WELLESLEY ISLAND, New York (WWNY) – He started water skiing at 13. Now he’s 87 and showing no signs of stopping.
Meet Jon Holcombe, a man whose life took off on the St. Lawrence River atop a pair of water skis.
“My father had gotten me short skis. I think it took me ten times to get up on them,” he said.
Nowadays Holcombe mainly skis where he started – at his Wellesley Island home.
But his career has taken him to competitions at Florida’s Cypress Gardens and across the country. He even ended up as the subject of a full-color print in a mid-1950s issue of National Geographic.
Reflecting on the sport’s evolution, he says things have only gotten better.
“Same boat speeds. Same ramp heights. Just better skis and better skiers,” he said.
That love of water skiing isn’t just limited to Holcombe, it runs in his blood.
“Sometimes when I’m telling my children to do something new, I’ll say it’s supposed to be a little scary. Certainly going over a ramp at 35 or so miles per hour is scary in a good way,” said Jenifer Holcombe, Jon’s daughter.
It’s even become a family tradition – water skiing alongside Grandpa.
“We wake up when the water is calm, go skiing, and then go hang out on the dock all day,” said Anna Soykan, Jon’s granddaughter.
Holcombe even managed to recreate some moves from his competition days with his younger granddaughter.
“So I climbed up on the shoulders and then back down onto his arms while water skiing,” said Mia Soykan, Jon’s granddaughter.
He says his secret to longevity and good health is constant exercise thanks to water skiing, and “good genes.”
“I have 5 ancestors that lived into their 90s. One hit 100,” he said.
Over 70 years of skiing with no signs of stopping.
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