For Kahn, Waterfall Has a New Definition

What started out as weekend activity that allowed a family to spend some fun, quality time together has turned into a serious and often-dangerous endeavor for an Oxnard teen-ager.

Everyone in 15-year-old Tami Kahn’s immediate family water-skis, but she has taken it a step further.

For the last six years Kahn has competed in more than 100 water-ski races, often against women more than twice her age.

Kahn, who will be a junior at Oxnard High this fall, is a nationally ranked junior speed marathon water skier.

Having graduated to the top level in her sport, she now competes in about 15 races a year against the best competitors in the nation.

Each race is 50 to 70 miles long and Kahn travels at an average speed of 85 miles per hour. Kahn, 5 feet 2 and 110 pounds, has gone as fast as 103 m.p.h. with her father, Bill, behind the wheel.

“I love the water and I love speed,” Kahn said. “I also love the competition.”

For the last four years Kahn has been the nation’s top-ranked girl in marathon and speed skiing. Kahn has won three-quarters of the races she has entered.

Last month, Kahn won the junior girls division of the Speed Water Ski Racing World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. In her first international competition last year in Australia, she placed first in the 13-16 age division.

Kahn will next compete in a two-part race Sept. 9-10 at Lake Mead. Skiers race 50 miles the first day and 75 miles the next day.

“It’s really hard,” Kahn said. “Your legs are burning the entire time and you really need to have a strong grip.”

To stay in shape for skiing, Kahn runs about 40 minutes a day and rides her bike another 45 minutes. She also trains with weights twice a week.

Her parents own a boat and the family skis regularly in the ocean near their Oxnard home.

Kahn began water skiing when she was 3 years old. At 9, when she was 4 feet 3 and 58 pounds, she completed a 63-mile race from Long Beach to Catalina and back. It took her 3 hours 9 minutes 3 seconds.

“When she was 5 she could ski barefoot,” said Kahn’s mother, Connie. “When she was 8, she saw the Catalina race on TV and she really wanted to do it.”

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It’s not always fun for the Kahn family when little sister whips through the water on skis. There have been many scary moments.

When Tami became serious about skiing, she started going faster and longer. She also started taking more risks.

“Sometimes I just can’t watch,” Connie said.

“I often hand the video camera to someone else because I just can’t stand it.”

A couple of years ago Tami required emergency medical attention after falling while skiing at 85 m.p.h. at a lake in Pomona.

“She looked like she had been in the ring with Rocky,” Connie said. “Her helmet was ripped off and her eyes were swollen shut. She sprained her back and neck and her face looked horrible.”

Two weeks later, Kahn was back on skis. She’s taken a few spills since then, but none as serious as the one in Pomona.

“It frightens my mom a lot more than it frightens me,” Kahn said. “It’s no big deal.”

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A new, long-awaited guidebook to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is available at the Santa Monica Mountains National Park Service visitor center in Agoura Hills.

“Mountains to the Ocean--a Guide to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area” is a 100-page book that includes an introduction to the Santa Monica Mountains and its numerous park sites.

The handy, pocket-sized book, which costs $12.95, also offers information on the local flora and fauna.

“It also has a great map, the best we’ve had,” said Jean Bray, spokeswoman for the National Park Service.

“It has beautiful color photos and it lists all the public parklands in California.”

The visitors’ center, which is located off Reyes Adobe Road on the Ventura Freeway, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Lake Casitas Recreation Area in Ojai will offer shoreline night fishing Sept. 6-8. The lake’s north end will be open until midnight all three days.

“It’s becoming more popular because it’s so much cooler [than] in the afternoon,” said Josh Justus, a dockhand at the lake. “They’ve been catching a lot of bass and catfish.”

Day licenses ($8.95) can be used for the night fishing as well as annual licenses ($24.95).

Information: 805-649-2043.