Nickel, Dr. Wayne

Dr. Wayne NickelSHOF Nomination page 1SHOF Nomination page 2 

Dr. Wayne Nickel moved to Chandler in 1961 and began practicing as a Chiropractor. He practiced for many years, retiring in 2004. He still works part-time as a Chiropractor. Dr. Nickel also coached Little League Baseball and assisted with Pop Warner football. He enjoyed participating in autocross and wheel to wheel racing.

He got involved in Speed Water Ski racing in the 1970s. Here, a boat pulls a skiier on a large, long and heavy single ski in a determined distance at high speeds. The sport involved many classes, designated by the type of boat used to tow the skiier, as well as by age of the skiier. Speed Water Skiing has two types of races. The first is circle, or closed course, which is set up for number of laps predetermined by age category (older ages race more laps). The circle track races utilize a 2 mile long course. The skiier undertakes one race per month, and accumulates points for each race. The other type of race is called the Marathon Series. It is composed of eleven races over a year. There are three 75 mile long races; five 50 mile long races; two 25 mile long races and one ocean course, from Long Beach, CA to Catalina Island, CA, and then returning to Long Beach. Points are accumulated from each race, and the skiier with the highest amount of points becomes the National Champion in each class at the end of the year.

Speed Water Skiing is mainly a western U.S. sport. There are some groups that race in Europe, Australia and South Africa. According to Dr. Nickel, there are about 1,800 to 2,000 participants in Speed Water Skiing worldwide, currently. The sport requires strength, balance, a great deal of conditioning and practice with lighter skis.