A local banking CEO won his third national championship in barefoot water skiing in the senior division.
Mike Molepske, Bank First CEO, says he and 80 others competed in barefoot skiing challenges like slaloming, which is skiing with only one ski, jumping, and tricks.
The 62-year-old said his specialty is trick skiing.
He explains “You do it with one foot and you can do a toe hold. So just like on a trick ski, they are pulled by their foot, so you have one foot in a toe strap and one foot in the water. It can be done forward or backward.”
Molepske says he first tried skiing when he was seven years old on the rivers in Manitowoc County.
After the first three times he got up on the skis, he says he was hooked.
It still amazes him now.
“I made it again! He exclaimed. This is really cool. It’s something about getting up on your bare feet it’s just… it’s hard to believe it’s possible.”
He says he wants to try and catch up to his daughter who has won 15 barefoot skiing championships.
The competition took place last month in Helena, Montana.
He says he’s also competed in the international barefoot skiing championships, which took place in San Marcos, Mexico.
