Benefield: Ursuline grad a different kind of 'ski bum'

Tara Puccioni likens her early season athletic training to living the life of a “ski bum.”

That phrase typically makes one think of bathrobes, beer, sloth and perhaps a bit of snow or sun.

Well, the sun part was correct.

Puccioni, a fifth-year senior and member of the defending division 2 national champion University of California at Davis water-ski team, spends a good chunk of the month of September on the water, perfecting her slalom technique and building her repertoire of ski tricks for the fall intercollegiate ski season. Because classes don’t start until the first week of October, there is a ton of lake time with few distractions.

But don’t think for a moment that Puccioni, a 2010 Ursuline High grad who was an all-league basketball and volleyball standout for the Bears, spends her time lounging on the dock. Puccioni, who will compete in both the slalom and trick categories, works on her strength to speed up her slalom times and drills her technique to improve her tricks.

This is not the lazy, loopy skiing you remember from summers gone by.

So far, it’s worked for both Puccioni and the spirited Davis team. The inconceivably nicknamed “Unicorns” (team colors: pink) will head to Zachary, La. this week to defend their collegiate title. They are currently ranked No. 2 in their division according to the National Collegiate Water Ski Association.

Puccioni, a lifelong skier, is a lead competitor on the squad that while fun-loving (note the change of mascot from the traditional Davis Aggie to a pink unicorn) is loaded with skilled skiers who are looking to win.

Puccioni plays and competes with a smile on her face but means business in every way.

“We call her the quiet storm,” Tara’s dad, Mike, said. “She has real competitive fire.”

The nickname on the back of Puccioni’s high school warm-up jacket was “Smiley.” Good thing, because her back was likely the best view of her competitors would get.

“If you were guarding her she would smile right as she went around you,” her dad said.

That drive has led her to zero in on water skiing to become one of the top skiers in the nation.

“I want to be good at what I’m doing,” she said.

“I think overall I’m a pretty athletic person,” she said. “No matter what I need to do to get there, I have a strong desire to do it.”

Puccioni comes from a water-skiing family. Her parents, Mike and Judy, both skied at collegiate nationals for Sacramento State University. Tara’s sister Rachelle led the Cal Poly Mustangs to the national tournament four years in a row.

Puccioni said she wasn’t drawn to the competitive side of the sport until she reached Davis. Without a team sport like basketball to pursue, Puccioni decided to follow the family way and hit the water.

“Coming to Davis, I needed some sort of activity,” Puccioni, a biomedical engineering major, said. “There are a lot of people that go to school here. Finding people that are similar to you is easier when you are looking through a sport,” she said.

Water skiing is a club sport at Davis, which means athletes have to raise the bulk of the funds to train, travel and compete in tournaments. Those efforts can make teams tighter and the events sweeter, Puccioni said.

And the team doesn’t operate with a coach, so teammates can act as surrogate instructors, helping less experienced skiers with tips on strength and technique. Puccioni said that was a stark change for her after many years of getting instruction from the sidelines.

The team advances based on individual performances, but the athlete is really in a battle with herself to improve. That’s no problem for the driven Puccioni.

“Slalom skiing is a tug of war with the boat. It’s very physical,” Mike Puccioni said. “Trick skiing is much slower. It’s great balance, fitness, lots of repetition. It’s like ice skating - lots of times doing the same thing.”

In that realm, Tara Puccioni has an advantage. She knows how to build strength, she knows how to practice intricate changes in technique. She also knows how to keep her cool - a key at big ski tournaments where nerves can sap your energy on the water.

“I think all those years of competitive sports have really helped,” Mike Puccioni said. “Tara doesn’t get nervous.”

Puccioni will put that theory to the test this week - lining up in the biggest tournament in college skiing for her last go as a Unicorn.

You can reach staff columnist Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com and on Twitter @benefield