High Five #HighFivesAthlete Meredith Koch for achieving two of her five Arcade Belt Goals!
Meredith has always been heavily involved in the winter sports community growing up in New England. Getting back to skiing was a huge goal for her. On February 1st of this year, Meredith was able to complete her second goal of skiing a blue run from top to bottom with zero assistance.
CONGRATS MEREDITH!
- GOAL 1 – Balance for 15 seconds without use of braces, crutches or assistance (COMPLETED on 2/1/2017)
- GOAL 2 – Ski a blue run top to bottom using my new ski equipment without any assistance or falling (COMPLETED on 3/1/2017)
The day before Meredith’s 25th birthday she was helping friends move an upright piano out of the back of a pick-up truck. As it was coming out of the truck, it tipped over and landed on her back. The impact fractured Meredith’s sternum and shattered her L1 vertebrae. After an 8-hour surgery to put Meredith’s spine back together again, she woke up in the Surgical ICU paralyzed from the waist down.
“Just wanted to drop you a line and say THANK YOU to High Fives. The outriggers and Full Tilt boots are awesome and the crew at Vermont Adaptive have been phenomenal. This video was taken this past Sunday at the Ski with Kelly Brush event. Day 5 of lessons this season! That day was the first since I got hurt where I skied and enjoyed it and felt a bit like my old self out there. Being able to fall in love all over again with skiing has been phenomenal and such a blessing. So thank you to High Fives for helping me start the process of becoming a good skier again.” – #HighFivesAthlete Meredith Koch
These goals are achieved as a part of the Arcade Goal Belt Program which was established as an initiative that guides athletes through the complex recovery process after a life-altering injury.
The belt program, which is similar to a karate belt system, rewards High Fives athletes with an Arcade belt containing a new gold star for each milestone achieved. This framework is designed to provide clarity, support, competition and inspiration for others as these athletes work to rebuild their lives.
