It's been six years since Phil Martin last skied, but he still refers to the disabled water ski community as "us." It was "us" even before he was diagnosed with the disease in 1995, although he prefers to think of it not as a disease, but as an irony. The first time he felt the numbness, he assumed it had something to do with the brutal crash he'd taken off the jump ramp several days earlier. The final verdict blindsided Martin — he had developed multiple sclerosis.

>The implications were grave. The numbness would spread. Fatigue would set in. His life would come to revolve around expensive medications and their nauseating effects. But Martin accepted his diagnosis like a cup of morning coffee — a strong eye-opener, but nothing that was going to affect his daily routine. After 15 years of working with disabled water ski athletes, Martin knew better than to admit defeat. Life would go on.

For as long as he can remember, Martin knew he wanted to work in adaptive recreation. His passion for water sports and a compassion for people of all abilities eventually inspired Martin to found Adaptive Aquatics, Inc. — a non-profit organization dedicated to the introduction, instruction and advancement of adapted water skiing for children and adults with physical disabilities — in 1980. At the time, disabled water skiing was thought to be an oxymoron. A blind slalom skier, much less a quadriplegic jumper, was bordering on ludicrous. But Martin, along with other visionaries, continued to pioneer the sport and the development of adaptive water ski equipment.

Slowly but surely, Martin's vision began to materialize. Disabled water skiing was a demonstration sport in the 1982 and 1983 Special Olympics. In 1989 Martin watched as Bill "Super Quad" Furbish landed a jump for the first time in quadriplegic history. Several years later, Martin helped lead the U.S. Disabled Water Ski Team to two international victories. He was team manager at the 1991 Disabled World Trophy and team coach at the 1993 Disabled Water Ski World Championships — the first year of recognition under the International Water Ski Federation. But nothing was more exciting to Martin than the athletes themselves. "That's what I miss," he says. "Every time we went out, we came back totally awe-inspired. Their determination absolutely blows you away."

The athletes were equally impressed with Martin, whom MP2 competitor Joe Ray refers to as his role model and mentor. "I was so impressed with the program he was running and what it did for the disabled children and adults that I went on to found Spud Ray Adaptive Aquatics, modeled after his program," says Ray, who took over Adaptive Aquatics, Inc., when Martin retired from the company in 1999. "Phil instilled [his caring attitude] in me with what he did and also what he did for me. You can ask any skier and they'll tell you the same thing."

Over the years, Martin's name came to be synonymous with adaptive water skiing. Even today, four years after Martin officially exited the sport, nearly every national level disabled competitor can be linked to Martin, directly or indirectly, says Ray. So strong are his ties to the disabled community that Martin refers to the Nationals as a homecoming. And never was a homecoming more sentimental than at the 2003 Disable Water Ski National Championships, in which Martin was named the first recipient of the Phil Martin Award. Named in Martin's honor, the award will annually recognize and individual who has made significant contributions to the sport of disabled water skiing during the previous year.

During his 19 years with Adaptive Aquatics, Martin came to refer to water as "the great equalizer." "It brings people together — disabled and able-bodied," he says. And when muscle weakness finally forced him out of skis in 1997, Martin was determined to find a way back to the water. Sailing provided a viable alternative, and Martin now pours his energy into sailing instruction, which includes Special Olympics' train programs.

A recent grant from the Betaseron Champions of Courage program enabled Martin to purchase a new 27-foot catamaran sailboat for instructional purposes. "Phil's ability to adapt, put his MS into perspective and live such a full life is an inspiration to all of us," said Eric Simons, Chairman of the Betaseron Champions of Courage program, upon awarding Martin the grant. Martin now offers sailing lessons free of charge out of his wheelchair accessible boat, named "Banana Winds" after a Jimmy Buffet album.

When he's not out on open waters, Martin is still actively involved in adaptive recreations as Director of Adaptive Programs for the city of Macon, Ga. —recently voted the most outstanding adaptive recreation program in the state. But neither his new sport nor his new job can match Martin's pride in his water skiing history. "Right now my greatest accomplishment in life, professionally, would be to witness the birth of a sport and to watch it grow from nonexistence to a world competition and to know that I was involved on the ground floor of it," he says.

Though his MS has worsened over time, Martin's active lifestyle at age 46 — "still more active than 90 percent of the American people," he insists — is not indicative of his deteriorating condition. "He has been around so many disabled people for so many years that that in itself has given him a lot of strength," Ray says. "Instead of us drawing from him, he's now drawing from us."

Encouraged by the recent technological advances in disabled water ski equipment, Martin has yet to rule out the possibility of slipping into his skis one day down the road. But until that day, there's much to be done. "Life is not over when you become disabled," he says. "You have to shift gears but there's so much available. When you slow down, that's when you admit defeat.">

- Updated 7/29/04

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