The Start of a Strange Summer

It looks like Swivel Girl is off to a good start, despite the beginning of the summer. The 2008 Summer will not be forgotten in the mid-west. I just experienced Wisconsin conditions, but did not get the worst of it, like Iowa.
June was going to be an exciting month for the new Swivel Girl business. My first 2 tournaments were planned for June. They did not happen. Mother Nature did not cooperate. During the month of June, it rained on South Central Wisconsin like I have never see it rain before. Storms would come into the State and hover over south central Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Dells area for hours. It was a disaster waiting to happen. And disaster is what happened. Lake Delton emptied in a matter of two and a half hours. Teams of volunteers from Tommy Bartlett sandbagged the dam for days. The lake was too much for the shoreline and it broke. Looking at the empty lake two weeks after Lake Delton emptied into the Wisconsin River, really put my issues about canceled tournaments on hold. Boats were stuck in the mud, houses had fallen from the shore into the lake, skiers were out of a job and tourism was definitely going to be affected. Other areas affected by the high waters were central Wisconsin lakes and in particular, The Rock River. At one point, the river was at least 10 feet over flood stage. Visiting Janesville, while the river was rising was incredible. We could not get down to the river front because of barricades, but we could see from a distance that the current was dangerously strong, unlike I have ever seen that river before. Needless to say, the high waters were devastating to many families and businesses. Not only did the water destroy property, but the contamination from bacteria left a serious issue for residents as well.

One other impact was the ski teams in central Wisconsin and Iowa. There were no practice sites for these teams. Being on a show ski team, that is really depressing. Thinking about skiing all winter and getting ready for the upcoming season and not being able to put on your ski show, hits a show skier the hardest. But, after talking to these team members that could not ski at their sites, I realized there is a lot of strength that comes from being on s a show ski team. Skiers did not "throw in the towel" for the season. Instead, these teams found a way to make it work. Janesville, Madison and so many other teams practiced at other team's sites. Many ski teams offered their sites. Impacted teams were able to keep it together and do what they do best, put on an awesome show at State and Nationals. Totally Amazing! Well, I hope this will be the "Strange Summer" to remember; one for the meteorologist record books. And I wish everyone the best that was afflicted with the flooding conditions. My prayers are with you all.