Hey World!
Last Friday I was honored to attend the services and Celebration of Life for Albert “Uncle Al’ Frosini. It was amazing to see nearly 250 in attendance; which is unusual for a man 96 years old. This truly shows how many people Al was able to touch throughout his life. At the services there was standing room only at the Holy Angels Funeral Center/St. Joseph Cemetery. Uncle Al’s daughter Valerie started off the service by introducing the family members. Al was a mentor, hero and/or a father figure to many water skiers and kids growing up in Richmond. He would open his garage to teach boxing and self defense. Al was like a father to one of Al’s best friend’s son, Mark Solich. Mark was given the honor of doing Al’s Eulogy and he did a wonderful job. Al was involved with the Galileo Club and the Galileo Club paid a tribute to Al and their President shared a few memories they had with Al. The services ended with Military Honors; Al was part of the Army Air Forces Base Unit, a fire fighting unit.
After the services, majority of people in attendance drove over to the Galileo Club for the Celebration of Life and to share stories about Al. There were about 40 tables in this large room with majority of the tables being full. Many old time and legend water skiers were present to pay their respects as well; Bob LaPoint, Mike Suyderhoud, Jack McManus, Matranga’s, Rodriguez’s, Mahannah’s and Mello’s to name a few.
Bob Lapoint’s first time jumping was with Al at Richmond Pt. This is also where Al taught Mike Suyderhoud how to jump and Mike told a story and said all he wanted to do was beat Al. Al was in his late 40’s jumping 98 feet and Mike finally out jumped him at the Regional Championships, jumping 102 feet.
When I was 9 years old, I was in Boys 1 going 30mph. Al and Dick Kellner were in their early 80’s and going 30mph as well. At tournaments, organizers would group our divisions together to make it easier on drivers. I would always be before them. As I stood on the dock getting ready to ski, Al would start a little smack talk saying that he was going to beat me and that I had no chance against him. He started betting me a dollar for who was going to win. I later found out that Al did not care about winning but this was his way to push me and get me to perform my best. Many people at the Celebration of Life stood up and told similar stories how Al was always looking out for others. One of the most common stories was that they would call Al to see if he was still at the Berkeley Aquatic Park to get a ski ride, Al would say, “Yes, but we just got done cleaning the boat. But I will put it back in and pull you when you get here.” That’s the type of guy Al was.
Al had an influence on me and my family’s life; mainly due to his grassroots efforts to promote the sport of water skiing. Al started novice tournaments and held Al’s Novice Nationals for many years. Shortly after my dad graduated high school, he found out about Al’s novice tournaments. This is where he was introduced to competition water skiing and has since had a huge impact on my family’s life. As my parent’s passion for the sport grew, they became more involved in the sport and as they started a family, they chose to relocate the family for the opportunity to live at Shortline Lake; where they still live today. This is where I was introduced to the sport and haven’t looked back since. Competition water skiing has been a significant part of the Detrick’s life for over 30 years. My life and my family’s life could be very different if it wasn’t for Al’s efforts to grow and promote the sport at a grassroots level. My dad probably wouldn’t have gotten involved in competition water skiing, I wouldn’t have been given the opportunities I was given growing up and we wouldn’t be living at Shortline Lake. I know there are many water skiers in Northern California that were given the same opportunity my dad was given and are all thankful for Al!
So on behalf of the water ski community, I’d like to give one last THANK YOU to Uncle Al!!
