Inside SOTW Mag: Women Of Substance—Christy Wright

Get to know the locals at the Lake of the Ozarks and you’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone more personable than Christy Wright, the sweetheart of a human being who is married to performance boater and offshore racer, Mike Wright. The 40-year-old Christy Wright grew up coming to the lake as a kid and now lives at the lake year round and started her second career—previously she worked in private banking—as an insurance agent for the highly regarded WIA Marine Insurance. In her spare time, she enjoys boating (of course), hanging out with her dogs and helping raise money for local animal shelters. She said one thing she and her husband of 12 years have learned since moving to the lake full time from the Kansas City, Mo., area four years ago is that it’s OK to say no to hanging out with people every time they get invited somewhere since there are lots of opportunities to head out onto the lake or enjoy the nightlife with their friends. She said even saying “no” doesn’t always work. “Mike never wants to miss out on anything,” she said with a laugh.

Christy Wright (second from left) embraces life on the water at the Lake of the Ozarks. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

HAVE BOATS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PART OF YOUR LIFE?

Yes—I’ve been boating since I could fit into a life jacket. I grew up across from The Toad (Camden on the Lake Resort), and even back then it was a hot spot for high-performance boats. I was obsessed with any boat that was loud and fast. My folks always owned a boat and got out as much as possible, even before I was born. I learned to ski early in life and can remember running on the porch as soon as I heard a powerboat so I could catch a glimpse and give my best guess as to the make and model.

HOW DID YOU MEET MIKE?

We randomly met at the bank where I worked. On our first date we knew it was going somewhere as we got hung up talking about growing up at the Lake of the Ozarks and our love for boating.

WHEN DID YOU TWO MOVE TO THE LAKE FULL TIIME?

Four years ago. We both grew up being dragged down here as kids constantly and we have been coming here nearly every weekend since we’ve been together. We finally sold our KC home four years ago to be her permanently. We hated going home—it is so beautiful here year round.

WHAT KIND OF BOAT DO YOU HAVE?

We have a 36-foot Concept center console with twin Mercury Marine Verado 275 engines. We used to have Mike’s Warlock, which he raced for several years, but we sold it to a team from Florida that has been racing it and having fun with it, which is cool to see.

DESCRIBE LIFE AT LAKE OF THE OZARKS.

Wow, it’s a lot of things— beautiful and scenic all year. I especially love the quiet months when us locals feel like we have the place to ourselves. That’s short-lived nowadays (laughs). Fall is especially beautiful when the leaves turn, but of course I love the hot summer months spent out boating and seeing all the incredible boats out running around. But I love anything outdoors. I love to take my kayak out early in the morning or go hiking at Ha Ha Tonka State Park. This place can wear you out, but I feel like I know the secrets as to how to retreat, relax and soak up nature.

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