Category: sports

A Little Brain Surgery Doesn't Stop This Guy

Friday, April 5th — the air temperature at a high of 45 degrees. Water temperature: 48 degrees. Tom Hart, Kevin O’Connell and I stood at the dock, bundled up in warm clothes, putting on drysuits.  We were getting ready to barefoot water ski on a lake we called Barefoot Paradise, a private lake way outside... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
April 12, 2013 at 8:26 pm • 

Super Bowl Commercials, Finally Captioned

You’re watching the Super Bowl game, rooting for your favorite team.  The game cuts away to a commercial.  You don’t dare go to the bathroom because you love watching the commercials.  They’re funny. They make you laugh.  You want to see what Bud Light, Doritos or that talking baby comes up with.  So you sit... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
February 5, 2012 at 9:32 am • 

ACL Reconstruction Surgery is Worse Than Childbirth

It’s been exactly a month since I plopped myself down on the surgical table at Edward hospital to replace the ACL that I had torn off a year ago while barefoot water skiing.  I scored a bonus with the anesthesiologist who was a former water skier– we talked about water sports before he sent me... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
January 16, 2012 at 5:20 pm • 
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So Long, 2011-- You Were A Good Year

When I close my eyes and think back to the beginning of 2011, it seems so long ago. Yet, the whole year whipped by in a flash.  My mother-in-law is always fond of reminding me that life spins faster and faster as the number of birthday candles pile up on the cake. I’m only in... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
December 31, 2011 at 5:16 pm • 

Using Social Media to Make Medical Decisions

It started innocently enough with a post on Facebook: Well, the MRI shows a torn ACL and stretched/inflamed MCL. I’ve decided against surgery and going down the physical therapy route. Which means I’ll finally have a skinny knee. I had just returned from the doctor’s office where we had an intense discussion about the treatment... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
November 13, 2011 at 9:39 am • 

A Whack on the Head

Yesterday was just one of those freak things. I was attempting to barefoot water ski on one foot and tripped.  I took a nice little tumble on the water and rolled to a stop.  “Wow, that was a heck of a fall,” I said to myself.  I rubbed my head and shrugged it off. As... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
November 3, 2011 at 11:45 am • 
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Extreme Sports at a "Mature" Age

Recently, I went barefoot water skiing on the Fox river in St. Charles with Kevin O’Connell and Tom Hart.  Kevin is a Naperville cop and Tom is a local realtor.  These two men are die-hard barefooters– they once barefooted on the Rock River for a charity event, in weather that registered only two degrees on... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
October 20, 2011 at 8:16 am • 

A Week of Barefooting Just for Women

In three weeks, the World Barefoot Center will host the second annual Women’s Barefoot Week.  I’ll be down in Winter Haven, Florida for this event on October 29 to November 6th.  If you’re a gal who loves water sports and have always been curious about learning to barefoot water ski, then this is the week... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
October 5, 2011 at 9:53 am • 

Adam Fitzgerald: Pushing the Limits with Ultramarathons

Meet Adam Fitzgerald:  husband, father, minister and endurance athlete.  Back in 1968, Adam weighed a mere three pounds at birth.  Five months later, he was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, an accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.  The prognosis was poor; doctors told his parents that he might not develop speech or the ability to walk.... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
September 23, 2011 at 2:03 pm • 
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Keith St. Onge, Barefooting Across America

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to water ski on your bare feet, this is the summer to do it!Two-time World Barefoot Champion, Keith St. Onge is doing a “Barefooting Across America” tour with clinics in many cities.  Keith and his fiance, Lauren Lindeman, have been on the road since May.  They are sharing... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
June 18, 2011 at 1:28 pm •