Began skiing at age 40.

 

Born on August 4, 1913 in Barry, Minn., her favorite sports were water skiing, roller and ice skating, horseback riding and snow skiing. Occupation: licensed physical therapy assistant and licensed practical nurse.

 

On her 40th birthday got a pair of skis and her husband and in-laws thought she had lost it. Lucille became an active tournament water skier when she entered the Ohio State Championships in 1959 at the age of 46 where she won.  She went on to win more than 30 national titles and still holds the U.S. national records in Women 9 (ages 75-79) jumping (45 feet) and Women 11 (ages 85 and over) slalom (4 buoys at 26mph) and tricks (200 points).

 

Lucille was a long time member of USA Water Ski and a volunteer at tournaments where she entered as a skier. She was always willing to dock start or any other job associated with the tournaments she attended.  She received the American Water Ski Educational Foundation’s Award of Distinction in 2005.

 

She stayed in shape by exercising six days a week using weights, doing aerobics and skiing at least three times a week.  During her skiing career, she never attended a ski school. She always readily admitted she learned by trial and error. In an article where Lucille was being interviewed she said ,”I would fall 100 times trying to learn a trick and once I made it I couldn’t remember what I did”.

Lucille survived polio as a child, cancer as an adult and the complete loss of vision in her left eye a few years before the age of 91 when she was still skiing every day near her home in Babson Park, Fla.

 

Living in San Ysidro, California at the age of 98 she died on June 8, 2012.

 

In that same article leaving her advice for up and coming skiers she said, “Enjoy yourself. And if you plan on being competitive, just keep at it. Eat healthy. Keep moving. Don’t sit around”.