Joe Ray hasn't let adversity stop him. The Randolph County native proved it in Vichy, France when he won three gold medals at the 2009 World Disabled Water Ski Championships in September.
Ray, 51, lost the use of his legs after he broke his back in a car accident in 1978.
Four years later he discovered freedom from his wheelchair with the help of an adaptive aquatics instructor at Camp ASCCA in Jackson's Gap on Lake Martin.
"Phil Martin was an instructor there and he got me skiing," he said. "He said I could when I didn't think so."
Ray fell in love with the sport so much he bought a ski and began teaching with Martin.
"This (Water skiing) was better than sliced bread," Ray said. "I wanted to ski more so I helped him teach."
A few years later he began competitive skiing and won his first national championship in 2001.
"This is the fifth time I have competed on the US team at worlds." Ray said "It is my fourth gold at world in Slalom and my ninth gold medal total."
Ray competes in the MP2 division which means he has a mid-chest level injury and is unable to stand to ski and uses a sit ski. He is also the current world record holder in slalom.
"I came close to breaking my own record," he said. "The conditions were bad in France but I expected them to be. I train in horrible conditions at home that way I can compete."
Ray, currently lives in Wilsonville, and is the executive director of Adaptive Aquatics on Lay Lake which is an organization dedicated to the introduction, teaching and advancement of adapted water skiing for children and adults with physical disabilities.
According to the website, Adaptive Aquatics was founded in 1980 by Phil Martin, a pioneer of adapted water skiing. Under his leadership, the sport of water skiing for people with disabilities has experienced tremendous growth. Adaptive Aquatics remains one of the longest running adapted water ski programs in the nation.
Ray took over for his mentor and friend in the mid-90s when Martin became disabled with multiple sclerosis.
"And the guy that taught so many disabled people to ski became disabled himself," Ray said. "I now do the same thing he taught."
Ray first medaled on the national level in 1998 with a bronze medal in slalom. He has been the reigning national champion for his division since 2003.
To learn more about Joe Ray or Adaptive Aquatics visit www.AdaptiveAquatics.org. The facility is located on Lay Lake outside of Birmingham.

By Kelly Caldwell

Kelly Caldwell helped create Lake Wedowee Life in 2008 and remains the principal photographer as well as the main writer for the magazine. She has more than 10 years of journalism experience after graduating from Troy University in 2000. She grew up in Randolph County and has enjoyed spending time on Lake Wedowee.

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