Mary Kocy throws logic overboard when she fastens her skis and dips into the Hudson River. "I prepared by getting Hep A shots and tetanus shots," she said. That's to make sure she doesn't get sick from the water, which is currently littered with flotsam from Hurricane Irene.
Sure, she could ski in cleaner water, but she's on a mission to circle Manhattan. That's 30 miles in which she plans to ski in about an hour, forty minutes. "We've been doing this all summer. She'll hit crazy waves, goes through them. It's awesome," John Rusk said.
Rusk is spotting and coaching his wife. Initially, they trained in another boat further up the Hudson, but for Sunday's ride, they'll be using a sturdier, stronger boat courtesy of island water sports in Port Jefferson.
While the 55 year old skis around the island, she'll be making other people happy. She's raising money to help veterans. The money will help them get a more specific diagnosis and better treatment for stress disorders and traumatic brain injuries. The work will be done at the Rusk Institute, which just happens to share her husband's last name.
"For a number of years people had been calling Rusk John when they meant to call Rusk Institute," she said. Now instead of forwarding calls, she's forwarding money and a lap around Manhattan is like a big hug of thanks.