Royce Andes to Be Inducted into the 2027 Water Ski Hall of Fame in Memorium

Adaptive water skiing pioneer transformed the sport through innovation, perseverance and a lifelong commitment to creating opportunities for athletes with disabilities

 The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation is proud to announce that Royce Andes, widely known as the “Godfather of Adaptive Water Skiing,” will be inducted posthumously into the Water Ski Hall of Fame.

A pioneer, inventor, coach and advocate, Andes helped transform adaptive water skiing from a limited recreational activity into an internationally recognized competitive discipline. His development of the modern sit ski opened the sport to thousands of athletes who could not stand to ski and created opportunities that continue to change lives around the world.

Andes began water skiing at age eight and later became an accomplished barefoot skier. He placed twice at the Western Regional Tournament, advanced to national competition, registered the first all barefoot water ski club in the United States with the American Water Ski Association and served as a senior judge for barefoot competitions. He also appeared on the television program That’s Incredible, barefooting behind a horse to demonstrate that the sport did not require excessive speed.

On July 3, 1982, Andes suffered a life changing injury during a water ski show. A fall sent him into a boulder, fracturing three cervical vertebrae and leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Although he lost the use of his body, he never lost his love for water skiing or his determination to help others experience the sport.

While still in rehabilitation, Andes saw a photograph of an early sit ski and immediately began envisioning ways to improve it. Working with his friend Jim Westmoreland, a high school woodshop teacher, Andes designed a narrower, more responsive ski featuring an elevated seat, concave bottom and performance edges. Unable to draw by hand, he developed his designs using a stick pen held in his mouth.

Within a year of his accident, a prototype was on the water. Because Andes could not use the ski himself, he recruited athletes from California State University at Chico and members of a local wheelchair basketball team to serve as test pilots. Their feedback helped him continually refine the design.

The result was the Kan Ski, the world’s first composite, mass produced sit ski. Andes later developed specialized trick and jump skis, and several of his innovations remain part of adaptive water ski equipment today. The seat mounting pattern he created became an industry standard, allowing seats to be transferred between skis produced by different manufacturers.

Andes did much more than develop equipment. He taught new athletes, organized competitions and mentored skiers who would become national champions, world champions and world record holders. His protégés included Steve Hornsey, Anne O’Brine and Bill Bowness, who was later inducted into both the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Hall of Fame and the International Waterski & Wakeboard Hall of Fame.

Just three years after his accident, Andes and Bill Mahannah hosted the first Kan Ski tournament at Bell Aqua Lakes in Rio Linda, California. Andes was also instrumental in bringing water skiing to the Ability First Youth Sports Camp, where children with disabilities were given the opportunity to experience the sport. Several participants, including Kerry McMurtry Vanderbom and Mark Turner, went on to become world champions.

Andes earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education before his accident and completed a Master of Arts in Physical Education six years afterward. He remained an inspirational speaker, coach and advocate throughout his life. Even as travel became more difficult, he continued attending major competitions and clinics to encourage the next generation of adaptive athletes.

Royce Andes passed away in May 2018, but his influence continues wherever adaptive athletes take to the water. The Western Region honors his legacy each year by presenting the Royce Andes Award to the most promising new adaptive skier at the USA Adaptive Water Ski and Wake Sports National Championships.

Through extraordinary vision and perseverance, Royce Andes did more than design a water ski. He removed barriers, created possibilities and helped build a worldwide competitive movement. His induction into the Water Ski Hall of Fame ensures that his remarkable contributions to the sport will be remembered for generations to come.

The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to water skiing and wake sports in the United States. Freddy Krueger’s induction in 2026 will celebrate not just his victories, but also his enduring influence on the sport and its community.