SHORELINES

Joe Ray, 59, WILSONVILLE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ADAPTIVE AQUATICS Bragging rights: I have 13 gold medals from previous World Championships, 34 golds in National competition, and I've set six world records for slalom. Outside of water skiing, I finished ninth in the Boston Marathon and won two national championships in wheelchair basketball. Discovery: I was a multisport athlete – wheelchair basketball and tennis, triathlons, and road racing – before Phil Martin introduced me to adaptive water skiing. I didn't even know how to swim, but aer one time I thought "I've got to do it." I also taught because I wanted to ski more, then took over as executive director in 1992. Next: For about 20 years, I ran Adaptive Aquatics out of my backyard on Lay Lake until I found some property and built a facility that's perfect – being in a wheelchair I knew what people need and it's very accessible. If you count participants, families and volunteers, we run close to 1,600 people a year. From the heart: I don't take a salary and I spend winters fundraising because this is an expensive sport. e ski itself starts at around $2,000 before you buy the seat and maybe a wakeboard or a jumpboard if you want those events, too (national and international competition includes slalom, tricks and jump). Payback: In my Adaptive Aquatics programs we teach water skiing but that's not what it's all about. It's about breaking down people's perceptions of what they can and cannot do, creating a stepping stone to something larger in life. I put the family in the boat. You see the child's emotion go from fear to this is the best thing ever. We cry a lot in the boat – tears of joy. And one of those children was … : Sarah Switzer. She came to us when she was 6 years old and she's been skiing with me ever since. Why Lay Lake? It's probably the best-kept secret in Alabama, a very uncrowded lake and the people who live there are wonderful. I put in a ski course about 12 miles up from me and that's where we do competition training. I love that lake so much. And the 2017 World winner was … ? Australia. We were going for a five- peat, having won the previous four, but we took home silver. is was my last one, too. I'm retiring but I'll still be involved. e water ski community becomes like a family. You develop relationships with skiers from around the world and forget about politics – skiing transcends everything. Busy program: At Adaptive Aquatics we do about 30 events a year, more than most adaptive programs in the country. Second life: I was in an automobile accident in college and broke my back. I can be very honest about it: I have no regrets. I would not change a thing. It enriched my life. 16 | 2017 Vol:2

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