Printable VersionLAKE HAVASU CITY — One of personal watercraft racings top athletes started out as a teenage phenom — just not in his specialty.
 Submitted photo courtesy of Dana Martini. In this undated photo, freestyler Eric Malone performs one of his signature tricks, the Flat Water Back Flip. Eric Malone will return to Lake Havasu City for the IJSBA World Finals, Oct. 1-9. |
During his childhood he and his family spent his time at a Pennsylvania resort near his hometown of Duncansville, where he enjoyed all sorts of water sport activities. During that time in Malone’s life he had the privilege of enjoying the sport when it was being aired on ESPN.
In 1994 he won his first national amateur freestyle championship. The following year he went on to win his first world championship in the amateur division and by 1996 he turned professional.
His first year as a pro, he finished sixth place in the pro ski class at the national level, and fifth in pro freestyle at the World Finals.
Although Eric enjoyed racing very much, in 1997, he made the decision to place his focus 100 percent on freestyle. That focus allowed him to capture his first World Championship, defeating Rick Roy, at the age of 20.
This set the stage for the next decade. Malone dominated the Pro Freestyle circuit, winning eight World Championships and 10 U.S. National Championships.
He has stayed on top of his competition in all aspects due to his hard work and devotion to research and development. The led him to create countless new freestyle tricks that are seen in competitions still today, including a no handed barrel roll and the flat water back flip, including the first ever triple back flip.
His innovation extends off the water, as Malone has created lightweight state of the art freestyle PWC hulls. The E.M.E. hulls can be seen in action at the 2011 Quakysense World Finals, with sponsored freestyle athletes Lee Stone, from the United Kingdom, Vaclav Zacek, of the Czech Republic, and Michael Ratti from the United States.
Malone has also utilized his watercraft skills for rescue efforts during the devastating floods, in 1996, near his hometown in Pennsylvania. For his heroic efforts, during a special ceremony at the White House, President Bill Clinton awarded him a special commendation.
Along with other successful athletes in the sport, like Larry Rippenkroger, Malone has stepped into the world of film making, performing as a stunt double in movies such as “I am Number Four” and “Into the Blue”. He has also produced his own DVD’s “Rampt” and “On Edge”.
“I have dedicated my life to this sport since I was 14-years-old. It has been a journey that I have understood to be never ending with competition and devoting effort to build engines, hulls and equipment for the athlete to excel and bring new tricks to our sport,” said Malone. “My career has been blessed.”
Malone said he also enjoys assisting fellow riders to reach new levels in the sport he loves so much. Once again Malone will be holding a freestyle clinic during the 2011 IJSBA Quakysense World Finals in October.
For information on attending the clinic, visit the IJSBA website at http://www.ijsba.com or Malone’s website at http://www.ericmalone.com.
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