Hartlepool Water sports Association became an affiliated British Waterski club last year and is now the only affiliated club promoting waterski on the North East coast. Hartlepool has a long history of water skiing dating back to the early days of Hartlepool Yacht Club. Many of the clubs members can indeed trace their water ski roots back to HYC.
It is therefore with great pleasure that the club can announce that Tommy Richardson has agreed to
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| HWA President: Tommy Richardson. Picture: Frank Reid |
be the inaugral Honorary President of Hartlepool Water Sports Association. Tommy needs no introduction in the arena of waterski having been a founder member of Hartlepool Yacht club and one of the first water skiers in the club. Over the years Tommy went on to be a top ranked water skier in the UK and won two British senior championships in 1966 and 1968. Tommy was also heavily involved in ski racing for many years and took part in the first national race at Hartlepool in 1968 as an observer for a young Cliff Featherstone. In later years Tommy was a founder member of the Tees & Hartlepool Yacht club where he became club President for a number of years until recently. Tommy also in recent years had double hip replacements which helped him return to water skiing again in 2016 after struggling to walk. The club could not have a better ambassador for the sport.
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| Tommy displays trick skiing "The Waterskier - 1967" |
