7-year-old wakeboarder raising funds for cancer cure

By THOMAS P. CALDWELL, LACONIA DAILY SUN

MEREDITH — A local water ski enthusiast will be participating on a wakeboard in this weekend’s Winniskiathon, and is using the event to raise money for the New Hampshire chapter of The Cure Starts Now.

Kira Livernois is only 7 years old, but she has been water skiing since she was 3, and feels she is ready to complete the 18-mile circuit that begins at Saunders Bay in Gilford and circles Parker Island in Wolfeboro before returning to Gilford.

“I wakeboarded 14 miles before, without letting go of the rope,” Kira said during an interview at the Highland Mountain Bike Park in Northfield, where she is participating in a mountain bike camp. Also attending the five-week summer camp is her 9-year-old brother, Hayes.

Kira, who lives in Meredith and will be entering second grade at Inter-Lakes Elementary School this fall, enjoys snow skiing as well as water skiing and mountain biking, and she is looking forward to Saturday’s event, which begins at 7 a.m.

The Winniskiathon, also known as the Lake Winnipesaukee Waterski Marathon, is an annual event first held in 2011 as a revival of the water ski events that used to occur during the 1960s and 1970s. In those days, most of the events left from Weirs Beach, and the competitions spread throughout New England before dying away as the lake became more populated.

Today the event is based in Gilford, and there are two courses: the 18-mile event that Kira will be participating in and a 27-mile course that involves two laps around the island.

When Kira wanted to participate, the family decided to use the event as a fundraiser for The Cure Starts Now, in honor of John Bradley Thompson.

John was a Gilford boy who was the same age as Hayes, and they had waterskied together, according to Tracey Livernois, Kira’s and Hayes’ mother. John was diagnosed with Diffused Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG, an aggressive form of cancer, and he died 10 months later. His family established the New Hampshire chapter of The Cure Starts Now in his memory.

According to The Cure Starts Now website, DIPG research receives little federal funding because it is such a rare disease, yet many believe that study of that type of cancer may hold the secret to curing other forms of cancer as well.

Tracey Livernois said the family approached the facilitators of the Winniskiathon as well as the Thompson family about using Kira’s wakeboarding event as a fundraiser for The Cure Starts Now, and both readily agreed. As of the end of the day Wednesday, they already had raised more than $1,600, she said.

“We didn’t set a goal,” Tracey said, “but this has exceeded our expectations so far.”

Kira’s father, Scott Livernois, will be piloting the boat on Saturday. While some participants in the event will be traveling high speeds, Tracey said their goal is to go for the distance, not time.

“We think she can do it,” she said.

For further information and to donate to the fund, see https://thecurestartsnow.org/get-involved/chapters/new-hampshire-gilford.

Kira Livernois, 7, will be wakeboarding to raise money for The Cure Starts Now on Saturday. (Courtesy Photo/Kate Criscone)

7-year-old Kira Livernois of Meredith has been waterskiing for four years, and she will be wakeboarding during this weekend's Winniskiathon. (Courtesy Photo)