I want to share with anyone who wants to read our blogs, what Sk8 the State for MS means to me and a little about the women involved.
This charity that my fellow Sk8 gals and I have grown is so much more than just a charity to me. We have grown together progressively as sisters every year we skate another state. I have not only gained a humbling experience that I can do every year to help raise funds and awareness for the National MS Society, which alone is much more than anyone could ask for. I got something along with being a part of this beautiful and selfless organization, I gained 3 women in my life that I trust and love as if they were my blood sisters. Every year when we skate a state we get everything together, jump in a van, and go to a starting off point to start our journey. From that point on we spend every minute of every day for a week together. We buy groceries together, we skate for 8+ hours a day together talking about anything and everything under the sun, we share hotel rooms or living spaces, and every morning for that week we wake up with the sun together, fill our Camelbacks with water, stretch, and throw on our skates to do it all over again.
We have our motherly saag driver, an amazing writer and our route expert, Skinner. I say motherly only in a good way because she pretty much takes care of us the whole trip. She makes sure we have our special energy drinks along with something to eat whenever we stop. She keeps us informed about our upcoming miles. She worries about us and she makes us laugh whenever she has a chance. She is an amazingly intelligent woman whom I respect immensely and couldn't imagine Sk8 the State for MS with out her.
We have the optimist, PBR. Every single day on the trip she is the most positive person in our group and maybe even the most positive person I know. She is constantly bringing us up when we are getting sluggish on the skate. Even if she is hurting she would never let you know it and push you to push through your pain so we can finish our miles for the day. She never gives up and won't let you give up on yourself either. I also don't think Sk8 would be making it into it's upcoming 4th year without her optimism and heart.
We have Mo who never stops and is always introducing us to new and strange health foods to keep us going. I love this and probably wouldn't ever have tried all the things I have, because she has made me try them. Mo has the biggest goals and makes you believe that anything you can dream up can be done and she will help you get it going. She doesn't let anything hold her back and she only propels forward and if you want to she will bring you with her. Sk8 the State would of never happened with out her dreaming it up and pushing it forward.
I'm not sure what I bring to the group yet. I think I have a humor the girls like and I hope they can't live without.
Skating across a state is not easy, and there is always a point in the year before it comes around again that I think about quitting or don't want to do it. Then I think about my sisters and what Sk8 the State does. There is no way I can leave it now, these women and friends we have met on the road for our charity are family now. It's in my blood ( at least most of the state of Nebraska is when I bled all over it on Sk8 2011), it's in my soul, my heart, and my mind constantly. I would not take back a single horribly painful day of any of our past Sk8 the State's. We are good women with good hearts and that is enough to want to keep our charity rolling. I hope we keep touching hearts and keep making a difference for many more years to come.
2013 Sk8 Kansas is coming up soon :-)
~Dubbs
