From Montana to Tempe, a family deeply rooted in water skiing has been brought together as Sun Devils.
Freshman Josie Maitland was drawn to the desert by the recruiting efforts of her older brother and ASU water ski club president, senior Johnny Maitland.
The Maitland siblings’ love of water skiing began with their father, Scott Maitland, who grew up skiing every chance he got. He extended this interest to his kids by buying into a private lake in Washington and taking them there nearly every weekend.
"This is something that we always did," Scott said. "That's been our family activity."
As kids, the age gap between Johnny and Josie prevented them from being able to compete together. At the lake, Johnny would compete against the dads, while Josie competed against boys in her age group.
Competing against boys sparked Josie’s desire to ski more. If she was going to ski alongside them, she was going to be the best.
"She goes, 'If I'm going to ski, I need to beat the boys,'" Scott said. "So out of those 10 kids, there are only three of them that still ski."
The journeys they took in becoming Sun Devils differed, with Johnny set on ASU from day one, while Josie wanted to explore her options.
When Josie made her decision to join ASU, their father was filled with relief; he saw the dedication Johnny put in recruiting his sister be rewarded. Josie would be part of a new era of skiers at ASU, carrying the Maitland name with her.
"She's the next generation," Johnny said. "There's always somebody coming up that has to take the next step up and continue to grow, not just our team, but the whole sport in general."
Johnny has laid the groundwork for the club’s growth by creating a team environment that is accommodating to all levels of skiers, something Josie values in a small sport like water skiing.
"I'd love to continue growing the sport in that way," Josie said. "Making the team bigger and a positive environment for everybody."
Despite having just started her freshman year, Josie is already making an impact for ASU Sun Devil Water Skiing. In their 2025 Regionals, she tied for first for women's slalom, first for women's jump, ninth place for women's trick, and tied for second overall for women.
With Nationals approaching in California on Oct. 16, at Imperial Lakes, Josie and the rest of the team look to continue their successful streak.
For Johnny, his life has been impacted not only by his friendships with fellow Sun Devils but also by the ones he’s created with skiers from all over.
Their father believes the relationships Johnny has built will influence Josie to pursue a leadership role of her own during her time at ASU.
"She'll probably go down that same path of seeing it as a true value add because of being in a leadership role on a ski team," Scott said. "At the end of the day, their goal is probably to ski forever."
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Henry Smardo and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at cjoneil6@asu.edu and follow @cjojournalism on X.
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Char O’Neil is a junior studying sports journalism with a minor in special events management. This is her second semester with The State Press. She has also reported for AZPreps365, Blaze Radio and Phoenix College Basketball.
