For all those who think they’re “too old” or that the “best years are over with,” this one is for you:
Keith St. Onge:
“Here we are at the World Barefoot Center with Judy Myers and Karen Putz. Very unique story we have here today. Today we have Karen Putz, she is deaf. It has been over 25 years since she has barefooted and we got her back on her feet skiing along today! Some more of the unique story is that Karen was introduced back into barefooting by seeing Judy Myers 67 years old skiing. Want to tell us a little bit more about that Karen?”
Karen: “Sure! It was my 44th birthday and I was sitting at my parents’ lake, just sitting there thinking that the best years were over with. It had been ten years since I touched the water barefooting. So I’m sitting there thinking, “Gosh, I wish I could barefoot again.” I didn’t think I could. I mean I was 44 years old and I thought if I barefoot again I might break something.
Keith St. Onge:
“Right… A lot of people think that they might break something and they are to old to barefoot, but that is not the case.”
Karen: So in October of that year, my husband sent me a link to Judy from the Today Show. At first, I didn’t open it but when I was cleaning out emails that one popped up. So I clicked on the link and I’m watching Judy and she’s barefooting on the water. I’m like, wait a minute! She’s 66 years old and she’s barefooting on the water. If she’s 66, well then, what’s my excuse? I’m 44– I can get back on the water again!
So I contacted Judy and she said, “Come on down to Florida!” So that’s exactly what I did two, three weeks ago. On my first try, I got back to barefooting again.
Keith St. Onge: One of the big questions is how we communicate with Karen. We can talk but she can not hear us, Karen can read lips. She reads lips perfectly! As long as Karen is making eye contact it works well.
Karen:
Keith is easy to lipread!
Keith: The unique cool thing here is that Judy Myers 67 the oldest female barefooter in the world still competing . She has been bringing a lot of people down to the ski school, people have seen her Fit to Boom video, Subway commercial, all this type of stuff and things have been really cool. It has been AWESOME!
Karen: If Judy can do it, then ANYONE can do it!
Judy Myers:
“That’s Right! That is exactly right”
Comments
6 responses to “Start the Ripple and Inspire Someone Today!”
Thanks for the inspiration! I just started my hard of hearing blog. Yup. I’m over forty and coming out of the hoh closet. You have a great site that I’m proud to add to my list….
This was really inspiring to watch. I saw the video of you up on your feet a few weeks ago. So awesome! 🙂
Absolutely fantastic Karen! You truly seem to be held back by nothing. More people need to follow your example. 🙂
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Karen, that is just awesome! Both you and Judy rock! 🙂
But seriously, you are right. By stopping yourself from trying because “I’m too old” pops up in your head, you just might miss out on some of life’s greatest joys.
Good advice, and what a great example both of you are setting!
That’s about what I weigh, and because I’m healthy aside from my rheumatoid arthritis, it’s fine with my doctor. I love seeing people be healthy and fit at a wide range of sizes!
Congratulations on being an athlete and participating in life at whatever weight or stage you feel suits you best!