Water skiing success is all in the family

NEW HARTFORD — It is not often that an individual of any age can become highly successful competing at an elite level of a sport they love.

It is rarer still for each member of an entire household to find themselves nationally ranked as top athletes in their sporting field of choice.

But one New Hartford family has achieved just that.

Jena Hinman Keller and her two sons Blake, 8, and Brody, 6, are ranked among the top competitive water skiers in the nation.

Last month, all three took part in the 2010 Eastern Region Water Ski Championships in upstate New York, with both Keller and Blake finishing first overall in their age groups, and Brody — participating in his first regional tournament — earning a solid third-place finish overall for his group.

The strong showing meant all three qualified to compete this week in the GOODE Water Ski National Championships in Wilmington, Ill., which began Sunday, Aug. 8, and runs through Aug. 14.

It will be the first time Keller — a veteran competitive water skier who, like her two boys, has been skiing since she learned to walk — will be competing together with Blake and Brody on a national level.

“It’s a lot of fun that this is an experience we can share together,� the Northwestern Regional High School graduate told The Journal during a break from training at The Pond in Avon last Thursday, Aug. 5.

“And by competing together, it’s a great thing to help keep me motivated and interested in the sport,� Keller, who is also a former history teacher for the Region 7 School District, said.

In water skiing, most competitors earn points through their performance in three different events: jumping, slalom and “tricking.� Tricking is just what it sounds like: Skiers are graded on their ability to do as many tricks as possible in a set period of time.

“You have two 20-second periods to do as many tricks as you can,� Blake said.

Because of their young ages, however, neither Blake nor Brody’s groups currently include jumping as part of their division’s competition. But Blake started to practice his jumps earlier this summer, and he said he is looking forward to taking part in the event soon.

“I really like that feeling of when you are up in the air,� he said.

Brody said his favorite part of skiing is the slalom.

“I like that feeling of when I’m coming around the buoy,� he said.

Although this will be Brody’s first nationals, last year Blake finished third overall and Keller won her division.

Keller and Blake’s success at last year’s national tournament is not just a testament to their skill, but also their ability to successfully train and prepare themselves during a much shorter water skiing season.

Living in New England means that the family can only water ski from the late spring into the early fall, while those who live in warmer climates are out on the water all year long.

“Our season is a lot shorter because of the weather,� Keller said. “So, we just do it more intensively for a shorter period of time.�

During the winter months, all three snow ski, with both boys enrolled in the youth racing program at Ski Sundown in New Hartford.

“To be able to do something at this elite a level gives you something more to focus on,� she said, adding that through the years she has been able to meet many people and travel to places that she would not have otherwise.

Now, she said, she is excited to see that her own children will be able to share in some of the same experiences.

“You just aren’t going to get these kind of opportunities in other sports,� Keller, who now manages the Riverside Nursery & Garden Center in Collinsville, said.

She and her younger brother, Dana Hinman, both skied competitively all through their youth and young adulthood, with a great deal of success. Of course, it helped that one of the country’s best water skiers at that time was their father, Tom Hinman, who himself earned the title of national champion.

“It’s just something we’ve always done,� Keller said.