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WATERSKI MagazineOne of the memorable refrains from the 1980s pop era went, “The future's so bright I gotta wear shades.” It's a good bet that Rhoni Barton understands what the group Timbuk 3 was talking about – even if she doesn't remember the song, that is. Barely of legal drinking age, Barton has already established an almost mythical autobiography in collegiate skiing. By the conclusion of the 1997 Collegiate Nationals in Wilmington, Illinois, she could be remembered as the greatest skier in the 19-year history of the tournament.
Barton's epic tale opened in the fall of 1994, when she traveled 3,000 miles from her home in Canyon Lake, California, to attend Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. There she immediately served notice that her innocent charm would be left on the dock. At the national tournament that year, fresh out of a cast required by a shattered clavicle, Barton gamely won tricks (by nearly 600 points), finished second in slalom and third overall as a freshman. If some of the nation's top collegiates didn't get the hint of her greatness, Barton would soon drive home the point.
Barton's sophomore and junior years can be summed up with one word: invincible. In 1995, after breaking the women's collegiate jump record in the spring, she swept all three events and the overall title at Nationals (the first time that had been done since Kristi Hill did it for Northeast Louisiana in 1984). Then, in 1996, Barton became the first woman to make two clean sweeps, breaking her own jump record in the process.
What was practically inconceivable during the history of the Collegiate Nationals is now expected of Barton. “It's to the point,” says National Collegiate Board chairman Phil Chase, “where I'll probably hand out the team and men's medals and then just tell Rhoni to come get the rest.”
Barton has been at the center of the bigger stages too. She won U.S. Masters overall titles in 1994 and '96, and U.S. Open overalls in 1995 and '97. At 21, she's won every major tournament except the Worlds, leaving many observers to wonder what's left to achieve. The focus shifts back to college.
“Grades come first, they always have,” she says proudly. “Depending on how the tour shapes up in the future, I want to go on to law school. It's something I fully intend to do after I finish college. If the tour has more stops for women in the future, I'll have to see, but for now I'm just concentrating on doing my best at Rollins because that's my main reason for going to college, to get that degree.”
The best in collegiate history? Maybe. One of the best women skiers in the world? Definitely. If you're keeping an eye on Rhoni, better keep those shades close by. – Steve Nelson
