Kenneth Paul Salvini was a typical young man until February 11, 2004.
He was 23 when he flew off a defectively designed and constructed
ski jump in the terrain park at Washington state's Summit at Snoqualmie.
While this new life is one he was not looking forward to, it led him to
many people and experiences he might not have otherwise come across.
Kenny landed an agent and completed a writing workshop.
He hopes to one day publish a book about his life.
The content on this web page was compiled from Kenny Salvini's Blog
Kenny Salvini's Blog and other internet sources.
Brief Time, Long-Term Effect
"go big or go home." If something seemed a little bit crazy, Kenny was
your man to do it. I began skiing at the tender age of three years old,
and by the age of 23, I had long since surpassed the label of expert.
On February 11, 2004, my dad and I, along with a few friends, went out night
skiing as we did every Wednesday. The place we go to is a group of four
different resorts. The night began at one, but a chairlift broke forcing us
to relocate. The place we ended up at had one of those x-game-type
terrain parks. I had ridden on it a few times that year,
and felt completely comfortable with it. more
Clarification
that once-in-a-lifetime? That one true love of my life? Looking back...
I would say that it's EASILY possible. Where to start? The beginning,
I suppose. I knew I wanted to keep her in my life forever the first night
we met... and she felt the same. We had each held respective crushes
for one another for some time, and once we met... fireworks. We instantly
became "that couple." You know those couples. The ones that make everyone
equally jealous and nauseated simultaneously? That was us. She was the most
beautiful, passionate, and full of life person I had ever met. She brought
out the best in me, ALWAYS. She made me feel invincible. Five and a half
months after our first kiss, disaster struck. more
Because Everyone Else Has One...
And I Want To Be COOL!
college named after my favorite SNL Celebrity Jeopardy skit of all time.
2. When I was in eighth grade, I landed TWO supporting roles in the final play
of the year for my drama class: a belligerent cowboy in the hospital, and a
senile old man in a wheelchair. I shit you not. Talk about some serious
foreshadowing... more
Crosses to Bear
And although mine is a rather heavy load, I try to carry it as quietly as
possible. But sometimes you buckle under the weight, and just want to scream.
This is me screaming/venting... They say that everything happens for reason.
Is this my purpose? Is this going to be my job for life? A muse?
An inspiration to the masses? Am I just a web site that reminds people to
appreciate their lives? more
Realness and Weakness
Yes, there's the argument that we all need a higher education, to get better
jobs, to be more successful, and blah blah blah. That's crap. Yes, it's good
to learn a thing or two about a thing or two, but the most important thing is
the experience. The freedom to find out who you really are. The hundreds of
people you meet that otherwise you may have never had a chance to.
For me, all it took to make my college experience worthwhile was making
one particular friend. more
The Best Man
my sophomore year as I wandered in to Hebeler Hall on the southwest corner
of Central Washington University. My mission? To apply for acceptance into
the Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) major. My motivation?
Not exactly academic: I was about to enter my third season of wrestling and
needed to have a major declared in order to maintain my NCAA eligibility.
When my dad had mentioned electronics, it seemed just challenging enough
to keep me from sleeping through the rest of school.
more
Make Your Mark
high on a cocktail of morphine and Ativan (breakfast of champions), when
my buddy Big Jim walked in. Yep, you read correct... my hospital room.
Around 11 o'clock one Saturday last month, I started to get the chills,
but didn't think much of it. Just wrap me up in some warm towels, and call
it good, right? Wrong. An hour later, I was rocking a fever of 104° with a
mean case of the shakes while throwing up like a champion. Sweet.
The last time I had similar symptoms, it was 5 a.m. on Christmas morning
two years ago, when Santa, the bastard, left a nice, neat little emergency
kidney stone surgery in my stocking (not to mention three more scattered
over the next few months). Good times.
more
Whiskey and Burgers
rancid taste out of my mouth. I silently curse Jack Daniel's and In-N-Out
Burger simultaneously, because they were equally responsible for my little
rendezvous with the porcelain gods. Yeah, like both were forced down my
throat the night before. Why had I drank so much last night? And who in the
hell thought it was a good idea to make our flight home at six in the morning
on Sunday? The single thing that frustrates me most in that moment, is the
fact that I barely have a recollection of the fun I had the night before
that warranted said hangover... more
Reason to Believe
happened this past week, so please excuse my upcoming long-windedness.
George Carlin once said that, "inside every cynical person is a disappointed idealist."
Well, after spending the near entirety of my adult life in The Bush Era,
governed by the politics of Dick Cheney and Karl Rove, it should come as no
surprise that I have viewed government, and our system as a whole, with a
cynical pair of LASIK-corrected eyes. But after witnessing what went down in
our nation's capital on Tuesday, it's hard not to be slightly buzzed on a
cocktail of pride and optimism over what took place. more
To my "Million" Critics
inside the beginning of my life as a quadriplegic. But tell me the secrecy
kept about the ending is not borderline legendary! It seems that everyone I have
talked to about the movie was completely floored by the way things wound up.
Moreover, for the people that know me, the surprise twist hit extra hard.
They could not help but picture me in her place. It was just crazy,
because no one even saw it coming... except for myself, that is.
more
Bad Side of a Great Sport
search for the snooze button. Never a morning person, he has to set his
alarm extra early each morning, hitting snooze a few times before finally
rising. Just one more day, he thinks to himself. A little over seven pounds
left. His stomach churns, voicing its displeasure with him for being empty.
Why do I do this to myself again? Because you want to be the best, his
subconscious answers. Yeah, that and you are too short for basketball,
not to mention a terrible shot. Even his subconscious was a smart ass
in the morning. more
Stumbling Around in Time
capacitor with 1.21 gigawatts. Theodore Logan and Bill S. Preston Esq.
commandeered a magical phone booth, with George Carlin as their tour guide
no less. Hell, all Peggy Sue needed was a bump on the head. Since the dawn
of speculation, great thinkers and morons alike have contemplated the
possibility of time travel. Though we all make our best efforts to live a
life without regret, it seems that everyone has at least one moment that,
given a second chance, we would do differently. And of course, there is
always that partial criminal idiot in all of us that would do exactly what
Biff did in the second installment of Back to the Future. more
Two Years
without actually moving. Now, it's understandable that people might assume
that this particular day would be one of my worst. Not really the case, though.
I'm not sure about anyone else in situations like mine, but the actual
anniversary date doesn't mean a whole lot to me. It's not as though I woke up
this morning and said, "Holy balls! I've been paralyzed for two years!"
Not so much. Just because I crossed two years today, doesn't mean it didn't
feel like two years two months ago. I don't need a certain date to remind me
of how long it's been. more
When You Sleep Just to Dream...
It was only a dream? But it seemed so real! Every image so clear.
Every smell distinct. Every feeling so intense. You try to will yourself
back to sleep and continue dreaming, because you know it has worked on a
few occasions. You just need a few more minutes inside that moment. But
this morning sides with the majority, and you just can't. You lay there
in bed, savoring the echo of another perfect dream... more
An Evolution of Faith
I was 16, I think I had MAYBE been to church on a Sunday half a dozen times.
The only reason I went those times was because I made the mistake of
staying over at a friends house on a Saturday night. So pretty much, I grew
up without God, and I think that was downright instrumental in the way my
faith would come to evolve. Because I had never been force-fed beliefs as a
child, I was able to be completely objective when my crossroads with God
came to a head. more
What's in a Name?
doesn't really have a particular ring to it. Remember growing up when it
seemed like your name just wasn't cool enough? Didn't matter how different
your name was, it was never different enough. If you were a Travis, you
wanted to be a Jake... Lindsay's wanted to be Amber's. Everyone wanted a
different name at some point... everyone but me, for many reasons. more
Stealing Someone Else's Words
spent the last couple days (without sleep) trying to find the right words to
commemorate today. I never would have thought they would show up secondhand in
an e-mail my mom sent out to friends and loved ones this evening. Enjoy...
more
Paving the Way
umm... err... rephrase: Raise your eyebrow if you are a younger sibling.
There, that's better. For those of you that raised... something (like me),
you know exactly what I speak of today. You were always the "Little (insert
last name)." Always referred to as " So-and-So's little brother/sister."
No matter where you went, people already knew who you were. And nine times
out of 10, these people would have already formulated opinions on you, based
on the person that came before you, right or wrong. Depending on who it was
that came before you, these opinions could be positive or negative.
Lucky for me, the road ahead of me was paved with love and gold. more
A Kind Request
anytime soon. Could you do me a favor next time you're here?
Pet my damn dog, would ya? more
Intensive(ly) (S)care(d)
begins to fade. Just before going, you catch yourself wondering if the
sign above the door read Emergency Room, or Torture Chamber. Most of the
next week or so is blurred by a morphine haze. Everything flashes in one
minute intervals. Intubation tubes down your throat making you gag.
Your entire college wrestling team in your hospital room, cheering
you on as you fight to get off the ventilator, and ultimately fail.
Your best friend from elementary school, and his wife you had never met.
A teammate from high school. You only remember a few people, but they
later tell you that more than 350 people came to see you, something the
hospital officials had never seen before. more
A Broken Man's Plea
for the blessings he’s given you. Tell friends and family every day exactly
what they mean to you. Enjoy the smallest things in life. Give someone a hug.
High five somebody. Go to the beach. Walk under the stars. Walk in the rain.
Make a snow angel. Play a board game. Make someone a CD. Take a road trip.
Go to a ballgame. Have a drink, but don’t waste time being wasted, life is
better experienced without an altered state of consciousness. more
Straitjacket
at one time, back in the day. You want a cure for claustrophobia? Try
being paralyzed. Seriously. That will alleviate all of your concerns about
confined spaces. There is no tighter space to be trapped inside of than your
own skin. It’s enough to make the strongest mind go crazy.
It’s like a straitjacket for your entire body. more
So...Who's Robin, Then?
Robin, why can't we all have someone like that? Sidekicks are
so important because they serve a multitude of purposes: they are
your best buddy, they are always quick with the witty banter,
they get you into just enough trouble to make life interesting, and
most importantly, they are always there when you need them. more
More Than Eyes
They always told me that my eyes came from you.
I will readily argue that I got so much more.
I say I got your humor. Dry at times, sarcastic most, we both have the
ability to bring laughter to all we meet.
I say I got your looks. I mean, come on, couple of handsome devils here!
Always a success with the ladies. more
Obituary
Born August 16th, 1982 in Redmond, she grew up in Auburn and graduated from
Auburn High School in 2001 as a running start student. She was a vibrant soul
with a compassionate heart who found her true calling as a nurse shortly thereafter,
obtaining her LPN license from Green River Community College. more
