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| 2020 NSP Subaru Ambassador |
"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Watsch
In my book, I talked about my start in skiing. I learned how to ski in college, because a guy I had a crush on was a really good skier. So not only did I become a skier, I worked really hard to get better.
I went on may trips out west and did lessons every time. I thought I was a pretty good skier until I joined a local ski patrol. This time the tables were turned and I was recruited by someone that had a crush on me.
I joined because I wanted to learn first aid skills. My dad had gotten hurt at his vacation property. He broke his wrist and started going into shock. I wasn't there when it happened, but I visited often. I wanted to be prepared in case he or any of my family needed me. The first aid was easy, the skiing was another story.
When I joined patrol 30 years ago, all testing was done at the region level. That meant all the patrols in South Eastern Wisconsin tested their candidates on the same night. I was told the week of the test that I was not good enough to even go to the test. I was crushed and I thought about quitting.
To keep me interested and on patrol I was asked to become a first aid instructor. Not only did I love it, I was really good at it. I looked to do more and more training at work since I was comfortable in front of groups. My patrol training taught me how to do creative training for adults.
It was a skill I used often and went back to school to get a graduate degree in Adult Education. I became a professional trainer. I meshed my technical background as an engineer with training. I was able to also use my writing skills to develop over 75 training programs. I was even awarded a Yellow Merit star for some work I did for Patrol
Although I was a good trainer, the skiing proved to be a challenge. I failed the first two times I did go to the region for testing. It was crushing. By that time I'd made many friends on Patrol so I stuck with it.
I kept training and practiced over and over. Finally I passed the on -the hill portion and I have proudly warn my patrol jacket for over 25 years, 30 years in total on patrol.
The reason the skiing part was a challenge was because of my CMT. I think skiing would be impossible for most with CMT because of balance issues and lower leg weakness. Any new skill I gain takes much more work to gain the muscle memory necessary. I constantly work to improve my skiing. It has taken persistance which being on patrol has drawn on constantly.
Skiing started me on my life as an athlete as well. In order to get better, I thought it would be a good idea to gain some strength and conditioning. I took up rowing with a local club in Milwaukee. I did my first competition as a rower. Racing was adicting.
I also took up running to compliment the rowing. I loved it, but wanted to be faster so I could do better at rowing and running races.
I noticed all the really good runners did marathons. So I decided to start running long distance. The problem was I could not run every day without getting injured. To stay healthy I started swimming and biking. Since I was doing three sports already I started to compete in triathlons. In addition I occastionally do cycling time trials, swim meets and a bit of ski racing. I even tried biathlon this year at a nordic ski race camp.
I've used the races to raise awareness of CMT. I do it because I realize it's a gift to be able to be active. I want to use it to help others. I've now run the Boston Marathon, competed at numerous National Championships and been a member of Team USA three times.
I'm glad I've never let something being hard or failing stand in my way. I'd did not feel good to fail my ski tests. It has taught me to appreciate every physical challenge I've met. It has made the victories that much sweeter. It has motivated me to take on new challenges. I constantly challenge my comfort zone. As Michael Jordan said, "I've failed hundreds of times, that is why I am successful."
And it all began with Ski Patrol.
*************************
Chris
Wodke
Founder
& Manager Team CMT
www.run4cmt.com
Chris is
a triathlete and long distance runner. She is a three time participant of the
Boston Marathon. In 2012 she finished
2nd at Boston
in the Mobility Impaired Division. She was on the course in 2013 when the bombs
exploded.
She has
appeared three times at the Paratriathlon National Triathlon Sprint
Championship. She was the 2012 and 2014 National Champion Paratriathlon Open
Division Champion.
In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented TeamUSA at the Aquathon ITU World Championship in Chicago in 2015i, Cozumel
in 2016 and Denmark in 2018. In 2018 finishing 5th in the 60 to 64
age group.
In 2014 she was the PC Open Champion at the Duathlon National Championship and at the Aqua bike National Championship in 2016. She represented Team
In 2014 she represented the U.S. as a paratriathlete at the Pan-American
Triathlon Championship in Dallas ,
Texas USA
for the World Championship.
She
travels around the country raising awareness of CMT.
She is
the author of the book, “Running for My Life” that details her experience as a
CMT affected athlete and the book “Soup Sundays, A Journey Toward Healthy
Eating”.
Team CMT
is a group of athletes and supporters working to raise awareness and to find a
cure for CMTWe currently have 233 athletes in 41 states. We also have
members in Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Vietnam, Iran, Scotland,
France, Turkey, Poland, Norway, Mexico, Wales, Ireland and Sweden!. If you wish to join us visit our web site; www.run4cmt.com or www.hnf-cure.org
CMT or
Charcot-Marie-Tooth is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy. It
affects over 155,000 Americans (as many as MS). It is a disease of the
nerves that control the muscles. It is slowly progressive, causing loss of
normal function and or sensation in the lower legs/feet and arms/hands.
Symptoms
include; muscle wasting in the lower legs and feet leading to foot drop, poor
balance and gait problems Atrophy in the hands causes difficulty with manual
dexterity.
Structural
foot deformities such as high arches and hammer toes are common.
Poor
tolerance for cool or cold temperatures and many people have chronically cold
hands and feet.
Additional
symptoms may include fatigue, sleep apnea, breathing difficulties and hearing
loss.
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