Performed stunt work for movies such as Meatballs and Smokey & Bandit Part 3

 

Scotty Clack was not just a competitive freestyle jumper; he was competitive freestyle jumping. He gave it birth; he defined it; and it disappeared when he retired.

 

Freestyle jumping had its origin as a show ski act, but at the request of industry leader Rob Shirley, Clack developed it into a competitive event. He worked on crafting the rules and defining the tricks and their proper execution. He competed in the freestyle jumping event on the professional tour for 16 years, where he once won an unprecedented 17 consecutive tour stops as well as the tour’s season championship four times. He recorded a 10-0 record in 1985.

Clack started water skiing in 1969 and competed in slalom, tricks and jumping in Junior Boys, Boys and Men 1. He began his show skiing career in 1982 at Cypress Gardens and performed in the attraction’s shows for 18 years. He was named Cypress Gardens Skier of the Year three times during that span. At the time of his induction, Clack still held distance records for the two-ski 720 and mobius.

 

His water skiing skills enabled him to travel the world. He performed for the president of Beirut in 1983, just two weeks after the U.S. Embassy bombing. He performed for the Queen of England at the Moomba Masters while she was visiting Australia, and he performed for King Hussein of Jordan five times. Clack also made his way to Hollywood, performing stunt work for movies such as Meatballs and Smokey & Bandit Part 3.

 

Clack served as show director at Cypress Gardens from 1995 to 1998. From 2001-2004, he served as the director of operations for World Sports & Marketing, where he was responsible for all aspects of operations for the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour, VANS Triple Crown of Wakeboarding, MasterCraft Pro Water Ski Championships, Malibu Open Water Ski Championships and the X Games Wakeboard Championships.

 

Clack, an American Water Ski Educational Foundation Award of Distinction recipient in 2001, joins his mother, Barbara Heddon, in the hall of fame, marking the first parent-sibling duo in the hall of fame. Heddon was inducted in 1986 following a decorated career that spanned three decades.

 

“I was absolutely blown away when I got the phone call that I was one of the inductees,” Clack said. “This is such a huge honor. I thought it was great to be recognized with the Award of Distinction. I never thought this would happen. Deep down I wanted it to happen, but I just never thought it would. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

 

At the time of his induction, Clack was living in Orlando, Fla., with his wife, Angela, and their three children.