Norwich
Campfield, 42, is ranked 38th among slalom competitors in his age group by USA Water Ski, the national governing body of water ski and wake sports. An avid water skier since growing up in southern Oregon, he recently had his best-ever showing at the Water Ski National Championships, placing 16th in a field of 38 in Maize, Kan.
Campfield — along with his twin daughters, Abby and Emma — are now preparing for Saturday’s Vermont state championship at Wrightsville Reservoir in Middlesex.
In Kansas, Campfield successfully navigated a six-buoy course numerous times while being towed by a boat traveling 34 miles per hour. After each successful course completion, the rope shortened: from 53 feet to 47 feet, to 43 feet and finally to 40 feet, from which he negotiated five of the six buoys. That approached his personal best of two buoys at 37 feet, accomplished twice earlier this summer at a tournament in New Jersey.
Campfield also excelled at the Eastern Region meet in New York state last month, tying for fifth with three at 40 feet (officially scored as “35 feet off,” as in 35 feet removed from the original 75-foot rope). He then won a playoff to defend his fifth-seeded billing entering the tournament.
Slalom water skiing, naturally, requires plenty of balance and agility. With the boat maintaining a straight line, it’s the skier’s duty to zigzag along the course with precision turns.
Fearlessness? It’s a must in this niche sport.
“There’s nothing like being up on the water,” said Campfield in a recent interview on the front porch at the Norwich Inn. “I’ve yet to find another sport that combines speed, power and technique the way slalom skiing does. It really is addicting.”
Campfield’s training partner, Eric Dole, has seen much improvement in Campfield’s execution since they met several years ago. Dole, also of Norwich, and Campfield encountered one another incidentally at a tournament in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. Since linking up, they’ve helped push each other while training at a course Dole set up at a camp on Goose Pond in Canaan. Campfield also trains on Lake Fairlee.
“Justin has gotten a lot more consistent in recent years,” said Dole, who’s tied for 29th in the men’s age 53-60 division rankings and who placed second in his division at his most recent tournament. “He’s passionate about the sport, and it shows.”
As dedicated as Campfield is, he isn’t nearly as immersed in water skiing as many who compete on USA Water Ski circuits. The most committed live on lakes that are purpose-built for the activity and train year-round, making his 16th-place showing at nationals even more impressive.
“(My performance was) not bad for a Vermonter,” said Campfield, who also competed in all three disciplines — slalom, jumps and tricks — while a student at Florida Southern University in the 1990s. “Having to train on public lakes for a few months per year versus training year-round on a lake in your backyard is a pretty big difference.”
Yet Campfield is happy with the limitations imposed by his northern location. After college, Campfield lived in Florida with his now-wife, Norwich native Hillary Nelson Campfield, and continued to compete until 2005. He became burned out on the sport and didn’t strap on a ski again for six years.
“We lived in Orlando from 1998-2007, and eventually I quit skiing because I just didn’t have the motivation anymore,” Campfield said. “When you’re skiing year-round and don’t take a break, you just get wiped out on competing at local and regional tournaments all the time.”
Seven years ago while perusing social media, Campfield happened across a water ski group that trains in the Northeast Kingdom and decided to join them for an outing. His joy for the sport was rekindled almost instantly, and he eventually invested in a new carbon fiber ski — they retail around $2,000 — and, in 2014, his own used boat.
“I do it as economically as I can, but unfortunately it’s an expensive sport to get into,” said Campfield, who runs his own marketing and promotion company. “If you can commit to it, though, it’s a great sport. Especially in the East and Northeast, everybody cheers each other on. The best tournaments are the ones when everyone does well.”
Campfield also cherishes the bonding with his family the sport helps afford both recreationally and at competitions, which typically have age groups young enough to accommodate them.
“It’s a great family sport because every competition I go to has age divisions ranging from 7 to 87, so the entire family gets to compete together every weekend,” Campfield said in a follow-up email. “I don’t know many other sports that can say that.”
Campfield plans to remain diligent, aiming for perennial top-10 finishes in his division at nationals beginning next year. His lifetime goals include completing a full pass at 38 off (a 37-foot rope) and qualifying for the biannual Senior World Championships, which require a top-20 international ranking.
As dedicated as Campfield is, he refrains from going overboard, so to speak.
“It’s a demanding sport, and I take it very seriously,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you are still out on a boat, soaking up the sun.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.