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by Kevin O'Connell
 Saturday
December 6th 2008 was the first
Freeze 4 Life charity event
held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. At the time of the event,
Lake Geneva was one of the only lakes in Wisconsin not
yet frozen. The
proceeds from the event went to the Kevin Waldeck Charitable Trust and
the American Cancer Society. The event was organized by Dalton Waldeck
in honor of his father who died of pancreatic cancer. Dalton Waldeck
also works for Summerset Marine who provided the
Mastercraft boats that were used for the event.
Freeze 4 Life was a fun event drawing many local skiers,
boarders, footers, and tubers all raising money for a good charity.
There were many show-skiers from Southern Wisconsin and Northern
Illinois, and even a couple of girls who
traveled from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Unfortunately there were not a lot of
barefooters. Some may have been scared
off by the weather forecast. It's not what you think: I don't think
air temperatures in the teens, water temperatures in the thirties, or
even 2-3 inches of snow scare most footers!!
What really scared me was the forecast of 22MPH winds out of the west,
while we were scheduled to ski on the east end of the lake (8 miles
downwind). This would have created 3-4 foot waves (not ideal footing
conditions). The forecast was pretty accurate air in the teens, water
in the thirties and a few inches of snow, however the wind direction
shifted from 22 mph out of the west to northwest allowing good
conditions in the northeast corner of the lake. Although the lake and
air were cold, the water was calm. The
only thing that made it better was having a
big audience to show off in front of.
The crowds and participants were large and created a very strong
atmosphere motivating a few people to take runs without wet or drysuits.
According to Dalton Waldeck approximately $20,000.00 was raised by
almost 80 skiers. Special thanks goes out to their sponsors
Summerset Marine, Barefoot International, The Board Shop, and Amplitude
Design. Also Matt Mason of Ideal Impressions Photography
got great pictures and some videos of the event. I spoke with Dalton
who did not have much of a voice (in addition to organizing the event he
also announced it). He is already planning for next year. Check out
their website
www.Freeze4Life.com
or the photos by
CLICKING HERE
See you next year
Kevin O’Connell
P.S. I
do not know the status of Winter Waterland in Newville WI. It's usually
held in January and attract a lot of barefooters. Maybe it could be
posted on the barefoot forum if anyone knows?
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