A desert skiing oasis

NEWBERRY SPRINGS • In a barren corner of the High Desert, near the end of a lonely desert dirt road, a water sports oasis is home to the nation’s leading water skiing trainer.

Dr. Jack “Doc” Horton first built Horton Lakes in the late 1960s because when he first moved to California to begin a career in medicine in the mid-’60s, he thought we was moving to a water skiing heaven.

“Instead I learned it was the armpit of water skiing,” said Horton.

Now, Newberry Springs, just east of Barstow, hosts 11 other water sport specific man-made lakes that use Horton’s design.

Nearly 40 years later Horton can’t remember the exact reason why he selected Newberry Springs, but knows he looked through most of Southern California. He does know land cost played a big role. Through the years he learned certain parts of Newberry Springs also have a thicker base of clay, which limits leaking.

As his medical practice grew he saved his money to begin building what he considered the perfect conditions for water skiing.
 

In the 1970s he began using the lake as a water ski school, one of many ways he hoped to recoup the costs of building the lakes. During that time the school began heading straight to the top. It became the leading water ski school, which attracted movie stars, Olympians and champions from Australia, Mexico and Britain.

The school became home to several national and world champions and world record holders. It also became the foundation of three generations of skiers. His son and now daughter-in-law met as students at the camp, and now three of his grandchildren are competing in this weekend’s national championships in Wilmington, Ill.

Horton himself earned six national championships and set three different world records for his own skiing.

“I once had an Olympic gold medalist wrestler sign up for a week,” Horton said. “I asked him why he wanted to learn to water ski. He said after four years of training he wanted to relax and try (an easy) sport.”

So Horton ran him through a day’s worth of lessons.

“At the end of the day I asked him how he felt. He said it’s the hardest he’s ever worked.”

Horton now only works with just a few select skiers, and rents out his second lake. But the secret remains the same to building champions.

“You have to start young and spend a lot of time on the little things. You have to be motivated and ready to spend a lot of money.”