“Hit it!” I yelled. A split second later, the boat engine revved, yanking me and my partially submerged water ski from its resting position, tip of the ski extending from the water towards the sky, to an upright, horizontal position. I began gliding and cutting back and forth atop the wake of water created by the speeding boat.
I’ve been attending the annual disabled water ski event at Creve Coeur Lake for well over a decade. I look forward to these outings all year. It is a rare chance for me to feel ”normal”, or at least as close to normal as I remember normal feeling, if at least only for a few hours. The endorphin rush I get as I glide, balance, steer, and even sometimes jump across the water, wind in my face, water spraying over me, is much like the feelings I used to get while playing competitive sports, snow skiing, or performing music. Even the “wipeouts”, though sometimes mildly uncomfortable, can be exhilarating.
This year’s event on Saturday, August 2, 2014, was my best ski outing to date. I jumped the wake several times. One time, I caught big air, but couldn’t stick the landing, resulting in a tail over tip somersault with a huge burst of water spray. The next time I caught big air, I stuck the landing! Only this time, the hard “thunk” of the ski returning to the water knocked my grip on the rope’s handle loose, and I coasted to a halt, then sank.
To individuals with a disability, water is the great equalizer. Its buoyancy, which counterbalances gravity, diminishes its effects, and allows me to move my extremities more easily. In water, I feel free from my MS riddled prison of a body. I find myself able to walk, run, and jump. Activities I have not been able to do on land for almost 20 years. Although other water activities provide an opportunity for this feeling of freedom, they are nowhere near as fun as riding a ski atop the water at 20-25 mph.
New skiers and volunteers attend dry land training the day before the ski event. Here, volunteers are trained, and athletes are water tested to ensure they can keep from drowning. Basically, making sure they can at least turn their face towards the sky, keeping their mouth out of the water. They are also taught to ski. While the ‘newbie’s’ are oriented and trained, a few of us veteran skiers get the opportunity for more time on the water skiing by serving as “crash test dummies” for the new in-boat volunteers.
My friend and fellow MS survivor, Pat, and her husband, Phil, drove 2 hours from Columbia, MO, to participate in waterskiing for the first time. While I was on the lake skiing, being a “dummy”, they were on the beach getting trained and oriented. Later that evening, Pat told Phil, in a glum somewhat defeated voice, reminiscent of Winnie-the-pooh’s friend Eeyore, “I don't think I’m going to ski tomorrow.”
The next day, after seeing the huge smiles on the faces of the skiers coming back from the water, she decided, with some trepidation, to ski. After taking four laps around the lake, she returned to shore, hair still dry, with the biggest smile of anyone there, and exclaimed, “This is the best run event for the disabled I've ever been to. It's like walking into a big warm fuzzy hug.”
No comments:
Post a Comment