KERI VAN DYKE, from Grand Rapids, Michigan (currently living in Florida), was selected as the November 2002 Footer of the Month.

Keri grew up in Grand Rapids, MI and learned to foot at the age of 13 behind
the family boat. The world of barefooting had never heard of her until she
came to visit Ron Scarpa's Barefoot Training Center last year for a week. It must have been a great week, because she's been there ever since.

Keri is one of those people who make's you smile. She is always upbeat and
ready to work hard on the water. When she went to Scarpa's, she could foot forwards pretty well, but could barely get up backwards on shoe skis.  After a year of hard work on her part, she attended the 2002 US Nationals in Sacramento, CA and won the Womens 1 National Title.  All that in here first year of competition.  If she stays on that pace, she will be competing head-to-head with Scarpa and St. Onge in the 2004 Worlds.  Go Keri!!

From what we here, on the water, there is no other person, male or female, that can take a fall like Keri. She is extremely tough.  She is determined to be the best, body be damned.  Being basically a weekend warrior, Keri has to pick up tips from Scarpa when she can.  Scarpa's only concern about footing with Keri centers around her driving.  Apparently the lakes in Michigan are a little longer than in Winter Haven, FL because while driving for Ron for the first time, she accidentally beached his new Malibu Barefoot Response at his house. This has been known to happen on occasion, but she was pretty embarrassed about it.

Hopefully Keri will continue to be active in the sport of barefooting.  She is a delight to be around, and she's exactly the type of person who will help barefooting grow and motivate more women to join in on the fun.  If you ever see Keri at a tournament, stop her and have a chat. She will always have something funny, and exciting waiting for you.  And if you happen to be male, and single - you better have more to offer than a cute smile and broad shoulders.  Keri regularly pushes the guys around at the ski school (keeping Ron and Paul in line is not easy), and she is not easily impressed with hotdog skiing performances. So brush up on those toe turns and line steps boys.

Congratulations Keri on being selected as the BarefootCentral.com Footer of the Month.  You are now eligible to become the 2002 Footer of the Year.  Good Luck!