Biography

Vital Statistics          Bill Bowness

Birth Date:                         Birth place:  

Current Residence:                           Brandon, Mississippi (summer) Truckee, CA (winter)

Height:                                        Weight: 

Occupation :                                    

Began Skiing:                          Began Competing:  

Events:    Slalom, Tricks, and  Jump 

Division: MP-3  (Multi Plegic – Level 3 – lowest level of injury, unable to stand to ski) uses a sit ski

Sponsors:  DoubleUp Wakeboards, Eclipse Jump Skis, ROHO cushions, and Malibu boats

Hobbies:  

Career Highlights

• Gold Medal as US TEAM Member at ’03 World Championships in Florida (USA)
• Individual Silver Medal for Overall ’03 Worlds
• Individual Silver Medal for Jump ’03 Worlds (4 way tie)
• Individual Bronze Medal for Tricks ’03 Worlds (4 way tie)
• 2003  National Overall Champion
• 2003 National Jump Champion
• Set a World Record in Jump 78' (23.8 meters) at Nationals
• Set a World Record in Jump 78' (23.9 meters) at Nationals
• 2002 National Overall Champion
• 2001 National Overall Champion
• 2003 Water Ski Hall of Fame Award of Distinction
• Three time World Record Holder in Slalom
• Nine time Individual World Champion in Slalom, Trick and Jump 
• Multi-time member of the US DisAbledWaterSki TEAM
• Has skied in all but about 15 of the States in the USA
• Paralympic competitor

Best Performance:  Slalom:    Jump:    Trick: 

Records:  Nine time Individual World Champion in Slalom, Trick and Jump  

Three time World Record Holder in Slalom

Current World Record Holder in Jump

Ski Club Affiliation

Unlimited Skiing

Future Career Plans

MOST FUN SKIING EXPERIENCE

People I look up to or who have helped me

When you talk about WaterSkiers with Disabilities the name Bill Bowness often shows up.  Bill is one of the pioneers of skiing with a disability in the US, and one of the most respected skiers on the planet.  Back in his college days at Chico State (CA) Bill was approached by Royce Andes and asked if he like to try a waterSki.  The rest is history.  

Bill has been (as in skied) to every World DisAbledWaterSki event except the 1987 and 2001 Worlds. (He worked the 2001 Worlds.) He's skied in numerous countries and all but about 15 of the States in the US.

He's a gentleman and an excellent Coach, encouraging all skiers, regardless of ability.  Bill is a snow skier also, having won numerous medals in that sport, even competing in the Para Olympics.

I don't know when or how they met, but Bill has found his mate in Denise.  Kind and helpful with a bit of a playful attitude and always willing to help another.  Denise earned her own waterSki certifications and was selected as Team Coach for the World Champion 1999 and 2003 US DisAbled WaterSki TEAM. Denise has been a tournament skier for 15 years and has been a coach for a number of top athletes around the world. During the winter months Denise works as a hand therapist near Lake Tahoe.

Bill and Denise both teach adaptive snow and waterSkiing throughout the year.  Bill and Denise spend the summer months at Brooks Lake (Brandon, Mississippi) teaching water skiing through their business, Unlimited Skiing. Their winter months are spent in Truckee, CA where they both work at the Tahoe Adaptive Ski School teaching snow skiing.

Below are photos taken at the 2001 Worlds, the one on the left was at a TEAM dinner at the Kilgour Estate Winery in Australia . . . it was a lovely, but breezy evening.  The other shot captured a quick kiss between jobs at the '01 Worlds:) Both of them worked all day, every day doing whatever they could to help others. (They had no clue I snapped that photo:)

Bill serves as President for the WaterSkiers with Disabilities Association.

                      You can email Bill or Denise by clicking on the icon.

Last Updated 10/07/03