You need to know about Team R4V!!!!!!!

Short version of this blog post:

Please go to this link (here) and help my brother-in-law' and sister's box ('gym' to the layperson) at Reebok Crossfit Nuernberg support Team Racing for Veterans (Team R4V). The money raised will be used for their Warrior Crossfit program, which helps disabled veterans at gyms like Crossfit Walter Reed. That's the box at Walter Reed military hospital where veterans who've lost limbs or suffered other injuries in combat learn that, not only can they overcome their disability, but they can improve their mental state and get in even better shape than they were before being wounded. Check out this youtube video:

CrossFit Walter Reed

So, please donate and help my brother, Drake, reach his fundraising goal for Lactic Acid Love Affair before February 14!!

Long Version of the blog post:

I've written a few times about the Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic I go to in Snowmass, Colorado. It's normally at the end of March, toward the end of the season there. This is actually a perfect time to go--not too crowded, conditions are usually still good. We have an amazing time and meet so many inspiring wounded warriors. I really hope we can go every year.

However, it's pretty expensive. The clinic does give me free meals, and I get free equipment rentals and free lift tickets. But, we have to pay for flights for the three of us, we have to pay for the hotel room, Grace' and Betsy's meals, and their lift tickets. It's a costly week, but I couldn't imagine going by myself. Betsy is my spokesman; she's my advocate; she helps me travel, eat, and get where I need to be. Grace is our ambassador; plus I know it's an incredible learning opportunity for her, not just to be able to ski, but to meet all these different veterans and understand their disabilities. Just seeing Grace puts a smile on everyone's face--I think if I stopped going, they'd miss her more than they'd miss me.

Can we afford it every year though? It's a big chunk out of our budget, so we were thinking about maybe skipping a year. Then I applied for a grant from Team Racing for Veterans (Team R4V). If you read my blog closely (....wait....does anyone read my blog closely?!? Am I just blogging to myself? Do I even read this blog???) you'll know that I met the chairman of Team R4V, Jeff Haugh, at the last Winter Sports Clinic. He asked if I wanted to join him on a 60-miles-in-24-hours hike last May. So I raised money and managed to slow the whole team up while only hiking 16 miles. Despite my hiking ineptitude, Jeff recommended that I apply to Team R4V for a grant to pay for our family to go to Snowmass for the next clinic. So, I sent in an application. I thought the best they could do was maybe help pay for my plane ticket but I went ahead and asked for everything: plane tickets for three, hotel room for a week, and meal tickets. Worst that could happen is they say no, right?

A few weeks later, I got an e-mail saying that Team R4V would cover everything; not just my travel to the clinic but everything we needed for Betsy and Grace too!!! How awesome is that?!? What did they ask from me in return? All they wanted was for us to tattoo "Team R4V" over every inch of Grace's body and legally change her name to "Team R4V Liebenow." We were planning on doing that anyway so it's like free money!!!!

No, actually, all they requested was for me to write about my trip in a couple blog posts because I have trillions of followers and it's good publicity (pay no attention to that whole "does anyone read my blog closely?!? Am I just blogging to myself? Do I even read this blog???" thing above; world leaders read my blog closely; so does Oprah).

How amazing is this charity??? They understand that fitness has tremendous power for disabled people. It is so easy when you've lost a limb, or suffer from paralysis, brain damage, blindness, loss of swallowing, or any other debilitating injury to give up, sit on the couch, and lament the abilities you used to have. But this will only lead to a depressing downward spiral that will ostracize you from your friends and family and ultimately increase your health problems. Team R4V encourages veterans to set athletic goals and then helps them achieve them. They support veterans in any type of athletic endeavor, including Crossfit, several different marathons and triathlons (there was a big team at the last Marine Corps Marathon), and even events like the Winter Sports Clinic.

Speaking of Crossfit, my sister and brother-in-law are doing this thing called Lactic Acid Love Affair. It's on Valentine's Day, because people who do Crossfit are in love with exercise. Don't worry; none of the proceeds will go to support my trip to Colorado. All of the money raised will go toward helping wounded veterans vastly improve their morale while rediscovering their limits at Crossfit gyms. Again, here's the link: https://www.crowdrise.com/RCFNLacticLoveAffaire/fundraiser/drakesladky/1/return/success/success.

They wanted to use a picture of me bench pressing for their ad campaign, but it was too intimidating

If you don't like my brother-in-law because he took you surfing for your first time off Hawaii's North Shore in December and you had to be rescued after getting pummeled by monster waves, then donate to my sister's fundraising page here (link)!!! That seems like an oddly specific reason...

Again, please donate before February 14!