Karen Mitchell Going for the Gold!

I had the pleasure of hearing Karen Mitchell speak at last week's meeting of the Miami Shores Rotary Club. Many of you know that I have been a fan of Karen since meeting her a few years ago at Shake-A-Leg Miami, an organization that provides water sports and activities for people with disabilities.

Karen is an amazing athlete with a big goal. Her dream is to be the first female skipper to represent the USA and win the gold medal in the 2008 Paralympics Games. What a great goal! Based on her record, she is a strong contender to bring home the gold.

Her list of accomplishments is impressive. Here are just a few:

· Top Disabled Female Skipper in North America
· Six Time Winner of Gruson/Milam Trophy for Most Outstanding Female Skipper
· Four-Time Winner of Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup, making US Sailing History for Winning Four Consecutive Years
· Three Time Winner of Shake A Leg Miami Midwinter Regatta
· Three Time Winner of CRAB Cup
· Awarded Best Female Sailor in Biscayne Bay
· First Disabled Skipper to Sail in the Rolex International Women’s Keelboat Championship and the J-22 World Championships, Key West Race Week & Miami Race Week in J-24
· Placed Fourth in the IFDS Two Person World Championships
· Only Woman to Win the Mobility Cup Single-Handedly

Karen is an amazing woman who has faced, and overcome, many obstacles in her life. From a diving accident at the age of nineteen, Karen sustained a spinal cord injury and became an incomplete quadriplegic. She is also a cancer survivor and, through it all, continues to courageously work toward her goal with unwavering faith. She is truly an inspiration.

Karen needs support in reaching her goal. As you may imagine, sailing is a sport that requires not only a boat, but also equipment and maintenance, just for starters. If you would like to learn more about Karen's exciting campaign and how you can be a part of her dream for Paralympic Gold, visit her website at www.sailingforlife.org.

Oh, and if you are wondering... what are The Paralympic Games? They're the games, immediately following the Olympics, where the world's top disabled athletes gather to compete. The next games will be held in Beijing, China, September 6-17, 2008, with the Paralympic Regatta being sailed in Qingdao, a coastal city 430 miles east of Beijing.

Go, Karen!