Several weeks following the Orange Beach competition I had been training intensively on my new 1000cc Carbon Hull pro-ski setup. Every trick was 10-times bigger than anything ever performed on flatwater or even in some surf competitions! My favorite trick to practice and perform during these training sessions were HUGE flatwater backflips and variations of the sort, of course in addition to barrel rolls, flares, etc. That comming weekend my promoter Mike Young, founder of Surf & Turf Promotions, had arranged for me to do a show August 11 for the Emerald Coast Childrens Charity Poker Run located at Scully's on the Bayou resturant in Ft. Walton Beach. I would be performing with fellow rider Jeff Lutker and Geno Yauchler, a highly decorated air-chair athlete whos been featured on the television program Stunt Junkies. Illustrating on my tight schedule I decided to have one more practice session the day before leaving for the show. On a backflip attempt early in the session, I came up short, from what seemed to be 10 feet in the air, and burst my eardrum upon impact.
To top off the stress, my show ski wasnt functioning at all as its condition worsened after the Orange Beach event, and I had to leave for the show in less than 24 hours! To answer my prayers and get me to the show, my father stayed up all night replacing the starting system to repair my ski, as my mom prepared the vehicle that we would be taking to the event while I lay in bed medicated on my first day of three weeks toward recovery. WHEW!
With great appreciation, my mother and I drove to the show the MORNING of the event and met up with Mike Young and the rest of the crew. The show went flawlessly as I was riding my freshly repaired show ski and was joined by equally spectacular athletes. It lasted about an hour and afterwards there was an autograph session held for the local children and families for the event. It was amazing to ride for a charity that is supportive of children and I can't wait to see everyone again next year!