Summer is upon us, and that means it’s time to get outside and enjoy it! I always loved water skiing before I was paralyzed and was happy to find I didn’t need to stop after my accident. If water skiing is something you enjoy there are adaptive water skiing programs all over the country.

In south Louisiana I am involved with an organization called Ski-Dawgs Adaptive Water Skiing. Ski Dawgs is a relatively new non-profit organization that has been years in the making. It is run by David. When David was 15 years old, he was playing around on a rope swing and accidentally fell off of the rope swing on his head. The fall caused him to break his neck, which resulted in a C5 incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). He missed water skiing so much after his injury he started creating his own adaptive water ski. He took a ski board and attached a low beach chair to the board.  He also attached boots to secure his feet. Soon he was skiing was all over the lake with his friends, just like the good old days!

David had always shared his adaptive water skiing with anyone he met who also had a disability and was interested in getting out on the water. His able-bodied college ski buddy, Griff Knoop, had the idea to take their skiing to a new level and started Ski-Dawgs. With some gracious training and the loan of a professionally-made adaptive ski from the Metroplex Adaptive Water Ski Program in Dallas, David and Griff hosted their first clinic in
Louisiana. Today they host multiple clinics each year, sharing their love of water skiing and showing others how they can live Life Possible!


Last week I attended Ski-Dawgs’ first clinic of the year in CITY. Check out this video of my experience – it was definitely a fun day!