An Anonymous Memoir

Crash and Splash

I struggled to keep the skis in line and ready to begin. Boats raced by and I saw a far away skier gliding smoothly across the surface of the lake. I hoped I could ski that well. My heart pounded. My mom floated next to me, helping me prepare for my first try at this new sport.
I wanted to try skiing. I watched my uncle for years and decided to try. I pictured him swerving through the waves while I struggled to keep the skis upright.
The bulky life jacket I borrowed from my uncle blocked most of my view. My glasses stayed safely in the boat as I bobbed in the water. I could only see the splashes of green trees on the mountain nearby and the wet side of the maroon and cream colored motor boat glistening in the morning sunlight.
"I'll tell Uncle Scott to start the boat, okay" my mom told me as I floated in the water, finally ready.
"Okay" I replied. My mind raced. I wanted to try skiing, but I almost regretted jumping off of the slippery platform on the back of the boat and into the warm water. At that time, I knew I couldn't turn back. I knew I truly committed to trying to ski.
Suddenly, the boat's engine roared to life and I gripped the handle as best I could as the boat lurched forward. The sound of the boat echoed over the gently rolling waves of the lake. The water splashed in my face and I couldn't see anything.
Only a few moments after the boat moved, the wet handle slipped from my grasp and I toppled with a splash into the dark water. The left ski fell off and popped up in the water next to me.
"Nice try!" my dad shouted over the splashing of the waves. My mom swam over to help me slide the slippery, black ski boot back over my foot. Something about my failure surprised me.
"That hurt. I crashed. " I moaned. My hands burned slightly from the force of the handle sliding out of my grip. I splashed my hands around in the water to stop the sting. I swam over to where the handle floated and grabbed it, determined to try again.
I tried to keep only the pointed tips of the red and black skis sticking out of the water. I could barely control them. Their strength overwhelmed my own. They refused to stay upright. They kept tipping over and splashing into the lake's water. I tried to calm myself down by imagining myself skiing well but that failed to relax me.
My mom floated beside me attempting to keep my skis in position to help me start. Splash after splash the skis repetitively flipped in the water.
Finally, I showed a perfect skiing position. The engine grumbled then the boat sped forward. This time, I stayed up for about one second longer. The difficulties of skiing couldn't hold me back though. I tried many times after that, each with the same amount of struggle. I crashed and splashed into the water over and over and over again. I gasped for breath and almost quit after only a few tries but my parents and uncle continued encouraging me to keep trying. I knew I should continue. I slowly improved by the tiniest fraction of a second each time.
At last, after about ten attempts I used the rest of my strength to slip the ski boots off my feet and swim over to the boat with my mom.
"I think I'll stop for now" I groaned tiredly. I pulled down the ladder and climbed up into the cold air. My arms and legs ached from my many tries and I needed a break.
Then my dad wanted to try. I handed him the skis and he jumped into the water. I watched my dad in the water and once he signaled us to start, I told my uncle and he hit the throttle.
I shouted my encouragement over the roar of the engine. The boat bolted forward and I watched as he pulled himself up for a brief second and then fell headfirst into the water. I figured he could ski better than I could because he's stronger. Even though he only stayed up for a moment, I wished I could ski at least as well as that.
My dad couldn't seem to understand that he shouldn't pull his arms in when trying to stand up. Every time he tried, my dad pulled in his arms and fell over. He kept trying though and I kept encouraging him.
On his final try, my dad succeeded in staying up for about ten seconds. In the end though, he still pulled in his arms, fell, and splashed into the water! My mom and I stared out over the water. We couldn't believe that after we told him many, many times, he still pulled in his arms.
When my dad climbed back onto the boat, he grabbed a towel from our beach bag and sat next to me.
"Good job!" I exclaimed.
"Thanks!" he replied.
Sadly, we couldn't stay on the lake any longer. My brother sat at home waiting for us to return. My uncle pulled the motor boat into his slip at the dock and everyone disembarked.
"Bye!" I shouted as my uncle walked away to his navy blue truck.
"See you again, soon," he shouted back. "We'll try again whenever you feel ready."
I enjoyed water skiing. I will probably try again despite the difficulties of it. My dad might too! Someday I hope to become a better water skier. I want to ski well, and maybe ski as well as my uncle. I'll keep trying even though the obstacles in skiing held me back in the past.