Mike Suyderhoud has been involved with water sports as both a professional, competitive skier/coach and as an expert witness. Mike's skiing accomplishments include 5 world championships, 16 national championship titles, coach and captain of the USA World Team, election to the International & USA Water Ski Halls of Fame and voted as one of the top 10 competitors in the 75 year history of water skiing.
Mike's commitment to excellence, analytical style, and dedication to being the absolute best, as demonstrated during his incredible skiing career, is carried over into his work as an expert witness. He has served as a consultant and expert witness both nationally and internationally for nearly 40 years. The personal injury cases on which he has consulted include: towing water skiers, inflatable riders, wake boarders, parasail/kite participants and barefoot skiers. They also involve boat/jet ski collisions, towboat driving, rules of the road, boat collision reconstructions and waterway use and design. Mike has been involved in evaluations which encompass tow rope wraps and rope recoil, boat testing and water ski and binding design. The knowledge and experience of producing numerous water ski instructional videos has enabled Mike to create credible re-enactments of accidents that help make complex water related scenarios easy to understand, even by non-boaters.
Mike's results produced in the more than 300 cases he has worked make him one of the most accomplished experts in his field. Mike has testified in court and/or deposition in more than 100 cases. The state of California sites Mike’s testimony in a barefoot water ski accident litigation as the current definition of what is considered as the “assumption of risk” factor.
Mike is still extremely active coaching water skiing all over the world, designing lakes, making instructional videos and practicing his own skiing.
Mike's record as an expert witness is unsurpassed! Add a proven winner to your litigation team!
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Curriculum Vitae
Introduction March 2015
Mike Suyderhoud is a five-time World Water Ski champion and 16 times US National Water Ski champion. He has been inducted as the first US male in the International Water Ski Hall of Fame, The U.S.A. Water Ski Hall of Fame, and the Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame, and voted one of the ten best water skiers in the 75 year history of the sport. He has served as a consultant and expert witness for nearly 40 years pertaining to personal injury cases involving pleasure boating. These cases include: towing water skiers, inflatable riders, wakeboarders, and parasail/kite passengers, and barefoot skiers. They also involve boat/jet ski collisions, towboat driving (including rules of the road), boat collision reconstructions, waterway use and design, and tow rope and binding/ski design, including rope recoil evaluation and testing. The knowledge and experience of producing numerous water ski instructional videos has enabled Mike to create credible re-enactments of accidents that help make complex scenarios easy to understand by non boaters as well.
Mike has testified in court/deposition in more than 100 cases throughout the country. The results he attained in the more than 300 cases he worked on make him one of the most accomplished experts in his field. The state of California sites Mike’s testimony in a barefoot water ski accident litigation as the current definition of what is considered the “assumption of risk” factor. He is still extremely active coaching water skiing all over the world, designing lakes, making instructional videos and practicing his own skiing.
Education
1972: Bachelors of Science degree from California State University at Sonoma, majoring in Chemistry with minor studies in math and physics.
1968: Graduated Sir Francis Drake High School
Mike Suyderhoud Instructional Water Ski Video Series
2007: West Coast Slalom - Advanced slalom instructional DVD, 2 hours/22 chapters
1994: Wakeboard Clinic, World Class Wakeboard Clinic, Trick Skiing, Advanced Trick Skiing, World class trick skiing
1990: Slalom Clinic, World Class Slalom Clinic
1985: Jumping and Overall Skiing
1982: Slalom, Advanced Slalom, Trick skiing, Advanced Trick Skiing, World Class Trick skiing, Jumping, Barefoot skiing, Beginning Skiing and Teaching Kids.
Publications
1980-99: Mike has written numerous articles for Water Ski Magazine, and USA Water Ski’s official magazine. Article subjects include Slalom Skis, Water Ski Bindings, Trick Skis, Learning to Jump, Distance Jumping, Marine World Championships, Fundamentals of Water Skiing, Skiing at Shasta Lake, Training Youngsters Between 8 and 13, and Ten Most Common Slalom Training Faults.
1983-93: Columnist for Water Ski Magazine. Column called Beneath the Surface.
Titles and Honors
2007-present: Member of USA Water Ski Hall of Fame selection committee.
1997: Chosen by special committee as one of 10 greatest water skiers in 75 year history of the sport.
1997: Competed in pro slalom event at Marine World in Vallejo, California.
1996: Selected into Shasta County Sports Hall of Fame in initial class.
1993: First US male skier to be inferred into International Water Ski Hall of Fame.
1987: Inducted into USA Water Ski Hall if Fame on first year of eligibility.
1967-77: Won 5 World Championships in the biennial event.
1965-76: Won 16 US National Championship titles.
1966-87: Set 5 world jump records, 3 world slalom records & became 2nd person to trick 5,000 points.
1963-98: Winner of numerous prestigious international and national competitions , including US Masters.
Professional Experience
1976-present: Expert witness and consultant: Accidents involving boat to boat collisions, boat to shore collisions, boat to jet ski collisions, jet ski to jet ski collisions, boat/jet ski to person collisions, safety of ski/boating area - including depth, water skiing and recreational towing of all varieties, and designs of boats, tow lines, skis, binding and towables.
1972-present: President of Mike Suyderhoud Water Ski Center
1975-present: Manufacturer of Accufloat Portable Slalom Courses for water skiing and jet skiing.
1980-94: Design consultant for Kidder/KD skis.
1973-93: Produced and performed in weekly water ski show on Shasta Lake
1989-93: Design consultant for Malibu/Flightcraft Boats.
1984-88: Design consultant for Eliminator Boats.
1970-79: Design consultant for Western Wood/Stinger water skis.
1974: Consulted with California Dept. of Boating and Waterways for their publication "Safety Hints for Water Skiing".
1985: Tested boat involved in fatal water towing accident for Shasta County Sheriff.
1978: Co- founded Professional Association of Water Skiers.
Coaching Experience
1972-present: Head coach at Mike Suyderhoud Water Ski Center, now performing exclusive traveling clinics all over the world since 1996.
1987- present: USA Water Ski coaches advisory committee and level III coach.
1992-93: US water ski team coach to both World and Pan Am championships.
1989-94: USA Water Ski Jr. Development committee, twice Chairman.
1988 and 1992: US Jr. Water Ski Team coach to Jr. World Championships.
1971-73: International technical rules committee.
1971: Founded: Fellowship of Christian Water Skiers.
1971-present: Countries coached in: Australia, Austria, New Zealand, England, China/Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Philippines, Indonesia, Israel, Sweden, Holland, and Canada.
Personal History
Mike was born in 1950 as a Dutch citizen in Surabaya, Java in the country of Indonesia. As an infant he immigrated back to Holland with his family where he remained until immigrating to California with them in 1958. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area until moving to Redding, California in 1972 to open his ski school on Shasta Lake. There he met and married (1977) his wife Lissa (still married), and raised 3 children, son Jan - born in 1984, son Kaesen - born in 1987, and daughter Anneke - born in 1990. Mike still resides in Redding. Mike is currently the moderator of the Board of Deacons of First Baptist Church of Redding, California.
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P.O. Box 492052 Redding Redding CA 96049-2052 us | +1.5303568482 | mike@mikesuyderhoud.com
Mike
Suyderhoud