Demonstrating the famous “Karen kick,” left, Karen Gaffney swims across Lake Tahoe on Tuesday.

At right, Phil Summers and Bill Gaffney hold Karen Gaffney’s hands as she takes her first steps on the shore of Sugar Pine Point after swimming nine miles across the lake. Gaffney, a 29-year-old with Down syndrome, swam the lake’s width in 6 hours and 13 minutes to raise awareness for people with disabilities.

“I really hit a home run on the swim,” Karen said. “I really made a lot of people proud.”

<i>For the complete story see Friday’s Sierra Sun. </i>