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Karen Jacobson skiing at Alpine Valley and Loon Lake on Dec. 7.
Steve Stein
Contributing Writer
A
thin layer of ice covered
the canal at Loon Lake in
Waterford on the morning
of Dec. 7.
It was a sunny but bitterly cold day,
with temperatures struggling to reach
the low 20s by afternoon.
What a perfect time to go water-
skiing!
That's what Karen Jacobson did, for
a good cause.
The Waterford resident participated
in the 21st annual Polar Bear Water
Ski, a fundraiser for the American
Diabetes Association.
At age 65, you'd think Jacobson
knows better than to water-ski on a
lake that had ice on it a few hours
earlier.
But there was no place she'd rather
have been that afternoon than Loon
Lake.
Except maybe Alpine Valley Ski
Resort in White Lake. That's where she
went downhill skiing in the morning,
just before heading to Loon Lake.
It was the sixth time she'd done the
Polar Bear event, and the fourth time
she did the skiing doubleheader.
The prelim at Alpine Valley is her
idea.
"I decided to spice things up when
I turned 60 and go downhill skiing
before I went water-skiing:' she said.
So what does one wear when one
goes water-skiing in frigid conditions?
A dry suit, two layers of bulky long
underwear, a ski vest, special gloves, a
hat, downhill ski goggles and a water-
proof sock for the foot that's in a half-
open boot, according to Jacobson.
All that helps, but doesn't com-
pletely keep out the cold.
"It was freezing out there:' Jacobson
said.
Nicole Jacobson of Waterford,
Karen Jacobson's daughter, was in the
boat watching her mom glide across
the cold, cold water.
A disc jockey provided music for
the event and a dancing polar bear
entertained the 45 water-skiers (33
men and 12 women) and their family
and friends.
Jacobson said she doesn't know if
she was the oldest water-skier, but she
probably was the oldest woman to ski.
Skiers Pier, a boating store located
about a mile from Loon Lake, spon-
sors the Polar Bear event, which is
always held on the first Saturday in
December.
Spokesman Matt Kerchner said
Skiers Pier provides dry suits, boats,
fuel and drivers for the water-skiers,
who raised about $1,500 this year
through donations and sponsorships.
Downhill skiing has been part of
Jacobson's life since she was 5.
She started water-skiing when she
was 12, and she still water-skis with
friends about 70 times each year from
April through October, mostly on
Pine Lake in West Bloomfield.
In the winter, she goes downhill
skiing at Alpine Valley locally, Boyne
Mountain up north and out West.
"All that skiing keeps me healthy,"
she said. "I just turned 65 and feel
40-ish."
Lawrence Paul, her father, was a
member of the National Ski Patrol at
Alpine Valley for 28 years.
He'll turn 90 on Dec. 17. He was
a downhill skier until he was 87,
so Jacobson has a long way to go to
match her father's longevity on the
slopes.
Karen Jacobson was an educator
for 32 years before retiring in 2008.
She was principal at Geisler Middle
School in Walled Lake from 1998-
2008 after serving as assistant princi-
pal there from 1995-1998 and assis-
tant principal at Derby Middle School
in Birmingham from 1994-1995.
Previously, she taught in the
Birmingham School District (1989-
1994) and Warren Woods School
District (1972-1977). ❑
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December 19 • 2013
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