Sticks and Stones...

I broke my ankle on December 28th, 2003 while skiing. Obviously this means I'll be off skis for a few weeks, and I've had to stop training my Rescue Dog, Storm. We're both whining about not being out in the snow. And it doesn't help that the snow has been falling in record quantities, and quality, almost every day since I was injured. But the inconvenience of a broken ankle pales in comparison to the arm that Bethany Hamilton lost in a shark attack while surfing on October 31st, 2003.

Bethany is not the type of person that will let something like the loss of a limb stop her from doing what she loves. She returned to competition yesterday, just 10 weeks after losing her left arm in a shark attack, placing fifth in her age group in the Open Women's Division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association meet at Banyans, HI.

Having been offered more time between heats, and even the option to compete in an easier class, Bethany rejected any special treatment stating that she wanted "to be treated like anybody else".

So while my broken ankle has caused me to realize that National Ski Patrol is no longer something that I want to do, Storm and I do share Bethany's passion for our chosen sports. It's unclear right now how my resignation from National Ski Patrol will affect Storm, but one thing is crystal clear. Storm and I refuse to allow this bump in the road to keep us from doing what we love to do. We'll be back on the mountain ASAP. MAYBE even as early as next weekend.