Skip to content

Water skiing brothers compete and train despite wildfires

Williams Lake brothers Conley and Lucas Pinette have kept busy this summer attending water skiing camps and competitions.
8108514_web1_170815-WLT-ConleyPinette
Monica Lamb-Yorski photo. Williams Lake water skier Conley Pinette has continued training and competing this summer despite the wildfires and is off to the University of Louisiana later this month to begin studying business and competing with the school’s ski team.

Water skiing brothers Conley and Lucas Pinette have been at it again — winning medals at water skiing competitions.

Last month the Pinettes were forced to cancel hosting the provincials at Chimney Lake on the weekend of July 15 because of a wildfire evacuation alert that came down on July 7 , however, the family lived out of their camper and the boys continued to train and compete.

Conley said they plan to reschedule and hopefully host the provincials locally next summer.

With four medals in his hands that he won in Calgary at the Nationals held at Predator Bay last week, 11-year-old Lucas said he won second in slalom, first in jump, first in trick and first overall.

“I will also be going to the Can Ams in St. Louis on Aug. 24 and 25 with the U14 team,” he said. “They take six people.”

In addition to going to Calgary, the brothers went to two competitions at Borderline in Blaine, Wash., trained at Shumway Lake in Kamloops and in Abbotsford.

Conley had a bone chip in his ankle and said he was just getting back to skiing and felt good about his performance.

“I’ve been taping my ankle,” he said. “It’s been good enough to jump and I’ve had not pain.”

He skied in the normal division and in the open division with the top six at the Nationals in Calgary and came second overall.

“I got a second in trick, second in jump and fourth in slalom,” he said.

On Aug. 21 Conley will begin pursuing a business degree at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette where he has been offered a full scholarship.

He will be part of the water skiing team there and has rented a house with three other skiers — one from Austria, one from Sweden and the third from Canada.

While at school they will compete at Nationals coming up in Louisiana at a lake about an hour away from the university, he said.

Attending university there has been his plan for awhile, he added.

Lucas will be going into Grade 7 at Sacred Heart Catholic School this fall and like everyone else is waiting to see when school will start in light of the wildfire evacuations and alerts.

Now that they are home for a break the boys are working for their dad Parnell Pinette, they said.

Here the two brothers talk about their summer.

8108514_web1_170815-WLT-M-170815-WLT-Pinettes
Monica Lamb-Yorski photo. Brothers Lucas (left) and Conley Pinette take a break from their summer jobs to talk about their water skiing adventures this summer.


Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
Read more