|
Page 2 of 2
The greatest peril posed by St. Martin’s swath of Caribbean Sea, which remains a tepid 82 degrees year-round, may simply be the desire never to leave it. In 2003, Lethem relocated here from Clermont, Florida, where she had trained at the acclaimed Swiss Ski School. Her new home, a 37-square-mile speck of Caribbean sand a hundred miles east of St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, is divided into two autonomous nations: French St. Martin to the north and Dutch St. Maarten to the south. Conventional wisdom holds that the French side is relaxed and sophisticated, with yachts and open-air markets, while the Dutch side is livelier, with casinos and a rowdier nightlife.To be sure, first-class resorts and white-sand beaches abound in both.
The real draw for visitors, however, is skiing warm waters year-round and learning to do so from water-skiing’s version of Olympian Dara Torres. “I can teach 720-degree rotations, toe tricks, flips—whatever you want,” Lethem says. “Or I can help you to just stand up and hold on to the rope.” For beginners, getting up on your feet while Lethem jams down the throttle is the hardest part. “That could take all morning,” she admits, with a slightly sadistic laugh.
Lethem is the teacher you wish you’d had in gym class: soft-spoken, easy to look at, and better at her sport than you’ll ever be. Her classroom is an arm of the Simpson Bay saltwater lagoon on the southwest end of the island, one of the largest landlocked bodies of water in the Caribbean. Because water-skiing’s pro events are poorly compensated (Lethem’s top finish—at the 2004 Masters—netted her just $7,000), Lethem manages a full teaching schedule with some two dozen students a week. A few have notably continued their studies, including a teenager who won the European Under-14 World Championships just this year. Most of her clients, however, are middle-aged adults less interested in competing than learning a new warm-weather skill that provides a full-body workout. “Skiing is especially good for your core and legs, which you use to balance over the wake,” Lethem says. “And your tan, too.”
How long will Lethem continue to skim the smooth, salty waters of St. Martin with the tow rope held between her toes as countless imitators and admirers follow, some more gracefully than others, in her wake? “My mom still skis every day she can, and she’s 70,” says Lethem. “This is a very good sport to keep in good shape. You can do it almost forever.”
Just like chasing beautiful French women.
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form