THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408120308
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY DAN COOLEY, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Close does count, according to water skier Kenny Crofton.
Usually, close only counts in horseshoes, but Crofton was able to come close consistently enough to capture the state title recently in the Class C division for men 25-35 .
He placed second in tricks, jumping and slalom and accumulated enough points to give him the title. That was the most important for him.
``The overall title is the most prestigious you can get,'' said Kenny, whose family operates the Crofton Diving Corporation in Portsmouth. His father started the commercial diving and marine construction business in 1949.
``This title shows you are more versatile,'' added Crofton, a Suffolk resident. ``Many skiers only ski two events.''
The Virginia crown and the Commonwealth games championships were combined this year on Lake Holley in Sparta, Va. Crofton, 34, had won both in 1985 and 1992, when the two meets were held separately.
Crofton didn't even enter a tournament until 11 years ago, when he participated in a novice division tourney, and his performance was something less than stellar.
``I did real bad,'' Crofton said. ``In slalom, I only scored three buoys at 28 miles per hour. I don't remember how I did in the other two events.''
However, he was not discouraged enough to quit and he pressed on. To move up to the C division, a skier must receive a first-class rating from the American Water Ski Association (AWSA) while competing in the novice bracket.
After his initial tournament in 1983, it took Crofton two years to graduate to the C division. And almost immediately, he won the state and Commonwealth championship, but then there was a seven-year lull in his title chase.
``Things just didn't work out,'' said Crofton. ``It was a matter of not skiing as much.
``Also, I didn't go to tournaments in a couple of those years due to my work schedule.''
The heavy work schedule has cut considerably into Crofton's practice time, which normally runs from mid-February to mid-November. He used to practice two to three hours a day, five days a week, but now there are weeks when he doesn't get to practice at all.
Crofton's work involves helping two of his brothers and a sister run the family-owned diving business.
Although he didn't enter a tourney for several years, Crofton first donned a pair of water skis at the age of 12 when he lived on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk. He immediately fell in love with the sport.
``It was a lot of fun, and I was real excited,'' Crofton said. ``I started skiing every weekend that summer.''
He also gained a lot of experience at Holiday Island near Hertford, N.C., where his family had a vacation cottage. And after a couple of years down there, Crofton wanted more.
``I reached a plateau where I knew I wasn't going to get any better,'' he said. ``You're out there skiing a river and what else is there to do? It gets boring after a while because you don't have a goal.''
Crofton found his goal when he came across a ski magazine that told about ski schools and tournaments. He enrolled in three ki schools over the next several years and became involved in tournaments.
He has stayed committed to tournament water skiing ever since for a couple of reasons.
``The camaraderie of the people and the family atmosphere at the tournaments keeps me going,'' said Crofton. ``I've met more friends than you can count.
``But I'm still in it because of my wife, Teddi. I could not do it without her support.
``She is so tolerable. There are nights when I don't get home until after 9 p.m. because I leave right from work to get some practice in.''
The couple met - fittingly - while water skiing with mutual friends. They have three children: Camille, 6; Kelly, 3; and Jenny, 8 months. And the whole family often goes with Crofton to his tournaments.
Two of the biggest obstacles he has had to face in water skiing have been finding a good place to ski and the cost.
At first, he skied on the Intracoastal Waterway near Pungo. But he became frustrated with all the boat traffic, and he discovered a private lake in Hampton, which has no boat traffic.
As far as costs are concerned, Crofton says the initial investment is the most costly. After that, the main expense is around tournaments.
Crofton overcomes those costs by officiating and providing his boat for tournaments. As a rated official, he is invited to four tournaments a year.
This helps because Crofton has one more goal he wants to achieve.
``Next year, I'd like to go to nationals,'' said Crofton. ``With real hard practices, I hope to be able to attain what I need.''
He has yet to qualify for nationals in any of his events, but Crofton may be edging closer. In tricks, he has been only 200 points shy of the newly proposed standards.
Crofton has equaled the slalom standard in practice, but not tournaments, and he has 26 feet to go to reach the proposed jump standard. However, he is an achiever and an overcomer. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Kenny Crofton tears up the water near his Nansemond River home.
by CNB