Viking Magazine - November 2009 - 18

Doug and Lynda at
Ski for Light in 1985.
Lynda Boose, " says Doug Boose of
Houghton, Mich. " I had done a lot
of skiing and had taught for several
years, but I was a little intimidated
at first with how to interact with all
these blind people. But Lynda helped
me be comfortable. "
As a returning skier, Lynda helped
Doug learn the ropes of guiding
a blind skier, and a spark began
to ignite. " During that week, we
pretty much knew there was something
there, but we didn't know how
much, " says Lynda, who is also on the
board. " So we kept in touch, and I
even went to Michigan a few times to
ski with Doug, who then worked for
Isle Royale National Park. In the end,
it took about a year before we knew
we wanted to get married. "
The Booses were married in 1986
and have since been to several Ski for
Light events and have even attended
the Ridderrennet in Norway on multiple
occasions. Doug and Lynda say
that each year's Ski for Light event
brings the opportunity to meet new
people, from the U.S. and abroad, and
to see old friends-including the one
who initially paired them together. " I
was just happy Jean matched us up [to
ski], " says Lynda of Jean Replinger,
who matched guides with skiers the
year the Booses met.
" Every year you go back, you get to
see your old friends, cement those re18
V I K I N G Novemb er 2 009
lationships and meet numerous other
people, many of whom will become
friends, " Doug says.
Brenda Seeger
and Maria
Hansen
Ages: 56 and 63
Hometown: Brenda is from
Red Lake Falls, Minn., and Maria
is from New York City
Relationship: Friends
Met: 1994
hough she was not a fan of
snow or cold, when Maria
Hansen of New York City,
first heard about Ski for Light, she
knew she needed to give it a try. " I was
skeptical of it-the idea of disabled
people skiing-but I thought, 'I have
to see this.' "
T
When she attended her first event in
1980, Maria was completely blind, and
what surprised her most was how independent
her fellow visually impaired
counterparts were. " I was surprised at
how large and organized the group was,
how independent people were and how
well everybody interacted-both sighted
guides and blind skiers, " she says.
On her first Ski for Light event,
Maria says that one of the biggest
obstacles was overcoming her fear.
" If you're totally blind, which I was,
you're normally walking with a white
cane or guide dog or sighted person.
Here, you are given ski poles and a
guide nearby who judges safety, incline
and speed. If you fall, you get up. "
Maria overcame her fear and found
a group of lifelong friends, including
Brenda Seeger, who became one of
her best friends. In 1994, Brenda went
to her first Ski for Light event. " I was
so frightened of guiding, but Ski for
Light does such wonderful training on
how to respect, talk to and approach
persons with disabilities, people who
don't have sight, " she says.
" The first night, you are introduced
to your skier and get to know each other. "
Brenda says. " I was given the privilege
of guiding Maria my first year, and
she taught me how to be a good guide. "
The first evening, pairs go around the
hotel to practice working together as
a team. " We got to a staircase and I
said, 'There are three steps.' And Maria
asked, 'OK ... up or down?' "
The two formed a fast friendship
and have seen each other, as they say,
through life's ups and downs-births,
deaths, surgeries, accidents, happy
times and sad. They've even thrown a
little travel into the mix. When Brenda
turned 50, she went out to New York
City, where the two celebrated with a
theater night and dinner.
" Ski for Light is a family, " Brenda
says. " Every year we get together, and
it is like a family reunion. "
" Some people, like me, are so nervous
at the beginning of the week, but
by the end of the week, the smiles are
ear to ear, " Maria adds. " And there
are tears on Sunday morning [the last
day] because they don't want to wait
another year to see one another. " V
For information on the 35th
annual Ski for Light in 2010,
visit www.sfl.org.
Doug and Lynda Boose cutting
the cake on their wedding day.
http://www.sfl.org
Viking Magazine - November 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - November 2009
