Surfing on the water like a god, what do you know about the history of water skiing?

In the summer of 1922, 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson made a bold decision at the time: try standing on a skateboard on Lake Pepin, a few blocks from where he lived. After a lot of trial and error, Samuelson finally succeeded and one of the world's most loved water sports was born.

Ralph Samuelson on a water ski.

This summer marks the 100th anniversary of water skiing. To express gratitude for Samuelson's contribution to summer recreation activities, the people of Lake City, Minnesota (USA) - Samuelson's hometown, organized an event with a not two. At 4:11 p.m. on July 2, coinciding with the time Samuelson was able to stand upright on the water on a skateboard behind his brother's boat 100 years ago, the city will inaugurate a bronze statue of Samuelson the size of on par with real people.

The new statue will be located at Ohuta Park and Beach on the shores of Lake Pepin. City officials spent $75,000 on the statue, which was cast by a team of local skilled craftsmen.

"This will be a historic moment for the city," said John Hutchinson, president of the Destination Lake City tour company. We want people to stop and take selfies with the statue of Ralphie.'

In the near future, city leaders hope to build a famous water slide hall. In the meantime, tourists can enjoy Water Slide Day, an annual celebration in Lake City that includes water slides, live music, and more. Also this month, local filmmaker Ben Threinen will release a new 33-minute documentary about Samuelson's invention. In addition, 'Bears on Boards: Waterskiing in White Bear', an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of water skiing, was opened by historians in Minnesota.

Water skiers today still have to stand up the way Samuelson did 100 years ago.

The journey of inventing water skiing was indeed not easy. According to historians, for the first time experimenting, Samuelson used an instrument known as an aquaplane - a large, flat board that was towed behind his brother's boat. Until June 28, 1922, he started to slide a short distance on the water thanks to the aquaplane, but he believed he could do much better than that.

Samuelson continued to try skiing with snowboards and thin boards, but with no success. Eventually, he realized he needed something that could cover more water. Samuelson went to the local lumberyard and found two 8-foot-long, 9-inch wide pine boards. He softened one end of each plank, then bent them by clamping the ends to the glass. He used leather straps to fasten the wooden boards to his feet and bought another 100 feet of rope to make the zipper. In the end, he hired a blacksmith to make a small iron ring for the handle of the rope.

In the days that followed, Samuelson experimented with a variety of skating positions, but mostly with the skateboard at or below the waterline. When his brother started the boat, Samuelson immediately sank.

Finally, Samuelson tried lifting the tops of the skateboard out of the water, while leaning back. And the result did not disappoint him, when the boat picked up speed, Samuelson was able to straighten up and glide across the water in absolute joy. To this day, it is still the posture that water skiers are forced to follow.

Not stopping there, Samuelson continued to learn how to perform on his skateboard and attracted many people to watch. He started charging for the show and transferred the proceeds to the town to pay for the gas the boat used. The town also formed a small band by the lake to back up Samuelson's performances.

Today, water skiing and windsurfing are popular summer pastimes.

Sadly, his water skiing career didn't last long. When he injured his back in a construction accident in 1927, Samuelson was forced to stop performing to take care of his health without receiving any recognition for his inventions. Later, a few athletes in New York and France even tried to claim that they were the first to skate on water. And in 1925, American inventor Fred Waller patented the first water skateboard.

However, many people watched Samuelson water skiing long before that and he was finally recognized as the inventor of the sport.

Today, water skiing has grown to become a popular summer game for both professional and amateur players. It was included in the 1972 Olympics as a demonstration sport, and it wasn't until 1974 that the first National Show Waterslide was held in the United States. Water skiing was also incorporated into the university curriculum and in 1979, teams from schools began to be sent out to compete for national titles.

Although he passed away from cancer in 1977, the legacy Samuelson left behind is timeless. Visitors today can see his first pair of water skis at the Water Ski & Wake Sports USA Hall of Fame in Davenport, Florida. There is also another historical marker, Lake Pepin, considered the "Birth of Waterskiing".