Haig Ties Catalina Ski Race Record with 11th Victory / Speed on the Water

Any athlete will tell you that winning a championship is the crowning achievement to a sports career. And successfully defending that championship is even sweeter. So when you consider that American speed ski racer Todd Haig has now won the world's most challenging water ski race 11 times, the achievement deserves a few extra minutes of reflection.

For 65 consecutive years, water skiers from around the world have gathered for the Catalina Ski Race in Long Beach, Calif—a 62-mile open-ocean dash from the fantail of the Queen Mary to Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island and back. This year the starting grid consisted of 60 teams with skiers ranging in age from 73 to just-turned teenagers. Overcast skies and lumpy water conditions in the unpredictable channel awaited the well-conditioned contestants who came from as far away as Belgium, Australia, Spain, Denmark and England to challenge America's best.

Pre-race speculation was focused on Haig and his major competition, Peter Proctor of Australia. In the past four years, Haig and Proctor have dueled to a draw, each winning two overall Men's Open titles. In order for Haig to win his 11th crown, which would tie him for the most Catalina wins with the legendary Chuck Stearns, he would have to get past Proctor and a half dozen more world-ranked skiers to make history.  more; Haig Ties Catalina Ski Race Record with 11th Victory

The Catalina Ski Race will enjoy its 65th run on July 20, 2013!

As comically as it is sometimes portrayed, however, waterskiing is a rigorous form of sport, and even someone gliding across a lake is giving their all in the strength and skill departments.

But the zenith of waterskiing and athletically giving one's all merges every year in the Catalina Ski Race, which is often billed as "The World's Greatest Ski Race." It's the 65-year-old, 62-mile ski-off that's set to run -- er, ski -- again on Saturday, July 20.

The CSR is the premiere water ski race in the world, but the CSR is more than just a race.  With its rich 65 year history, quality of competition, and challenge of the open ocean, the CSR has earned its place on the world stage.