Front Ragers

In memory of a friend of mine (and many others), the second annual Mike Lewandowski memorial ski day will be held at Mary Jane this coming Saturday.

"Lew," as he was known, was an amazing guy and an amazing skier. Part of the original WPC for those who knew them, Lew and his buddies would zipperline the bumps at MJ bell to bell, every chance they got, stopping only grab a slice of 'za for lunch downstairs at the MJ base. Like most of the best skiers I know, he wasn't entirely sane in the head. :)

I met him at a summer camp, high up on Mt. Evans. He came to the camp to work as an untested counselor, and within days was body slamming kids from the top bunk. He was insane, in the best possible way. And the kids loved him. He was the guy in the pool that had nine 8yr olds clinging to anything they could for as long as possible until he could get a good enough grip to throw them 10 feet away into the crowds that surrounded him, trying to subdue him like some modern day Goliath. He was tall, lanky, and goofy as shit. Wore a big grin all the time, life never taken too seriously. Listened to punk - real punk - at ourageous volumes, and spazzed his gangly body around while rocking out in the kids cabins. I had the distinct pleasure of working and living with him for a couple summers. Lew was wild off the snow, but on skis, he was smooth as butta'. He ended up on the CU freestyle team as a bumper with a future.

Then, a couple years in (I forget all the details), he fainted and passed out somewhere at CU Boulder. He had developed a brain tumor the size of a baseball or something ridiculous. At age 21. They went through surgery, and in time, he healed up, and returned to try to finish school. He was again seen on the slopes, this time with a helmet, but still out there killing it.

If memory serves, he did finish school, but if so, then only barely. Around age 25 or 26, a few years ago now, they found that the tumor had returned. Surgery again, but this time Lew wasn't the same.

Hopes for recovery still existed, but it was clear that he had a long way to go, and the brilliance of his spirit and energy had been diminished. In late 2003, he succumbed to the re-growth of the tumor. They couldn't operate this time.

Last year, his sister and another close friend of his (both mutual friends of mine) organized a Memorial ski day for him.

Here is the note from his sister. Please come and take one day to get your bump on if you'd like to support Lew. It's a fun crew, and a great cause.

* * *

December 3, 2004
Dear Friends & Family,

I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy! The snow is falling in Colorado and planning is underway for the 2nd annual Michael Lewandowski Memorial Ski Day. Sixty-one skiers and many more donors helped make last year’s event a big success. Together we raised nearly $2500 for the National Brain Tumor Foundation (NBTF) Oligo Fund that went towards funding research grants for investigation into new treatments, improving traditional treatments and enhancing the quality of life of brain tumor patients. We’ve been working hard to make this year’s event bigger and better and hope that you can join us.

Where: Winter Park/ Mary Jane Resort, Colorado
When: January 22, 2005
Lunch: 3:00 pm at Pepperoni’s Pizzeria (downstairs in the Mary Jane Lodge)
Registration: $25/participant (includes T-shirt and pizza lunch)

I’ve missed my big brother dearly this past year and am thankful for all the time we were able to spend together. Every time I go to the mountains, I am flooded with memories of growing up with Michael on the mogul runs of Mary Jane. This year’s Ski Day is an opportunity for all of us to share in Michael’s passion for skiing and embrace the lessons he left for us on how to enjoy life to the fullest. I can’t think of a better way to do this than by gathering for a day of skiing, pizza and free prizes!

To help support the NBTF’s worthy cause, we are challenging participants to raise $50 through donations and/or pledges for each run skied during the day. (Please see attached fundraising form). In addition, there will be prizes for the top two fundraisers. If you meet the challenge by raising $50 you will receive five free raffle tickets. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. To learn more about how donations to the 2nd annual Michael Lewandowski Memorial Ski Day will be used by the NBTF, go to: http://www.braintumor.org/research/

Donations will be collected on the day of the event at Mary Jane. I look forward to seeing you on the slopes!
Sincerely,

Sara Lewandowski

* * *

Even if you don't want to pay the $25 for the registration (covers pizza, t-shirt, etc), or have time to raise any money beyond that, come out and ski, it's a good time! In particular, look for us at 2pm at the top of Gandy Dancer (Lew's favorite run) for a mass bump off. I'll be stacying it up as best I can.

-cletus-