Harris ’03: Father-Daughter Duo Take on the Slopes

Phil Harris ’03 and his 8-year-old daughter, Kennedy, may be new to competitive skiing, but they have become fierce contenders on the slopes.

Despite this being just Harris’ second season and Kennedy’s third, the father and daughter have been racking up medals at competitions across the region and nation, all while making lasting family memories. Last year, they both qualified for the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association Nationals, the world’s largest ski competition. And after another successful season, they are eyeing a spot at USASA for a second time this spring.

Skiing has always been a passion for Harris, who grew up hitting the slopes with his family in Lewisburg, West Virginia, but he did not have the opportunities available to pursue the sport seriously. Now, in his early 40s, Harris is racing alongside his daughter.

At age 6, Kennedy, the youngest of four siblings, developed a passion for skiing. She joined a youth freestyle team at Snowshoe Mountain near their Charleston, West Virginia, home and began her first ski competition season. Watching from the sidelines, Harris cheered Kennedy on as a spectator initially—until he decided to join her.

“I thought, ‘I want to race, too. I would rather participate than just watch.’ And I thought, what a great way to exhibit that leadership and get to play too, right? And be there and get to do that with my daughter,” said Harris.

In his first-ever season of competition, Harris not only qualified for USASA Nationals but also took home a bronze medal in ski cross. Ski cross, as Harris describes it, is “the snow version of motor cross,” where racers navigate turns, rollers, and jumps while racing head-to-head to be the first to make it to the finish. Meanwhile, Kennedy made her own splash in her first USASA Nationals competition, making it all the way to the ski cross quarterfinals and earning seventh place in rail jam and 13th in slopestyle. Rail jam is a freestyle event where skiers perform tricks on rails, boxes, and tubes, and slopestyle involves skiers following a course and gaining points for style in originality, amplitude, and quality.

Harris and Kennedy compete at the United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association Nationals competition in 2024 at Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado.—Photo courtesy Harris.

In competitions, Kennedy competes in the Ruggies division for 7- and 8-year-olds, while Harris races in the Legends division for ages 40–49, and despite being in separate age classes, the father-daughter duo make their practice runs, share tips, and celebrate their wins together. “When we do well, we get medals together and get our pictures together; it’s been a really cool experience for us to do together.”

From December through March, their weekends look like long car rides, sometimes flights, spending quality time while traveling to practices and competitions. It’s also a true family team effort, with Harris’ wife, Deb, working weekends at a coffee shop in addition to her full-time job to help offset the costs of their competitions.

Competitive skiing has also provided learning opportunities and bonding over their shared experiences. Before a race, those moments in front of the start gate can be nerve-wracking for Harris. At nationals last year, Harris said he and Kennedy both felt those nerves, which he was able to use as a teachable moment with her as they worked through their nerves together.

“We were in the start gate before the ski cross race at nationals, and [Kennedy] was talking about how her stomach was upset,” said Harris. “And so we had kind of a father-daughter moment there, and I was talking to her about it. I said, ‘It’s that adrenaline that’s kicking in, and it can make us feel a little bit sick before we’re about to do something like this. But if we just give it some time and let it process, it’ll give you strength and increase your reaction time—it’ll give you superpowers.”

When asked about the highlight of his competitive journey, Harris says it’s sharing the experience with his daughter. He described watching her at nationals as especially emotional. “I was probably on the verge of tears countless times, just as she was experiencing things, overcoming fears, and accomplishing goals. I was thinking about the amount of gratitude that I had to be in that position to do something like that with my daughter.”

And, when Kennedy was asked what she loves about skiing, she gave the matter-of-fact answer, “Because it’s fun!” When asked what makes it the most fun, she said, “Doing it with my dad.”

At a recent February competition, Kennedy and Harris each won gold in all three of their races, earning a total of six medals and positioning themselves to qualify for USASA again this year in April at Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado. And, they’re both aiming for gold—Harris in ski cross, while Kennedy hopes to compete in ski cross, rail jam, slopestyle, and halfpipe, with the goal of qualifying for the all-around champion title. “It’s kind of my dream to compete in nationals and win a gold medal,” said Harris. “[Kennedy’s] sights are bigger; she envisions herself being, you know, like the next Michaela Schifrin or Lindsey Vonn one day.”

No matter what the outcome of the season is, though, Harris is grateful for every moment of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. “It’s just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity kind of thing … there have been multiple times this year where I’m, like, riding in the car with her asleep in the back seat, and I’m just thinking about how this is just crazy. I feel like I have it better than I deserve.”