got to!!!!! Watched him every day in practice beat the world record at that time. It was truly amazing.

[@grahamhalstead476]

Sublime! RIP from Preston near where he was born.

[@egorone0408]

he was an inspiration for all aspiring slalom skiers. A magician of the six buoy course ! A champion all his life.

[@gustavorausch9192]

EL MEJOR DE LA HISTORIA!!!!

[@jonathanstephenson3964]

A great shame he left so soon. His Dad ,Roy, owned the car garage in Warton , Lancashire and lived next door to my Nan. So I use to play in the back garden with Andy; we would pick cooking apples together. With his Dad’s mechanical skills and a boat on Windermere (now speed restricted!), he learnt his mono-ski skills. And not from an early age - he was a teenager when he started. What a much deserved and successful career that followed. The greatest slalom skier ever.

[@IndianaAndy]

Great memories of watching Bob, Andy and others on ESPN tour coverage back in the 80s

[@kimberlycain-music]

Beautiful tribute video. What a joy to watch him ski!

[@mattmccuddy6483]

Thanks for sharing that. Truly made me feel good about waterskiing and the people who have dedicated their lives to the sport. Andy Mapple is the greatest.

[@athletachic]

Beautiful. Life's short, pull hard and never give up.

[@joeellinghouse6912]

Mappledom!! I love it

[@ffhd1clt]

The best slalom skier ever. No one even comes close. So sad he is gone so early. Don’t take life for granted.

[@billhunt3159]

Wow, I followed Andy and Carl Roberge all the time in the 80s. Met them both and they were humble and hands down the nicest pro athletes of any sport I've ever met. Haven't been skiing in years due to back problems and had no idea Andy passed. So sad....

[@zach4levitt]

Thanks for posting this marcus, hope that you are ripping up glass in heaven andy! #goat

[@kylegreer]

Great film Marcus, you guys have all done so much for the sport. Keep the Flow point tv going and do your friend proud. RIP-AM

[@georgiakovack1209]

Splendid !!!!!

[@desburkekennedy]

Truly lovely tribute for a very special person 😀

[@joeellinghouse6912]

Im 56 and still have the greatest dreams of my friends and I setting upand shedding the course the entire summer. Injuries were common and sometimes scary!!! I'm not sure if I should risk permanent damage to my old and creaky body but I want to. I miss it really bad

[@peterlemonjello2300]

LEGEND!!!

[@montrosebowl1578]

great !!

[@dennyflynn6965]

Wow!! That was a great piece.

[@miguelangelsantillana1524]

Great, great, great. Mapple is the "Michael Jordan", the "Pele" of soccer, the "Navratilova" of tennis, the "Ayrton Senna" of F1, etc. In the slalom water ski. Long life Andy!!!

[@jackjames7806]

Miguel Angel Santillana Senna!!!!

[@IndianaAndy]

Thanks for sharing this!!

[@anelkobalic1574]

Amazing video.

[@lightespeed]

Sad, sad , sad, I used to watch Andy in the early 80's, after the brawn and power of Mike Hazelwood, who was this slip of a guy with this fluid motion that managed to out do the muscle bound guys? He showed the world how to ski intelligently. RIP.

[@JB-xd9dr]

Likewise. My era too, loved Mike for his jumping skills and Andy for slalom and Patrice Martin for tricks. Amazing times.

[@mattschwisow3504]

#goat

[@amandaquimper4285]

#mapple forever

[@bradleyj5514]

GOAT

[@duncanfryburg9989]

My Michael Jordan

[@andrewmarshall74]

😃✌🏻

[@MBilliaert]

Who the fuck hit dislike on this video, all 6 of you need to figure yourself out!

[@travisgilmour7929]

Met Andy at a tournament when I was about 12. He was a bit of a d..khead. LaPoint brothers and the Duvalls were awesome

[@ffhd1clt]

Maybe you should comment on videos of people you like. No need to step on a man’s grave. Maybe he was having a bad day, because every time I was ever around him he was as nice as anyone. He helped a lot of people get better in the sport.

[@travisgilmour7929]

I didn't know he had passed away when I trolled that but I just thought people should know what a total jerk he was that day to a kid who idolized him. I was there, you weren't

[@Mobev1]

Pretty dumb sport IMO. No wonder nobody does it anymore and why no money is involved. Wakeboarding is much higher IQ because we have to actually get inverted and do real tricks. If you can’t go upside down you aren’t a skier your a slicer…home slice of a slicer.