Wounded warriors make a splash at Lake of the Woods

Aug. 02--Zach Dunn wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived at the Wounded Warrior Ski Camp at Lake of the Woods.

But with the help of two support skiers and special equipment, the veteran from Fredericksburg was soon gliding across the water. By his second run, he was skiing upright without any support.

"I've never done it before," Dunn said after his outing. "It was nerve-wracking at first, but then it was a blast."

Dunn was among a dozen or so wounded warriors and family members who spent a sunny Friday at the Orange County lake, tubing, skiing and enjoying the water in any way their capabilities and energy allowed.

Using borrowed adaptive equipment, Lake of the Woods Ski Club members made sure that even those like Dunn who never tried water-skiing before enjoyed the outing.

Adam Elzinga of Portsmouth took a thrilling ride on a large tube. He eventually bounced off, but still enjoyed the experience.

"I was just trying to see how much air I could get without holding on," he said with a smile. "I wasn't purposely trying to fall off. I was just trying to see how far I could go--how far I could push it without falling off. But falling off was the fun part."

Jeremiah Hayes of Williamsburg hadn't skied in quite a while, and so started off being towed via a boom from the side of the boat. He then progressed to a short tow line, and finally a long one.

As he made his upright pass by the dock, he was cheered by his companions.

"There are muscles here I didn't know I had," he said with a grin afterwards.

LOW Ski Club Treasurer Brent Pettyjohn, serving as dockmaster for the day, said the club decided to hold the camp to thank veterans, especially those wounded in service.

"We've got a lot of veterans in our club, so we thought this would be a good way to give back, teaching people how to water-ski. We are so close to Northern Virginia, with everybody up there, it just seemed like the right thing to do," he said.

Before the camp, members of the On the Edge Foundation taught the LOW club members how to do adaptive ski training.

That foundation, according to its website, helps children and others who would not typically be involved in water sports "experience something different and challenging, something that they could take on and have fun with at the same time."

LOW club members trained as support skiers, who ski to either side of the individual being taught, supporting them while they get up on the skis and feel confident enough to ski on their own. Some also trained as adaptive boat drivers, learning all the additional concerns for towing skiers of this type.

Pettyjohn expressed gratitude to foundation members for the training and for loaning the club the adaptive ski equipment used for the camp.

"They were kind enough to let us use their equipment." he said. "We are hoping to buy some of our own, and to expand this into doing it for kids also."

Ski Club Vice President Shane Quinlan indicated that the club's fundraising effort now includes a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $5,000 to buy the equipment for an adaptive ski program.

"Unfortunately," he said, "The equipment is not cheap."

Dan McFarland:

dmcfarland@freelancestar.com

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