Sports center’s tailor-made programs serve aspiring athletes with disabilities

No mountain too high
Sports center’s tailor-made programs serve aspiring athletes with disabilities

By Connie Goldsmith, MPA, RN
November 6, 2000
Photo: Jeff Stine/National Sports Center for the Disabled

Blind skiers form a partnership with a guide who helps them make their way safely down the slopes.


	You've read the article. Now tell us what you think. Summer fun Summer sports activities offered at NSCD include: hiking, sailing, fishing, baseball, camping, inline skating, rock climbing, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, bicycling/handcycling. National Sports Center for the Disabled (970) 726-1540 America’s Athletes with Disabilities (800) 238-7632 Disabled Sports USA (301) 217-0960 U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center (909) 584-0269 Racing toward success Hannah Pennington is a student at the University of Colorado at Denver and a health technician at University Hospital in Denver for six months out of the year. But for the other six months, her occupation is ski racer. The 22-year-old Pennington is one of about 20 competitive skiers with disabilities who train full time in Winter Park, Colo. She has cerebral palsy, which affects her from the pelvis down, and she ambulates with orthotics. "It’s not debilitating; it is limiting in physical activity, but only in certain ways," she said. This is her fourth year of full-time training. She races in about six national and international competitions each season. Although she was tentative about competing at first, Pennington now is hooked. "It’s such a confidence builder, and it always gives you something to strive for," she said. Pennington’s journey toward competitive skiing began at age 7, when she joined the handicapped sports program at Children’s Hospital in Denver, which is affiliated with the National Sports Center for the Disabled. "My whole family skis, so it was great for me to be able to do something with my family just as well as them," she said. Now, Pennington spends five days a week on the slopes. She and her comrades add daily gym sessions for weight training and cardiovascular conditioning. The group includes members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team and members of ski teams from abroad. "We have everything from high-level paraplegia to very involved CP to an ankle amputee," Pennington said. She uses regular skis and adds orthotics to her boots; others use different types of adaptive equipment. The athletes are divided into three groups according to their type and degree of disability. "My class is CP L3, which means I’m a below the waist [impairment], both legs affected," Pennington explained. Pennington and the others train in alpine skiing, which consists of four events. Downhill has the most direct course from the top to the bottom of the mountain. The twists and turns increase progressively with the Super G, the Giant Slalom (Pennington’s favorite) and the Slalom. Alpine skiing is one of the three sports categories that will be featured in the 2002 Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City, an event that Pennington is focused on. Pennington is enthusiastic about the great opportunities in sports for people with disabilities, as well as the physical and emotional benefits that go along with it. "I’m so glad I started [racing] because I couldn’t go back if I wanted to – I’m so in love with it," she said. ~ Valerie Harris, MS, OTR

A blind woman. A man with a prosthetic leg. A child with spina bifida in a wheelchair. What do these people have in common? Maybe not what you’d think. They’re all preparing for their first ski lesson at the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD), a world-class leader in therapeutic recreation about 70 miles northwest of Denver and 9,000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains.

Since ski instructor Hal O’Leary first volunteered to give a ski lesson to 23 amputee children in 1970, the program at Winter Park Resort in Colorado has expanded to include year-round sports activities for 3,000 children and adults with disabilities. With a staff of 52 and a powerhouse volunteer corps of 1,000, the NSCD provides about 25,000 lessons annually to people from every state and a dozen international groups.

NSCD winter sports include downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. Many of the instructors and volunteers are certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America. The NSCD can accommodate people with a wide range of disabilities, including blindness, cerebral palsy, paraplegia, amputation, spinal cord injury and stroke.

Adaptive ski equipment allows nearly everyone to hit the slopes regardless of whether they have full use of their arms or legs. For example, an amputee can use a three-track setup, consisting of one ski and two outriggers, forearm crutches with ski tips mounted on the bases. A person in a wheelchair can enjoy a successful skiing experience using a bi-ski – a rigid seat mounted on two skis and fitted with handheld outriggers.

The value of athletic programs for people with disabilities can be profound.

"I see three benefits," staffer Haley Miller, PT, said. "The first is the physical benefit – improvements in strength, endurance, balance and flexibility, which correlate with better function and mobility in daily life. The social benefits include being able to participate in activities with other people, both able-bodied and disabled, and the lifelong bonds formed with instructors and new friends. A big emotional benefit is the increased self-confidence participants gain that carries over to their school or work."

Participation in these programs offers as much reward to the volunteers as to the participants.

"The students teach me a lot about life," said Brene Belew, RN, a public health nurse in Colorado’s Grand County who has volunteered at NSCD for nine years. "They have so much courage. They are determined to accomplish what seems easy for the able-bodied. Every day that I teach skiing, I come away with a greater belief in being grateful for what has been given to you."

While many volunteers love the chance to spend more time outdoors, some are motivated by personal experience.

"My brother had polio as a child. He wasn’t able to participate in many activities or sports because a program like this didn’t exist 40 years ago," said Shirley Naranjo, RN, a certified orthopedic nurse who taught skiing on the mountain for 10 years. "You feel pretty good when you work with a child for a few days, and that child skis the last couple of runs of the day with his family."

The nonprofit NSCD does much more than provide lessons. For example, it hosts major ski competitions such as the Columbia Crest Race in February, which gives top skiers a chance to qualify for the U.S. Nationals and membership on the U.S. Disabled Ski Team.

The NSCD also provides training to other resorts and programs looking to improve their services for people with disabilities through instructor exchanges and an annual symposium. New programs are continually being added: most recently, overnight hut trips and a spring break children’s camp, where boys and girls with disabilities take part in a variety of snow sports tailored just to them.

"One of the best things about these programs is that we can take the time to work with each person to help clarify and set personal goals," Miller said. "It’s incredible to watch people progress, grow and achieve their goals, all while having a blast."

Naranjo agrees. "It makes disabled people feel like they’re part of the team. It’s the big smile at the bottom of the ski run that says it best."