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closeSunday, Sep. 28, 2008
Skiing like a pro: 13-year-old West Richland girl among top skiers in the nation
By Kristin M. Kraemer, Herald staff writer
WEST RICHLAND -- Ciara Potter never was a big fan of water skiing as a youngster, often bribing her dad to buy her Slurpees or other goodies just so she'd go with him.
Then, once at the river or lake, she'd change her mind mostly because she didn't like being in the water, particularly around the seaweed, and couldn't stay up on two skis.
"I think (dad Brad) was used to it after a while. He'd have to hold me up," Ciara said. "I was a pretty natural skier once I was out there. I'd have fun but I wouldn't want to do it."
Now 13, the West Richland girl has found her balance -- on one ski -- and no longer needs coaxing to get on the water up to four days a week, eight months out of the year. Her dedication and competitive nature paid off last month when she placed 11th overall in the nation among girls ages 11 to 13.
She was "pretty happy" with the placement.
"I've grown up with it my whole life and I don't know what I would do without it," she said. "It's an enjoyment, too, I guess."
Ciara, an eighth-grader at Enterprise Middle School, is a third-generation water skier.
It all started with Gary Potter, a lifetime Pasco resident who loved the sport and shared that passion with his children, Brad and Lisa.
Gary Potter would make slalom courses at Strawberry Island on the Snake River and Bateman Island on the Columbia River, then take the kids to practice with him. When not competing himself, he was recognized as a reputable judge and boat driver at regional and national tournaments.
Brad Potter entered his first water ski tournament at age 8. Nine years later in 1983, he set a 140-foot jumping record in the Western region that held up for 11 years.
Ciara, who hears stories of her father's youth from other longtime skiers, said the talk often veers to that record and how Brad "was really competitive."
"And mischievous," added his wife, Laura.
Brad's father died in 1996 and his sister no longer skis, but he stuck with it. He regularly qualified at the regional and national levels, though he had no desire to participate until his daughter became active.
Brad would drag Ciara with him to the lake, first getting her up on skis when she was about 4. He even bought the young girl a set of beginner skis, but quickly gave up because he "didn't like the bribing thing. She decided to do it when she wanted to."
After she had refused to water ski at 6 and 7, her parents tried one last time. Ciara was 8 and, using one ski, it soon became clear that the Potter tradition had found its way into the heart of another generation.
"Part of it was instilled by herself," Laura said of her daughter's drive and discipline. "She learned what it was to compete young with snow skis."
Ciara had already been racing on snow skis for years at Lookout Pass and Silver Mountain Resort, both in Idaho. The family has a vacation home in Kellogg.
After making the downhill championships four years in a row and coaching six young kids last year on the slopes, Ciara decided this year to focus on the water and enjoy snow skiing with her parents and friends during weekend winter trips.
"It's not all about racing," Ciara said of the snow sport.
Her father added: "It's a little bit too much to do both sports."
The water ski season for the Potters can run from February through October -- daylight saving time. The rest of the year, Laura says, "I ground them."
Brad and Ciara "have been out there breaking ice" on the lake to practice in early spring. Their true devotion to skiing -- snow and water -- has shown on days when they hit the Silver slopes in the morning, drive home 3 1/2 hours and head straight for the lake.
Ciara, who plays volleyball at Enterprise and dreams of ultimately getting a water skiing scholarship to Sacramento State, admits it is hard staying committed halfway into the season.
"I start getting a little off track, not wanting to go out as much," she said.
Ciara and Brad typically will spend two or three weeknights and at least one weekend day in Basin City practicing slalom and jumping on the private Kories Lake and Tate Lake. They occasionally practice trick skiing on the Columbia River.
"It's very enjoyable to have her coming out to the ski lake with me," Brad said. The 45-minute drive affords them time to talk about school or skiing outside the normal "hustle and bustle" of life, he said.
Laura, who doesn't water ski, describes herself as "just the cheerleader."
"She supports us a lot with what we do," Ciara chimes in.
Laura said she and Brad are proud of Ciara because she often misses parties and hanging out with her friends. Ciara might complain but she is the one who keeps getting out on the water, Laura said.
"She's having to balance the social part of her life, the homework part of her life and the water skiing part of her life," she said.
And when at practice or in a tournament, Ciara doesn't have just one set of parents but about 30 to 40 additional mothers and fathers keeping watch over her, Laura said of the sport's family atmosphere.
Brad, 42, is a service technician with Pepsi-Cola. Laura, 41, works with TR Masterson Construction.
Over the years, Brad's coaching has been supplemented by lifelong family friends Dennis Kories, owner of the Basin City lake in his name, and Terry Goodman of Bellingham.
All the training helped Ciara place fifth overall in the July regionals in Orting. Then she advanced to the 2008 Goode Water Ski National Championships in mid-August in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Ciara thought she would be nervous competing against 80 other girls in her age group, but said "it wasn't really that hard."
While taking the 11th overall spot, she placed 13th in jumping, 18th in tricks and 23rd in slalom, according to results posted on the USA Water Ski Association's website.
Ciara's favorite event is jumping because she doesn't get to do it as much and it's exciting. Her mother says it's because of the adrenaline rush.
But it's the slalom -- in which she tries to go around six buoys at speeds up to 32 mph on a short rope -- that gets Ciara frustrated and upset because in national competition there is only one chance to do it right.
"If you don't have a good run, that's it," she said. "At regionals I kind of put more pressure on me, but at nationals I just wanted to have fun."
The sport doesn't come without risk.
Like his daughter, Brad's favorite was always the jumping until he broke his ankle in three places in the 1988 nationals. He avoided that event for 20 years until Ciara's participation encouraged him to get back out there.
He jumped at the regional contest this summer but not at nationals, where he placed 19th in tricks and tied for 36th in slalom, the association's website said.Last weekend, though, Brad gave it another try and jumped for a distance of 100 feet.
Described by Brad as one of the most physically demanding sports, frequent injuries for skiers include hyper extending knees or elbows and spraining wrists or ankles.
The gear differs based on the event. Jumpers wear helmets and padded suits, slalom racers don life vests and gloves and trick skiers go without a vest to reduce the bulk while they do 180- and 360-degree moves.
Ciara points out that it's all done on a regulated course in only 5 feet of water.
Her first big injury came a few weeks ago when she sprained her wrist. She recalled another time when she was jumping and went upside down.
"It kind of knocked the wind out of me," she said with a small smile, her father learning about that incident for the first time. "It was scary, but it hasn't stopped me."
* Kristin M. Kraemer: 582-1531; kkraemer@tricityherald.com
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