| CBI Interview |
Kristina Ripatti
This convention speaker’s personal Extreme Makeover has inspired
millions to prepare, today, for the challenges that will come tomorrow
CBI: Four years ago, when you were an officer with the Los Angeles Police
Highlights
Department, your life changed rather dramatically in a matter of seconds.
» Life-changing instant
Can you tell us what happened?
» A physical ‘Makeover’
KRIStIna RIpattI: On June 3, 2006, an individual who’d just robbed a gas station
» ‘Inclusive’ role model
opened fire, hitting me in two spots that weren’t protected by my bulletproof vest.
» A to-do list for clubs
One shot went through my arm, and the second struck my chest near the armpit.
One bullet hit an artery, so I lost a lot of blood, and paralyzed me at the chest level.
My partner, Joel Meyer, returned fire, killing the suspect.
CBI: At the time, you were just 33, and, in addition to being an officer,
On June 3, 2006, Kristina
were also a wife and the mother of a young daughter, correct?
Ripatti, a 10-year veteran
KR: That’s right.
of the Los Angeles Police
Department (LAPD), was
CBI: Since then, despite the devastating injuries you suffered, you’ve managed
permanently paralyzed as the
a remarkable comeback and have become an accomplished athlete. You
result of a shooting. Formerly
work out at a club, swim, surf, cycle, have competed in triathlons and
an avid runner and surfer, the
the Boston and Los Angeles Marathons, and are about to embark on a
Redondo Beach, California,
four-person, 3,000-mile fundraising race from Oceanside, California, to
resident credited her survival
Annapolis, Maryland. How’s that possible?
to her high fitness level and
soon returned to modified
KR: For me, fitness has been a huge part of the answer. Before I got hurt, when I workouts at her local Gold’s
was a police officer with the LAPD, working out was essential—you have to be strong Gym. In October 2006, she
and fit to be out, running around, chasing people. I’d run to my Gold’s Gym, here in appeared on ABC’s Extreme
Redondo Beach, where I live—that’s 6-7 miles—and then I’d do some pretty intense Makeover: Home Edition as the
circuit workouts and a lot of dynamic, functional training. I did a lot of jumping, total- recipient of a handicap-acces-
body movement, and core-body stuff. People would ask me if I was training for a sible home, which featured
specific sport, and I’d tell them that I was just training for life—that was ironic because a NuStep recumbent cross-
it turned out to be true. When I was shot, the doctor said my superior fitness level trainer; she now serves as
was one of the key factors that saved my life. that company’s spokesperson.
In 2009, riding a hand cycle,
Hans
she completed the Boston
Gutknecht/Los
CBI: It’s apparently also played a major role in your recovery.
Marathon. A wife and mother
KR: Absolutely! Literally, when I was still in the hospital, one of the first things I found of two, she is currently prepar-
myself thinking was, “I need to get out of here and start working out. The only way that ing to enter law school. The
Angeles
I’m going to get through this is by getting back into my exercise and fitness routine.” IHRSA 2010 appearance of
Because I’m paralyzed from the chest down, not able to move my lower body with Ripatti, 37, and her husband,
Daily
my abs and legs, it was important that I get my upper body strong quickly so I could Tim Pearce, an LAPD officer, is
News/ZUMA
transfer myself, move myself around. Working out helps me to be independent, but sponsored by NuStep, Inc. —|
I value its mental benefits, as well. I use exercise to relieve stress.
Press/Newscom
CBI: What was it like—the transition from being a vital young woman
working out in a gym to someone attempting to recuperate from a
serious injury?>
www.ihrsa.org | MARCH 2010 | Club Business International
41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208