Lutz skier won’t let injuries keep him off the water
The day began with a festive feel.
Family members had traveled from Iowa to attend Maddie Atherton’s First Holy Communion celebration at St. Paul Catholic Church in Carrollwood.
But first, they planned to spend part of the day before out on the water.
“It was May 9, 2009,” recalled Mike Atherton of Lutz, who is Maddie’s father,
“We went out in my father-in-law’s boat. We left Apollo Beach mid-morning and went out to Beer Can Island,” he said.
There were 14 family members on the boat. They anchored it and were enjoying themselves. Three were out in the water. Some had just finished lunch. Five kids – ages 2 to 7 – were down in the cabin.
“Next thing you know, the boat exploded,” Atherton said. “There were six of us sitting up above the engine compartment. We were all injured.”
Most of them sustained serious injuries.
Atherton’s father-in-law lost a leg up to the hip and broke his arm.
His mother-in-law had bleeding of the brain, a broken left arm and broken heel bones. She got saltwater in her lungs, too, but was revived.
His wife broke her back and her right heel, and also had injuries to her legs.
His nephew broke both ankles and both wrists and suffered a lacerated liver and spleen.
As for Atherton, he sustained a chipped scapula, a chipped vertebrae and a broken right femur. He also damaged both legs and his left arm. He wound up losing both of his legs and his left arm.
Still, he takes the optimistic view.
“Nobody died. Everyone is doing very well,” he said.
Atherton spent two months in the hospital, followed by intense rehabilitation work.
Beyond learning to master the demands of daily life, Atherton has been working toward a bigger goal. He wants to get back into performing some of the water skiing skills that he took for granted before the accident.
“If I put my mind to it — I may have to figure out a different way to do it — but I can do everything I want to do,” Atherton said.
His passion for water skiing began early. He got his first taste of gliding over the water when he was just 7.
“It’s definitely been a huge part of my life,” he said. “I joined a team when I was 9. It’s always been a family thing. My brother did it. My mom skied. My dad skied. That’s how I met my wife.”
He moved to Florida in 2002 and has been active with the Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team since 2003.
The first time he was back on the water was on June 14, 2010. He attended a clinic put on by UCanSki2, a water skiing group for people with disabilities.
“It was kind of great to get back on the horse and get going on again.
“I really felt like I was getting my life back. I wasn’t stuck to a wheelchair.”
By December of 2010, he was skiing on water prosthetics. He calls them his “water legs.”
“They’re just designed a little differently,” said Atherton, who has served as the show director for the Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team during its 2011 season.
The team has more than 100 members from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, including the communities of Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Odessa and Wesley Chapel.
Its last show of the year will be over the Thanksgiving weekend in Oldsmar, at 130 Burbank Road.
The free show, which is open to the public, will begin about 4 p.m. on Nov. 26 and will last about 45 minutes.
As show director, Atherton comes up with the acts and which skiers will do them. He also comes up with the theme for the team’s tournament show.
In addition to skiers, there are many others who support the team.
“They drive the boats. They work the concession stands. They make the costumes,” Atherton said.
It’s a community of people who enjoy the water, who appreciate the challenges of mastering techniques and who recognize talent when they see it.
Atherton loves the variety that water skiing offers.
“You can slalom. You can barefoot. You can jump. You can trick ski. You can do so many different things with the show, the pyramids, the doubles, the trios … Everyone finds their own little niche.”
The ski show team has a record of success, winning the title of southern regional champion for nine years in a row.
Atherton sets his personal aims high: “My next goal is to do a pyramid,” he said.
He believes it will happen.
“The only limitations you put on yourself are your own,” Atherton said.
/glance box
Water ski show
What: The Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team will have a holiday theme for its final performance of the year.
Where: Tower Lake at 130 Burbank Road, Oldsmar
When: 4 p.m. Nov. 26
How much: Parking and attendance are free. Concessions are available for purchase.
More information: Directions are available by visiting the team’s website at www.tampabaywaterski.com or by calling (813) 917-8354.
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