MICHAEL SUAREZ, a 15 year old from Odessa, Florida  was selected as the June 2002 Footer of the Month

Michael learned to ski at age 11. To Michael the skis were too much trouble to deal with and immediately started saying he wanted to barefoot.  Within three months of learning to ski he was up barefooting.  He couldn't seem to get enough of it, so he started barefooting in water ski shows with a local ski club in order to network with other kids his age and get footing tips from more advanced skiers.

His first tournament experience was the Blairfoot Bonanza Endurance and Figure Eight Tournament held each year in Winter Haven, Florida.  He quickly became hooked and spent the next two years competing in as many Endurance and Figure 8 tournaments as he could.  He also continued to participate in local ski club shows. 

In April of 2001, Michael participated in his first three-event competition.  As the year went on, he was making great barefooting friends and was achieving new personal bests at almost every tournament he competed in.  He became friends with Mikey Caruso, and started skiing with him on a regular basis.  Mikey gave Michael some great instruction, which accelerated his footing accomplishments.  He also met Brandon Pye while skiing with Mikey.  Brandon had decided to get back into barefooting after taking a few years off. 

Michael’s goal in 2001 was to get to Nationals.  He quickly met the qualifications for Nationals early in the season. By the beginning of July, Michael had decided that he was ready to learn to jump.  By Mid July, with the help of some if his newfound barefooting friends like Mikey Caruso, Michael was jumping inverted and had his sight set on jumping at Nationals.   He and his dad drove 19 hours to Dallas, along with the Pye family, last July to compete in the South Central Regionals, just so that he could qualify to jump at Nationals. 

The extra effort paid off.  Michael placed 2^nd in jumping at the 2001 Nationals and was invited to jump in the PAN AM Championships where he placed 3^rd.  With the 2002 season on its way, Michael has been practicing hard. He loves barefooting and has a great time at the tournaments. He'll be one to watch out for at the 2002 Nationals.  If you have a hard time finding him, just look to the shoreline and find the father who's doing the most pacing.  That will either be Michael's dad (Tony) or Brandon Pye's father (Chris).  They will definitely know where to find him.

Congratulations Michael on being selected as the BarefootCentral.com Footer of the Month.  You are now eligible to become the 2002 Footer of the Year.  See you at Nationals!

Chuck Gleason