Charles Blackwell
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The late Charles Blackwell was Canada's first water skiing world champion. And he did it in style earning the men's slalom gold on home waters in Toronto in 1953. The Ontario capital was the first Canadian city to host the water skiing worlds. Blackwell started water skiing rather late at age 17 in 1948 but within two years he was winning tournaments on a consistent basis including the world crown and three Canadian titles. At Expo '67 in Montreal, he was awarded a special gold medal for his world triumph. He worked 33 years for Kodak of Canada then purchased and operated Pointe au Baril Marina near his cottage at Harris Lake, Ont. His wife Mary Lou pre-deceased him in 1991 and Charles Blackwell passed away in 1994. They had four daughters including twins. ''Dad was always proud of everything he did,'' said his youngest daughter Sandra Blackwell. ''Water skiing gave him some wonderful adventures, though he was never into boasting about his accomplishments. He taught us all to ski but never pushed, just taught." |
Date of Birth: October 7, 1931
Place of Birth: Owen Sound, ON
Charles Seward Blackwell Jr. will forever be known as Canada's first water ski world champion.
Charlie Blackwell was a Canadian pioneer in the sport. He became the first athlete from this country to win a gold medal (slalom) against athletes from many other countries at the World Championships held in Toronto. This event was the first of three World Championships to be held in Canada and his success was the inspiration for other Canadian World Champions to follow - George Athans, Pat Messner, Joel McClintock, Judy McClintock, Jaret Llewellyn, and the Canadian Team - 1st ever to defeat from 1991 to 1995 the powerful water skiers from the U.S., who had forever reigned as the best water skiers in the world. But Charlie Blackwell was the "first" and his 1953 success pointed the way to the future.
Charlie Blackwell also played a quiet background role in the development of Canada's top position in world water skiing. He served on the executive of the Canadian Water Ski Association (now Water Ski and Wakeboard Canada) and was editor of the sports newsletter.
In his hometown of Owen Sound, Charlie learned to ski beginning in 1948 at age 17, with coach "Hump" Taylor. Within two years he was competing in, and winning, tournaments. He went on to win three Canadian championships, the slalom gold medal at the 1953 World Championships held in Toronto, and to ski in various tournaments and shows at Cypress Gardens as well as the CNE ski show.
Charlie was a quiet, unassuming man who didn't boast of his many accomplishments. A 1950 story relates that Charlie, as a grade 13 student, initially declined a trip to the World Championships at Cypress Gardens: He thought it might interfere too much with his school work. But the officials of the meet cabled him urging his acceptance and he finally accepted.
By 1958 Blackwell had to curtail his CNE show skiing when his twin girls were born. Charlie worked for Kodak of Canada for 33 years, eventually retiring from that job but then purchasing and operating Pointe au Baril Marina near the family cottage on Harris Lake. At the cottage he taught his four daughters to ski - they were amazed that dad skied but never got wet - and from the marina he took a hand in advising many more would-be skiers how to get going. "We never felt we had to surpass him", says 4th daughter Sandra Blackwell. "He never pushed, he just taught."
He would relate only snippets of his athletic prowess to his family, preferring to tell unassuming stories, like the time he skied into a boathouse and broke his nose. In 1967, Charlie accepted an invitation to attend Expo '67 in Montreal, taking along his young family, and accepted a gold medal recognizing his triumph of fourteen years earlier. This event was the first clue his children got that their dad had ever done anything 'special'.
He went on skiing at the cottage until he was in his mid-50's. His wife, Mary Lou, died in August 1991, by which time the four daughters (Robin, Carol, Karen and Sandra) had given Charlie over ten grandchildren. Sandra reports Charlie wished for 'an even dozen', a wish which later came true. But eventually Charlie developed cancer, and died March 28, 1994. Three days before the end, he told Sandra that he could never complain about leaving because his life had been such an adventure - and he was ready for his next adventure.