The Order of Merit is awarded at the discretion of the Executive Board of the International Water Ski Federation to individuals who have made meaningful contributions to the sport of water skiing which do not fall within the guidelines for the Hall of Fame. Cable Wake Parks is proud to announce that Bruno Rixen, the inventor of cable wakeboard and waterski systems is only the third person to be awarded the Order of Merit since it’s inception in 2003.

In 1962 Bruno Rixen designed the prototype of the first cableski system which first made its rounds on a lake near Badesholm, Germany. Soon after, the official magazine of the World Water Ski Union published a very enthusiastic report on this astonishing new way of water skiing, with ten riders in action at the same time and no boat. Cable waterskiing grew quickly throughout the world, but did not really catch on in the United States until wakeboarding began to grow in the 1990’s.

In 2007, fourteen Rixen Cable Systems were installed, which doubles the amount built in 2006. In 2007 Rixen Cable Systems also partnered with Cable Wake Parks to make building and maintaining a cable in the United States much easier than before. Today Rixen has installed over 120 cable systems worldwide and we should see many more in the United States very soon! For more information on Bruno Rixen and his cable system, please go to CableWakeParks.com and CableWakeboard.com.