Keith St. Onge
- Scott Gray
- May 1, 2023
- 4 min read
Barefoot waterski extraordinaire, Keith St. Onge, was recently inducted into the Water Ski Hall of Fame. "Extraordinaire" actually falls short in describing the abilities of KSO on the water and his competitive accomplishments in the sport. In April 2023, I was given the honor and privilege to introduce my friend during his induction ceremony in Lakeland, FL in front of a packed room of some of the most elite skiers in the world. The introduction needed to be short, less than 2 minutes to be exact. This left me little time to share all my thoughts, feelings and stories surrounding this extraordinary man. The beauty of this blog site is that I have the freedom without time constraints to share so much more.
Keith was a young and talented skier in the early 90's who had developed his skiing to the point where he was embarking on the more advanced techniques and tricks of the sport. His cousin and coach, "Swampy" contacted me to travel to their ski lake in New Hampshire to coach Keith and teach him surface turns. (If you're not a barefoot waterskier some of this terminology will be Greek to you.) Let's just say surface turns are the advanced trick foundation to moving forward with success in high level competition. I had seen Keith at some tournaments, but had not really spent time with him. Keith was a quiet kid, but had a very quick whit for a 12 year old, a cue to me that he was extremely bright. He was a very enthusiastic student, listened well, was tough, funny and had these large, wide feet. They were perfect for the sport. It wasn't long before Keith had learned his surface turns and was executing very difficult tricks on the water. I knew in that first week of my coaching clinic that if he stuck with the sport he'd be something special.
Traveling to New Hampshire in June was a wonderful break from the extremely hot days that accompany the month of June in Georgia. The lake was cool and refreshing and the scenery was gorgeous. I have fond memories of hanging out with Swampy, Keith and one of Keith's best buds, Danny, at the lake cabin after each day of skiing. There was usually a campfire with plenty of food, snacks and great stories. I'll always remember the sound of the loons as their haunting calls could be heard echoing across the glass calm water as the sun sank behind the trees. You could see their silhouettes floating across the lake leaving small little wakes behind them. Long after Keith and Danny were in bed, Swampy and I would strategize about barefoot skiing, coaching and Keith's opportunities in the sport. Keith and Danny would also fly to Atlanta to stay with Sherrie and I for a couple weeks each summer. On their first trip down to ski with me I rented the movie Deliverance for their entertainment. Remember that movie with Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty? The movie took place in the North Georgia mountains close to where we would be skiing. On our very first ski session a camouflage boat with a mountain man steering his little outboard slipped out of a cove and into our ski area. The look on Keith and Danny's faces was sheer terror as I acted very concerned about our situation. Of course, this man was simply a local who was just doing a little fishing, but it left a lifetime impression on my two young Padawans.
It wasn't long before Keith had a really good understanding of the techniques I had provided, and a committed drive to become one of the best barefoot skiers in the world. He also had a committed and knowledgable coach in his cousin Swampy, and they soon moved to Winter Haven, Florida to train and start a waterski school of their own. And, this is where my story with Keith is passed on to the next people in his journey to Hall of Fame status. I retired from the sport due to injuries in 1994. Keith's professional career was just beginning and he would go on to become one of the most celebrated skiers in the world and would land him in the Waterski Hall of Fame in 2023. As I left the skiing world to pursue other interests I asked him to stay grounded and I often teased him saying, "don't forget me when you get famous". True to his word, Keith always gave me credit for teaching him his surface turns. Keith also carried humility and gratitude with him throughout his skiing journey, a trait not found in many these days. He now has a beautiful family of his own and continues to crush every venture he pursues. He is a man of faith and integrity. He has kept his contagious laugh, big smile and loving heart, and I am honored to have played a small role in the story of his life.
You can check out Keith and his amazing barefoot skiing here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cre-OffBHs
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