Watching Dave Reinhart water ski, one gets the impression that Reinhart is capable of almost anything as he gracefully glides across the water. Reinhart is so cool and composed that he looks like he could perform his craft and suavely sip champagne from the most delicate crystal glass and not spill a drop.
Given his credentials as the second-place overall finisher on the Coors Light Water Skiing Tour this past summer, one might expect Reinhart to be in comfortable control on a set of skis. What makes Reinhart’s case different is that he’s not supposed to be skiing at all, let alone performing dangerous acts of daredevilism.
Last Dec. 17, while working on a construction job, Reinhart’s bright future became blurred by an accident that nearly cost him sight in his left eye.
“A nail flipped up and stuck into the pupil of my left eye,” Reinhart said. “I pulled the nail out. It went through my lens. I had to have cataract surgery where they removed the lens.
“The doctors said it was very serious. They went on and on about how it was close to the brain and it could be a fatal injury. It worried me quite a bit, but I was more concerned about getting out of the hospital in three days because I needed to ski.”
The initial urgency gave way to patient waiting as Reinhart was forced to stay in bed for four months. The inactivity took its toll on the 22-year-old Defiance, Ohio, native when he attempted to ski again in April.
“I wasn’t scared, but when I got on the skis I was so uncomfortable I could hardly ski,” Reinhart said. “My depth perception wasn’t there. I had a hard time judging in rough water. I couldn’t tell how far it was from one wave to the next, or when I was cutting to know when I was going to hit the ramp.
“Because of the eye I would totally miss things. When I got out of the hospital I was trying to put ketchup on a hamburger once and I completely missed the hamburger.”
The injury jeopardized a potentially lucrative career in which Reinhart could makes upwards of $150,000 per year from earnings on the Coors Tour and endorsement money from ski companies and sponsors. Reinhart won four events on the 12-event, $374,000 tour this past summer, and estimates he took home $20,000 from prize winnings and sponsorship money.
“Once you make a name for yourself, you can make a good living at skiing,” said Reinhart, who owns Watershow Productions, a promotions company that stages ski shows. After he retires he hopes to open a ski school. “I didn’t realize there was such a big market in it. The sponsors spend so much money and people get so excited about skiing. I never thought anything would come from skiing. I thought it was just for fun.”
While Reinhart pads his pocketbook, his body is paying the price for the pounding and stress his muscles and joints take.
He recites a litany of pains he endures from doing what gives him pleasure — knee operations, an injured back, a torn shoulder muscle and legs that are asleep when he wakes up in the morning.
Reinhart admits to being a daredevil and notes that daredevil is the term used to describe the type of freestyle skiing he does on the Coors Tour.
“I used to ride dirt bike motorcycles,” said Reinhart, who moved to Hollywood four years ago to pursue skiing full-time. “My father said it was too dangerous, so I started skiing. He liked skiing, but hated motorcycles. But skiing is more dangerous than anything I’ve done on a motorcycle.”
In an effort to control the bumps and bruises he suffers during the summer skiing season, Reinhart is beginning a weight program that he hopes will extend his career.
“I want to gain strength in my legs which will make my knees stronger. I want to put the strain on my muscles and not the joints,” Reinhart said. “I’ll last longer and improve my flexibility.”
A year ago having a skiing career at all seemed like a wild expectation that doctors and medicine couldn’t make happen. But desire has defeated science and a certified daredevil is back doing what he knows and loves best.
“I’ve dedicated this much of my life, I might as well go all the way. I don’t want to do anything else.”
