Tag: barefooting

How I Landed in a Tommie Copper Commercial

I was flipping through the channels at 4 a.m. one morning last year when I caught the words, “water ski accident.”  Intrigued, I watched as Montel Williams told the story of Tom Kallish, a weekend warrior who crashed into a submerged log while slalom skiing.  Tom ended up with multiple surgeries for his back, hips... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
May 16, 2013 at 6:54 pm • 

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 • 

Boldness is Not the Absence of Fear

                                                          Tim True, Minnesota   “A lot of people think that bold people have no fear. That’s not true. Boldness is not the absence of fear, but rather, the recognition that the best things are worth conquering your fear over.”   I found the above quote from Randy Gage awhile back, but it has been... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
August 23, 2012 at 2:12 pm • 
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Passion Will Push You Above and Beyond

I spent last week down in Texas skiing in the Barefoot Nationals.  I took up competition for the first time last year and this was my second Nationals tournament.  The local news station came by to capture the story of how I unwrapped my passion after two decades of burying it: Deaf Barefoot Water Skier... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
August 13, 2012 at 11:54 am • 

A Cop, A Realtor, and a Deaf Girl Get Into a Boat

A cop, a realtor, and a deaf girl get into a boat… Sounds like the start of a bad joke, doesn’t it? It sounded like a nightmare to my husband when I first told him I was going barefoot water skiing last September with two guys I had never met.  The cop had reached out... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
July 30, 2012 at 10:03 am • 

Dave Ramsey Walks on Water

Dave Ramsey is a financial guru who is best known for helping people get out of debt and turn their lives around so they can “live like no one else.”  During the week, he dispenses down-to-earth, practical  financial advice on his syndicated radio show and his website.  His books, Financial Peace, Total Money Makeover and... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
May 31, 2012 at 7:08 am • 
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Patrick Wehner: Living With ALS

“You need to get a check up,” Patrick Wehner’s mom told him one day. “Sometimes you speak like you’re drunk.” This was the prompting which finally propelled Patrick to make an appointment with the doctor. He had noticed some symptoms for months; something wasn’t quite right. An avid athlete who practiced judo and mountain biking,... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
May 10, 2012 at 11:35 am • 

Are You Living a Life of Mediocrity?

This week, the crew from Crank Tank Productions graced my living room.  Our paths crossed on Twitter when the director, Grant Peelle sent me a tweet back in February and asked if I would be interested in being filmed for their documentary, “I’m Fine, Thanks.”   I watched the trailer where Grant described the premise for... Read more »
By Karen Putz,
April 5, 2012 at 11:00 am • 

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 • 
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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 •