USA Today "the best-known female water skier in history"

 

When Camille Duvall-Hero retired from a 30-year water skiing career in 1994, USA Today hailed her as "the best-known female water skier in history." But unlike so many water skiing greats, her legacy isn't confined to the sport.  Sports Illustrated proved that in 2000 when they dubbed her one of the "100 Greatest Female Athletes of the Century," alongside the likes of Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Nadia Comaneci.

 

As a 15-time National Champion, 43-time Pro Tournament Champion, 5-time Masters Champion, 5-time Coors Light Pro Tour Slalom Grand Prix Champion and the 1985 World Slalom Champion, her record speaks for itself.  Ranked  No.  in the world for ten years.  Duvall-Hero was a three-time money leader among women water skiers, becoming the first female water skier to break six-figures in a single year through prize money and endorsements.  She was a member of the U.S. Elite Water Ski Team from 1975-1978 and 1983-1987.  When injuries finally forced Duvall-Hero to hang up her skis at the age of 33, she was ranked No. 1 in Women's jump, No.4 in slalom and No. 3 overall.

 

An accomplished three-event athlete, Duvall-Hero didn't leave her passion at the water's edge. She founded and managed the Professional Water Ski Tour (PAWS) in 1990.  In 1998, Duvall-Hero was named coach of the U.S. Junior Water Ski Team - the first woman to ever serve that position.  She has served as a board member of the Women's Sports Foundation, the New York City Sports Commission, American Sports Medicine Institute and Big Brothers and Sisters of America, among others.

 

Over the years, she has worked as a professional athlete, water ski instructor, industry consultant, businesswoman, model and mother. Her star-quality and fierce determination not only captivated the media, it also landed her a job as a reporter and producer for ESPN, Fox Sports, MSG Network, Oxygen Sports and Lifetime TV.  A graduate of the New York University School of Broadcasting, Duvall-Hero has served as editor of Competitor for Women magazine and contributing editor of Conde Nast Women's Sports & Fitness Magazine.  Her published works include Camille Duvall's Instructional Guide to Water Skiing.

 

Today, Duvall-Hero sells real estate for Halstead Property, Co., in New York City -- one of the most aggressive real estate markets in the nation -- where she lives with her husband and two children. And in her spare time, which isn’t much, Duvall-Hero still finds time to run a ski school in Southhampton during the brief New York summers.