VALDOSTA, GA – A region championship is nice. A state championship is even better. But a world championship? How many high school athletes play a sport that has a world championship, much less put themselves in contention to actually win one? Not many, that’s for sure. One of those rare athletes, however, can be found in South Georgia. His name is Chandler Cargile, and he is the second-best junior barefoot water skier in the world.

Cargile grew up in a family that loved water skiing. He learned to ski at a very early age and continued through his formative years. Four years ago, he discovered barefoot skiing. Initially, barefooting was something he did as a way of having fun and goofing around at the lake. Then, one day, he decided to take it up a notch. He researched water skiing schools and found the World Barefoot Club in Winter Haven, Florida. Cargile went down to the WBC and took a few lessons. He enjoyed it and asked them about becoming a sponsored skier. “To do that, you had to go down there a minimum of 15 times per year,” says Cargile. He wanted to explore the opportunity, and he made the commitment. A year later, Cargile was competing favorably in regional competitions.

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