Pro Wakeskater Jake Ramsdell is the New Feet On Fire Champion

ORLANDO – More than 30 pro watersports athletes ditched their wakeboards, wakeskates and waterskis on May 21, 2019 for head-to-head battles to see who could endure the blazing ring of fire the longest at Feet on Fire South.

The barefoot endurance contest took place at The Waterfront Orlando on Lake Jennie Jewel in Orlando, and is traditionally one of the most anticipated contests among both competitors and spectators alike. Two barefooters compete behind the boat at one time, with both having to be off their step ski and on their bare feet by the starting point. From there, the boat continues in a large circle pattern, or Ring of Fire, until someone falls. The last person standing, without falling, advances to the next round. But, unlike most endurance barefoot contests, Feet on Fire has one distinctive and important rule: no barefoot suits allowed, only a pair of shorts and a flotation device.

Feet on Fire South was comprised of an invite-only list of elite athletes from a broad spectrum of towed watersports, including wakeboarders, wakeskaters, traditional waterskiers, show skiers and industry veterans.

DISNEY ISN’T THE ONLY PLACE IN ORLANDO MAKING CHILDHOOD DREAMS COME TRUE

For the first time ever, pro wakeskater and former amateur showskier from the Chippewa Lake Water Ski Show Team, Jake Ramsdell made the Feet on Fire podium and took the coveted title of Feet on Fire Champion. Ramsdell went home with a classic, perfect condition vintage Cypress Gardens Lil’ Monster and the Feet on Fire South leaderboard, which was created by Tony Fasen of Fa-zen Arts and sponsored by Roswell Marine.

“It was always a dream of mine to compete in and win Feet on Fire, so to do it in front of my friends, family and the Hustle House crew was an unbelievable feeling,” said Ramsdell, who had also competed in the previous two Feet on Fire South events. “To all groms dreaming big: remember to thank the person who pulled you when you were growing up.”

He was followed by 1995 Men’s National Barefoot Jump Champion and longtime Feet on Fire competitor Chip Fernandez, who has placed on the Feet on Fire podium at least five times. An exhausted Fernandez entered the finals after coming off the longest run of the day in the semi-final against Zane Schwenk, which earned them the Feet on Fire 2019 PCM Marine Engines Endurance Award for nearly four full laps around Lake Jennie Jewel. Fernandez couldn’t keep hold through the first ring of fire, leaving Ramsdell with a full victory lap back to shore.

Schwenk, a two-time Feet on Fire champion and 2nd place finisher in 2018’s event, tied for third place with Feet on Fire original and Legoland professional showskier Hunter Hanson, who had his best performance at Feet on Fire yet. Five other honorable mentions were announced at the award ceremony:

• For the first time ever, two athletes were inducted into the Feet on Fire Hall of Fame: pro wakeboarders Parks Bonifay and Erik Ruck. The two co-founded the event in 2005 with Danny “Dano” Amir and Daniel Watkins and have competed in every Feet on Fire event in Orlando.
• In the inaugural pre-event “United Legends of Watersports Championship” match-up, Hall of Famer and barefoot legend Ron Scarpa returned to the water for a dream match-up against pro wakeboarder JD Webb. With anticipation building for more than thirty years, this master vs. apprentice duel lasted more than two laps around Lake Jennie Jewel before Scarpa clinched the win over Webb -- who has challenged Scarpa to a rematch in 2020. Scarpa has accepted.
• The Most Excellent Performer Award Inspired by Waterski Hall of Famer Tom Weber was presented to Ramsdell for his unwavering performance throughout the day, defeating Feet on Fire originals Bonifay and Hanson in epic fashion.
• The Feet on Fire Best Step Off Award was presented to respected industry videographer and defending Best Step Off award winner Jake Snider, after completing a picture-perfect bomb out to point in round two, holding solid all the way into the first turn of the circle of fire. Snider gave the crowd an encore in round three with another bomb out, again perfect and feet to feet.
• The SeaDek Best Crash Award went to Ronix and FloGrown pro wakeboarder Jake Pelot, who gave the crowd one of the most memorable moments of the day when he nearly had a “running on water” moment after catching a toe on his step off. As a two-time Feet on Fire competitor, Pelot admitted he only learned to barefoot just to compete in the contest and has only footed around a dozen times. He claims he’ll be ready for next year.

FEET ON FIRE SOUTH HIGHLIGHTS

“Man, Feet on Fire was one for the books -- so much carnage, so much fun, so many smiles from old and familiar faces,” said Parks Bonifay. “Huge congrats to Jake [Ramsdell]. That was an impressive viking, beast-like performance. I’m happy to lose to that amount of passion any time.”

Other key highlights include:

• The event closed out with multiple attempts by Webb, Hanson and pro wakeboarder Bob Soven to complete a barefoot pyramid. The trio unfortunately crashed on both step off attempts, but the Instagram-worthy moment filled The Waterfront Orlando with outbreaks of laughter.
• The biggest upset of the day was when Webb, the defending Feet on Fire champion, was taken out in round one by Lake Jennie Jewel local and former Louisiana Monroe collegiate water ski sensation Joey Blakely.
• Other athletes who competed include: Mike Anderson, Drew De Armas, Danny “Dano” Amir, Shane Bonifay, Mike Dehlinger, Reed Hansen, Danny Harf, Pierce Homsey, Scott Hussey, Cole Kraiss, Brannon “BM” Meek, Kevin “Kevco” Michael, Shaun Murray, Tom Oka, Curtis Rabe, Troy Roker, Darin Shapiro, Chad Sharpe, Tom Weber, Tyler Worrall and Zack Worden.
• Nautiques of Orlando provided a brand new 2019 Ski Nautique, powered by PCM Marine Engines, to pull the event.
• In an unprecedented industry move, Feet on Fire’s newest sponsor—Boatmate Trailers—not only stepped up in a traditional sponsorship role, but also covered registrations for the entire athlete roster.
• In honor of May’s National Lake Cleanup month, Feet on Fire and The Waterfront Orlando will be making a donation to the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) for their lake clean-up efforts.

SPONSORS & MEDIA

Full list of Feet on Fire sponsors include: Nautiques of Orlando, SeaDek Marine Products, Roswell Marine, PCM Marine Engines, Boatmate Trailers, O’Brien, Connelly, Red Bull North America, Next Level, Ronix, Masterline USA, Wake Responsibly, WSIA, Step Up Productions, City2Nite, The Golden Mic Podcast, Fa-zen Arts, Performance Ski & Surf, the World Wake Association (WWA), Bud Light and Kona Brewing Co.

Download photos of this year’s Feet on Fire by clicking here. If sharing publicly, please include proper photo credit, as noted within the file names to Garrett Cortese.

ABOUT FEET ON FIRE:

Feet on Fire is a 32-man, head-to-head barefoot endurance contest with one main rule: no barefoot suits allowed, only a pair of shorts and a flotation device. The event was founded by watersports industry announcer Danny “Dano” Amir and pro wakeboarders Parks Bonifay, Daniel Watkins and Erik Ruck. The first Feet on Fire was held in 2005 on Clear Lake in Orlando, Florida. Since then, the barefoot endurance competition has taken place numerous times in its hometown as well as in Wisconsin and Australia. The 2019 Feet on Fire South event took place on May 21 in Orlando on Lake Jennie Jewel. The 2019 Feet on Fire North competition will take place on August 16-17 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin at the Twin Lakes CornFest: Music & Waterski Showcase. For more information, visit feetonfirebarefoot.com or follow Feet on Fire at @FeetonFire.barefoot on Instagram or Facebook.

ABOUT THE WATERFRONT:

The Waterfront is located on Lake Jennie Jewel at 4201 South Orange Avenue in Orlando and features a scratch kitchen with great food, brews and views. In May 2017, the restaurant reopened under new ownership, debuting a whole new menu and updated interior that still maintains its divey mien. The Waterfront is owned and operated by Ryan Davis, Kevin Little, Kyle Alberts and Pat Kennedy; the partners also own and operate The Other Bar, Harry Buffalo and Stagger Inn in downtown Orlando. For more information, call (407) 866-0468 or visit http://thewaterfrontorlando.com.