St. Onge Rating


Pro Instructor	Keith St. Onge
Assistant Instructors	Swampy
Pro Shop Assistants	Judy Myers
Max ski time with Pro	50-100%
Other specialties	Keith focuses on Barefooting.
	2000 Rating	2007 Rating	2009 Rating
1. Upfront time with Pro	5	5	3.5
When you call KSO BarefootTraining Center, Keith, Judy or Swampy will answer the phone. They will answer any questions you have, give you directions, and recommend accommodations. If Keith is traveling, you may get voicemail and have to wait a few days for him to get back to you. If you get voicemail, we recommend leaving him an email as well. He checks that regularly. When Keith is traveling, it's harder to get in touch with someone compared to RSWS who seems to have staff in the office year round. He's still lacking a 1-800 number. As his business grows, customer service on the front end will be the area he'll need to invest time and money into to get consistency.
2. Stresses Safety	2.0	4.5	3
He always turned the boat off when someone was getting in. He didn't express any in-boat safety instructions, as he had done in past reviews. His assistant instructors aren't consistent with a safety message either.
3. Warm up Routine	3	3	5
Keith put us through a thorough stretching routine, similar to what they do at Ron Scarpa Watersports.
4. Pro Enthusiasm	4.5	4.5	5
Keith is a very easy going, laid back kind of guy. He sees the best in everybody. He likes to talk to people and seems interested in everything you say. His assistant Swampy is also very interested in how you're doing and seems genuinely interested in your progress as a skier.
5. Availability of smooth Water	3.5	4	4
Keith uses public lakes similar to RSWS. So wind direction is key to where he will take you to ski. He rarely leaves the lake that he skis on since he can find a smooth shoreline despite the wind blowing in any direction. There are a couple of fishermen on the lake he skis on that he has to be concerned about since it is public water.
6. Teaching Technique	4.0	4.5	4.5
6. Teaching Technique	4.0	4.5	Click Here For Video of Keith Teaching 1.3Meg file size
Keith explains how to do something at first and has you practice it in the boat. Then when you go out and try it, if you don�t get it, he asks you why you didn�t get it to see if you know what you did wrong. After he explains what you did wrong, he explains the steps over again. The Head Zone helmets are very nice and helpful. He can talk to you while you are doing the trick. When Keith is not their, he has Swampy do the training. Swampy has a different style than Keith. Not that it's bad, but you can tell that they haven't reviewed consistency like they do at RSWS. When you think of RSWS, you know the process. Ron spent many years setting the standard. When you think of KSO style, it's still developing and is yet to be recognized for anything that sets it apart from the others. Ron has the Building Block/Stress the Basics approach. Lane has Posture and Glide. Keith has ???? That's the only thing he's lacking.
7. Does pro ski for you	5	2	3.5
When asked if he would ski for us, he said he was skiing later that night if we wanted to stay around and watch. We've noticed that over the years, Keith has become more reluctant to ski for or with students. Partly because he gets asked so much, partly for liability reasons, partly for not having good drivers in the boat. When you're a one man show, you can't afford to get hurt. If you ski with him for more than one day, you'll surely get to see him ski. If you haven't seen Keith ski, you can find plenty of videos on his website as well as here on BarefootCentral.com
8. Informative on phone	4	5	5
Keith is very informative on the phone and doesn't make you feel he is in a rush to get off. He is most accessible via email. He usually returns them within 24 hours, unless he is on the road and can't log on.
9. Food	3	4	4
Keith had assistant Judy Myers make us lunch. She made a big salad with grilled chicken.
10. Pro Shop	1	3.5	3.5
He has an on-site pro shop that has barefoot suits, shorts, and other accessories. It could use a wider variety of sizes for each item, and doesn't currently offer the wide range of selection found at RSWS. But we see he's working on building it up with KSO Gear.
11. Boat Cleanliness	3.0	3.5	4
Keith keeps his boats organized, and clean, but isn't as picky about it as they are at RSWS. We've seen him improve in this area over time.
12. Web Site	3.5	3.5	5
Keith�s new web-site has a lot of information on it. It tells how much the school costs, how to get to it, videos, and plenty of other things.
13. Was the instructor on time	5	5	5
Keith was first up in the morning and right on time getting us on the water.
14. Time Management on the water	5	5	5
Even with 5 skiers in the boat, you'll get plenty of skiing in. Keith always makes sure that each student gets at least 2 sets in the morning as well as afternoon.
15. Wake on Boat	1	1	5
Keith is now using a combination of a Sanger Outboard and Sanger Inboard. He has just purchased an older model Sanger Outboard for the ski school and has access to the Inboard as well. He is no longer sponsored by Mastercraft. That's a good thing since he's now the only school with all Sangers.
16. Does the Pro mention their sponsors.		5	5
He mentioned Vortex wetsuits and US Gear handles. He highly recommended both of them.
17. Does the school carry the right type and amount of Ski School Insurance			4 for 2009
$1million in coverage for accidents on water covering the use of two boats. All skiers are required to sign a liability waiver prior to skiing.
Total Possible Points	75	80	85
Total Points Received	52.5	63	74
Overall Rating	3.5	3.938	4.353
Keith's new house (on the water), has given him a great location for running his school. Great location, Great water. He's modeled his entire school and the way it's run after Ron Scarpa Watersports. It's an easy formula. Look for who's the best in class and copy them. Keith falls a little short of Ron in the Pro Shop, lunch, and number of assistants. But as you can see, he's making up ground every year. Keith has now won two World 3-Event Championship, has won Footstock's Figure-8 Championship, and has a lot of barefoot racing experience. He's one of the most well rounded skiers on the planet. His business will surely continue to grow. He's now to the point of having to compete on a business level with RSWS. That could be tougher than winning a world title, but he's headed in the right direction and is learning a lot about what it takes to run a business on your own.