Riding in the wake of a speeding boat, feeling the water splash across your face and the jubilant rush after successfully getting up and out of the water on a ski is a sensation that is hard to match, but the physical challenges some people face means they may never have the chance to experience such a heart-pounding moment.
Bridgette Eason, her husband, James, and their friend, Jake Byrd, wanted to change all that, especially for people who use wheelchairs and walkers. The trio learned of an adaptive skiing program through an organization called Wake the World, which also gives neglected and underprivileged youths a day to try their hand at skiing, that is based in North Carolina. James Eason suffered a spinal cord injury in 2002, so it was "essentially a no brainer" according to Bridgette Eason.
"Before he got hurt, he did motocross, he rode wakeboards, and he like did a lot of the extreme sports. This was a way that he was able to do that again. ... I didn't expect to start our own chapter of Wake the World. ... But when we got there and I witnessed him and all of these other people that think they can't do that anymore, or could never do that, because they're in a chair or whatever, then it was like we have to bring this home," she said.
"We would (always) go to the lake and finagle away to get him transferred onto the boat so that we could go out of the slip. We made it all work but he's got a low enough injury level that he's fairly self-sufficient and I help him with little things. But for the most part, he handles his own."
The three, who are from Maumelle, were already fond of Lake Ouachita and decided to bring the event to Mountain Harbor Resort's Turtle Cove. The first year, they focused solely on the adaptive program and gave four people the chance to experience skiing. The next year, that number doubled and it has kept growing. At this year's event, Bridgette Eason said 15 people hopped into the adapted ski and had the ride of a lifetime.
"We have so many people that put their heart into it to come and help us. Everybody that does anything is a volunteer. We gather donations from each other and businesses that we know (so) none of the participants ever pay anything. The events (are) completely free for them to come. It's really just one of those things that is all volunteer and donation based."
Easy Dock of Texas provides the event with an ADA accessible temporary dock brought up each year from Dallas and set up just outside of the marina's no-wake zone in Turtle Cove. Following a safety meeting with volunteers, and a prayer, volunteers head their stations and eager participants begin making their way to the dock.
Participants ride in a makeshift seat attached to a massive slalom ski. The seat is wide enough that they sit comfortably and a ball lock mechanism makes it so the participant doesn't have to pick up the ski rope unless they want to.
"The way that everything is set up, they don't have to do anything. We have the option for them to progress to be able to try to ride on their own," she said.
"And, you know, we have different safety measures in four different abilities of what the participants can do. But, for the most part, they just sit down and go for a ride. It's awesome."
Eason explained that each rider who participates in the program is connected to two able-bodied "side-skiers" at all times who assist the skier's stability and typically hold onto the ropes attached to the boat. However, if a participant feels up to it, they can also pick up one of the three ski ropes attached to the boat. In the three years they have held the event, they have never had an accident.
The event is all-inclusive and open to people with a range of different abilities. In the past three years, Eason has seen amputees, people with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and many others who use wheelchairs or walkers take to the water. She said each time someone gets up on the ski is just as amazing as the one before.
"The majority of our participants do have spinal cord injuries. Which honestly, when you really look at statistics, that's one of the number one things that somebody would be in a wheelchair for. So it only makes sense that would be our main type of disability, so to speak. Cerebral palsy is a big one, too," Eason said.
Hosting this event provided a unique, unexpected opportunity for James Eason. He began mentoring other people in wheelchairs.
"He has been injured since 2002. I have only known him with a spinal cord injury. I met him about two years afterward. So he had already gone through the rigorous physical therapy," she said.
"The fact that he's been injured as long as he has (allows him to) mentor a lot of newly injured people. That's something that he does really without knowing he's doing it. But when one of those guys it's only been hurt for a year and a half calls and it's like, 'Well, I don't know about this, or what about a girlfriend or whatever,' he offers reassurance. ... It's one of those things that was just kind of in his heart to share this anyway. So it just really worked out like how it was supposed to happen."
Along the way, they have met many amazing people but Bridgette Eason says two-time participant Christina Kelley never fails to bring the fun to the event. Kelley is a double amputee who started attending the event its second year. Before that, she had not been in the water since having both legs amputated.
"It turns out before she had lost her legs, her husband always wanted to teach her to ski. Our event was on the one year anniversary of his passing and we got to take her skiing. So that's just really awesome. She had not even gotten into the water to go swimming since she had lost her legs. We got her in the water out there swimming (and skiing) and then she hopped in one of the kayaks and was cruising around in it," Eason said.
Kelley said she found out about the event after attending an RV and boat show in Fort Smith where Wake the World Arkansas had a booth. After speaking to both Bridgette and James Eason, Kelley was hooked and attended the event the next year.
"It's the most incredible feeling. I can't describe it. I know the first year I was here, I was really nervous and scared. But after you do it once, eventually, you get up the nerve and want to do it on your own. That's my next step, to try and see if I don't sink myself," Kelley said.
"It gives people like myself and people in chairs the opportunity to do something that is normally not available to us. There is a lot of camaraderie here. What they are doing is very special and it gives a lot back to the handicapped."
After realizing the potential for the Arkansas chapter of Wake the World, the trio decided to start offering an event for the children at Hillcrest Children's Home. They are now one of 50 skiing events offered to underprivileged children and only the second in the nation to offer the adaptive skiing event to people.
"The boating community is so generous. We want everybody to enjoy it too. It's easy to get people to come and help and they take these kids out. And you know, but then when you start talking about wheelchairs and getting them out on a ski and ... they look at me like I'm insane but we make it happen," Bridgette Eason said.
Go Magazine on 08/15/2019