Biography

Vital Statistics

Birth date:  May 13, 1969                   Birth place:    Native Georgian

Current Residence:                          Smyrna, Georgia

Height: 6'2"                                      Weight:  175 lbs

Occupation:                                     Telecommunications

Began Skiing: 24                               Began Competing:  25

Events: Slalom, Tricks, Jump

Division:  MP2 (Multi Plegic - Level 2 - mid chest level of injury - unable to stand to ski) uses sit ski.  Injured in diving accident at age 15.

Sponsors:  Bell South, Challenged Athletes, O'Brien Skis, Shepherd Center, Roho Inc.

Hobbies:  Skiing with family, Scuba, hand biking

Career Highlights

• Gold Medal as US TEAM Member at '03 World Championships in Florida (USA)
• Individual Silver Medal for Overall ’03 Worlds (Overall is combined score of slalom, jump & trick skiing)
• Individual Gold Medal for Jump ’03 Worlds
• Set a World Record for Jump '03 Worlds
• Individual Silver Medal for Slalom ’03 Worlds
• Individual Bronze Medal for Tricks ’03 Worlds
• 2003 National Jump Champion
• Silver Medal as US TEAM Member at ’01 World Championships in Australia 
• Individual Silver Medal for Overall ’01 Worlds (Overall is combined score of slalom, jump & trick skiing)
• Individual Gold Medal for Jump ’01 Worlds
• Individual Silver Medal for Tricks ’01 Worlds
• 2000 National (Overall) Champion
• 2000 National Slalom Champion
• Set a World Record 1 @ 41' off/ 36mph (inner course)
• 2000 National Jump Champion
• 2000 National Tricks Champion
• Gold Medal as US TEAM Member at ’99 Worlds in England
• Set 2 World Records in Jump at '99 Worlds 
• Bronze Medal Overall at '99 World
• Gold Medal in Jump at '99 Worlds
• 1999 National Overall Champion
• 1999 National Slalom Champion
• 1999 National Jump Champion
• 1999 Athlete of the Year (WSDA)

• 1997 US DisAbled WaterSki TEAM Member

• 1997 Worlds Silver Medal Jump

• 1997 Worlds Silver Medal TEAM

Best Performance:  Slalom: 1 @ 41 off  Jump:  72'  Tricks:  1500+ points

Records: 

• Slalom - Former World Record 1 @41 off (inner course) 

• Jump - World Record  72'

Ski Club Affiliation

Atlanta Water Ski Club

Future Career Plans

Retirement

Most fun skiing experience

Teaching my 3 year old daughter how to ski the summer of 2000

People I look up to or who have helped me

Denise & Bill Bowness, Kim - my wife, Bill Furbish - showing me skiing

"I am looking to improve my current international ranking of #3 and bring the team trophy home to the USA."

That's Aric for you, third on the planet just isn't good enough for him, he's striving for the absolute best on the planet - which is only one of the reasons he's a very valued member of the team!

Aric did improve his international ranking from number 3, to number 2 at the 2001 Worlds!  He might well have earned Gold (Overall) had it not been for the superior funding of the Brits (their government supports their skiers, ours doesn't) allowing them LOTS of training camps, and the water conditions during the tournament.  Well, waterSkiing is an outdoor sport, so you get what you get.  Aric skied just FINE, perhaps the Gold Overall will be his at the next World Championship event (2003):) Here he is with his daughter, Aleah, receiving his Gold medal in the Jump event.  He earned Bronze in Trick.

He is Mr. Red, White, and Blue, GO TEAM GO!  Aric pumps up other skiers and takes tremendous pride in his American heritage.

After setting 2 world records in the jump event at the 1999 World Championships Aric became known as "Flyin' Fine".  Flyin Fine's been selected for the US TEAM three times. He is the current National Overall Champ w/world records in slalom and jump. Aric works at Bell South (with fellow TEAM mate Bill Furbish) when not skiing.

This is Aric's World Record Jump at the '99 Worlds in England.  Doesn't he look like he's "Flyin' Fine"? 

That's Aric's brother Greg in the foreground.  He traveled to the '99 Worlds with his bro; this guy didn't stop working until about 10 minutes after we got on the homeward bound plane.  Gregg was up before and after the skiers, helping with absolutely everything.  We all think they're a Fine family:)  That's Craig Timm in the background (click HERE for a story about this plane ride.)

Winning a TEAM World Championship, Individual World Championship, and setting a World Record weren't all of the great thrills Aric had . . . shortly after his return from the WORLDS he was blessed with the birth of a healthy baby boy, Braxton, who joins his lovely sister Aleah.  That's Braxton, totally crashed on his Daddy's lap, at a TEAM dinner in Australia, he spent most evenings like this . . . thrashed.

That's Aric and his beautiful wife of 11 years, Kim, at a winery near Geelong, (Victoria) Australia.  We had a magnificent view of the bay with Melbourne city lights across the bay.

WHAT A FINE RIDE!

The TEAM used 2 vans to get back and forth from hotel to ski site. One van towed the trailer with all 8 wheelchairs. One night the first van got to the hotel a little earlier than the second van (gas stop), unfortunately the second van was the one with all the chairs.  Unstoppable as they are, one of the guys decided he didn't want to wait for his chair so the whole van load improvised with the luggage cart! It proves that within most men remains the heart of a boy!

Aric currently serves on the WaterSkiers with Disabilities Association (WSDA) Board of Directors, as Co-Director for the Southern Region.  He's also the Chair of the Finance Committee.                                                                                                                                  

Being a DisAbled skier, Aric can ski in any USA WaterSki sanctioned tournament.  Living in Atlanta, he has access to many tournaments around the southeast.  He is currently training at Lake Allatoona in Atlanta.