By Kim J. Harmon

Michele Steinerd wasn’t able to see the waves that pounded the skis beneath her feet, but she rode them out like a champ anyway last Saturday during a water skiing clinic offered by Joel Zeisler of Sandy Hook.

Steinerd, of Bethel, was one of two dozen disabled water skiers who basked in the sun on the shores of the Lake Zoar, taking turns skiing off the boom, off a short line, off a long line, or on the boogie board (called an Apple Plane) near the dock of Ziesler’s home.

Ziesler has been working with the disabled for 10 years or so and Saturday was his third annual big clinic.

For Steinerd, who has been blind since the age of 22 due to a hereditary eye condition, it was a thrilling time on the river.

“I tried it last September,” she said, “but I wasn’t up that long. I was surprised this year. I thought I would do down really fast.”

Steinerd skied while holding on to the boom, which hung off the side of the boat. With some encouraging words from one of the dozen or so volunteers, Steinerd rode well out onto the lake. Her only trouble came on the way back to the dock as she was spilled a couple times by some rough water. But, with the dock nearby, she rode through a particularly choppy piece of water to complete her adventure.

Tripping up didn’t trouble her in the least.

“I love the water,” said Steinerd, who lives in Bethel with her husband, Bob, and their two boys. “When I fell, it didn’t bother me at all. The water was a lot better than I thought it would be.”

Steinerd had fun and so did many of the others who took to the skis and the apple plane. Most of the athletes – disabled or not – took to the skis with an almost amazing ease, quickly adjusting to the task at hand.

Zeisler was not surprised.

“It’s not a difficult sport,” he said. “It’s an excellent sport for the visually impaired – unlike snow sking or something like that, where there are obstructions to worry about. Water skiing has that advantage.”

Ryan Fay, 10, of Shelton found that out, too. Despite being spilled early in his attempts at skiing, he got back in the water and had himself a nice ride out on the lake. And then there was Alex Crocco, 13, of Orange, who rode the apple plane with the confidence of a true champion.

Sure, more than a few times a skier found themselves taking an impromptu dip in the water – but judging from the smiles, it didn’t matter.

This camp will also serve as something of a springboard for Zeisler’s five-day July camp for disabled kids.

Zeisler has had an impact on lots of skiers in his time – maybe the most dramatic being Allan Golabeck, one of the top disabled skiers in the country. Back in June of 1993, Golabeck was riding his motorcycle on Candlewood Lake Road when he was hit head-on by a car. The accident not only left him blind, but left his partially paralyzed for three months.

After a long recuperative period, Golabeck was introduced to skiing by national champion, Russ Klein, in 1995. A year later, Golabeck got together with Zeisler and Zeisler – a national champion two times over – taught Golabeck how to jump and slalom ski.

Golabeck, of course, was on hand last Saturday to greet some of the fresh, young athletes and to hand out a few pointers of his own

It was a great day all around.