The Legend of Ski King

When my dad was a kid growing up in Delaware, his family would go to Delaware Bay. Once, while he was there, he witnessed the beginning of a legend.

The legend of that ubiquitous character, Ski King.

On the dock near the beach where my dad and his family were setting up was an individual on water skis, holding a tow line.

The tow line went to a reasonably flashy motorboat, which had been adapted for urban tastes. The guy on the dock, though, was just standing there, holding the tow line.

The man in the motorboat turned the ignition. He turned back to the figure on the dock, and called out,

“Is you ready, Ski King?”

Back on the dock, Ski King shouted back those fateful words,

“Make it happen, captain!”

The motor boat took off, dragging Ski King off his feet and face-first into the mud.

And so, the legend was born.