If you haven't heard the world lost possibly the greatest skier of all time on August 22nd.  Andy Mapple was not only the skier who set the standard for all others he was also a great all around person.  I met Andy once a few years ago and could not believe how passionate he was about water skiing, and was even more impressed with how humble he was. The world mourns the loss of this great man.

The following is from USA Water Ski

• Posted by: usaws
• On: 08/24/2015 09:53:05
• In: Water Skiing

It is with great sadness that USA Water Ski has learned of the untimely death of Andy Mapple, widely considered the greatest slalom skier of all time. The 52-year-old Mapple, a 2011 inductee of the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation Hall of Fame, passed away on Saturday.

From the moment he was selected for the British National Team at the age of 18, Andy’s extraordinary slalom skills were obvious. He was a British National Team member for 24 years. He set his first world slalom record in Sacramento, Calif., in 1985 and won his first world slalom title at the age of 17. He accumulated nine world slalom records by 1998 when he also became the second person ever to score on the 9.75-meter (43 feet off) slalom line. His 168 professional slalom victories included six world slalom titles, 14 U.S. Masters slalom titles, 13 Moomba Masters slalom titles and 15 U.S. Open slalom titles. He announced his retirement at the 45th U.S. Masters Banquet in 2004 having just set a new course record at Callaway Gardens. His lifelong interest in product development and slalom technique continued until the time of his death.

A celebration of Andy’s life will be held Saturday, Sept. 12 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Orlando. Following the service will be a gathering at the Mapple Performance Center (2551 West Sand Lake Road Orlando, FL 32809).

USA Water Ski sends its thoughts and condolences to Andy's wife, Deena, and the couple’s children, Michael and Elyssa.