The Harris Family of Stafford (from left to right) daughter Jamie , father Bill, daughter Betsy, mother Julie and son John participated in the 1998 U.S. Water Skiing Championships in West Palm Beach, Fl. No other family has qualified that many members in at least 25 years.
Many families touch base at dinner time or in front of the television. The Harrises do much of their bonding on the Rappahannock River in a speeding ski boat. They practice trick skiing, coach one another, and in this unforgettable ski season, all five competed in the U.S. Water Skiing Championships at West Palm Beach, Fla. No other family has qualified that many members in at least 25 years.
"We're not the best skiers," said Bill Harris, a 53-year-old attorney with a yen for adventure sports. "But we all performed to the best of our ability" at the meet. The Rappahannock is tailor-made for endless tricks runs, so that's the specialty event of the whole family.
Betsy Harris, age 19, placed third in Women's 4 tricks (1,139); Jamie, 14, was eighth in the Girls 3 division (2,380); and John, 21, 13th in Men's 1 (2,480), Julie placed eighth in Women's 4 (940) and Bill 13th in Men's 4 (2,180). "I loved it," said Bill. "Before I started, I was just hoping to stay up, do one trick" and score points at nationals.
Betsy, a sophomore skier at Clemson University, was the first Harris to qualify for nationals. She debuted in '95 and has been back every year since. Jamie joined Betsy at the '96 U.S. meet, and mom made the cut along with her daughters two years ago.
"It's a lot better having your whole family competing in the meet," said Betsy, a field hockey and girls soccer MVP at James Monroe High School in 1997. "Every day, you've got someone else to watch and worry about."
The family's interest in skiing dates back to when Bill and Julie were kids. He first skied when he was eight and became fanatical about the sport a few years later. She got her start on combo skis at age 12. For many years in the Harris household, water skiing was simply something fun to do, like snow skiing or wind surfing. That changed soon after they attended a water ski meet. "After watching awhile, we were thinking, 'Hey, we can do as well as some of these people,' " said Bill. They were right, too.
Competing required more practice time, though. Everyone agreed to step up the family's commitment to skiing, even if it meant daily outings to the river. Countless runs over the years have paid off handsomely for John and Betsy especially.
Now in his senior year at Clemson, John is captain of the Tigers' ski team, which finished third at the NCAA tournament. Betsy has branched out and become an accomplished all-around skier.
Betsy missed field hockey last fall. She got in some games over the summer, though, in the local YMCA league. There's been no second-guessing of her decision to forego hockey and ski instead. "College meets are less nerve-wracking, which has helped me to relax and improve. So many skiers are still learning," said Betsy.
The Harrises have made a good head start on competing en mass again at the 1999 nationals. Betsy, Jamie and Bill have already earned invitations by virtue of their "exceptional performances," or EPs, at this summer's U.S. meet. "That's a nice way to do it," said Bill. Skiers qualify for nationals with an EP in a record-capability tournament, two EPs in a Class C tournament or a top-5 regional finish and a master's rating.
The Harris family apparently still enjoys its routine skiing moments as much as the big events. "If you're playing tennis or snow-skiing or doing some other sport, somebody can hold everyone else back," said Betsy. "When you're water skiing, everyone can help everyone else out, no matter what level they're at."