 |
Winter Sports Clinic Creates "Miracles on a Mountainside"
By Rachel Monserrate For the 19th year, the Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) brought
together hundreds of volunteers in the hopes of creating "Miracles
on a Mountainside" for over 300 disabled American veterans. The
National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, held in Snowmass
Village, Colorado, aimed to restore hope and vitality to some of
America's disabled veterans.
 Each year, the clinic brings together veterans
with a wide range of disabilities, including spinal cord injuries
or disease, visual impairments, neurological conditions,
amputations, and other disabilities, and encourages them to
challenge themselves both physically and mentally. During the
course of the six-day event, participants are introduced to a
number of activities such as adaptive skiing, rock climbing, scuba
diving, snowmobiling, and sled hockey. Through these activities,
event organizers hope to encourage participants to reach beyond the
scope of their disabilities and realize the challenges that they
can overcome not only on the mountain, but also in everyday
life.
Helping Vet Creates Clinic
The idea for the Winter Sports Clinic was hatched when Sandy
Trombetta, founder of the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports
Clinic and a recreational therapist, was working with one
particular disabled vet. They had worked together all summer, and
when winter rolled around, Trombetta couldn't come up with
activities for his patient.
Trombetta heard an ad about adaptive skiing, and asked his
patient if he would be interested, to which his patient responded,
"How can I ski? I can't even walk."
After some prodding, Trombetta convinced his patient to hit the
slopes. The skiing was difficult, and Trombetta began to worry
about his patient's safety after watching him fall and get up, and
fall and get back up again. Suddenly, though, Trombetta realized
that the activity was forcing his patient to challenge himself
beyond his disability.
"It became very clear that it wasn't about skiing," said
Trombetta. "It was about someone who had lost a part of himself
through his disability and was trying to regain it. Then I thought
to myself, 'If it can help him, it can help so many others.'"
Thus, the Winter Sports Clinic was born. The first clinic was
held in 1987, with 87 participants, and has continued to grow each
year due to its remarkable success. This year was no exception.
Skydive Opens 2005 Event
The 2005 Winter Sports Clinic, which was held April 3-9, kicked
offwith amputee skydiver Dana Bowman jumping into Snowmass Village
to open the event. Bowman landed on the Snowmass ski slope, where
he was quickly joined by actress Bo Derek and actor John Corbett,
who are avid supporters of the event.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz also joined Bowman
and some of the events' participants on the slopes. This was
Wolfowitz's first trip to the Winter Sports Clinic, and he was
inspired by the veterans' enduring spirit.
"I am amazed by the courage and determination of these vets,"
expressed Wolfowitz. "It's not just recreation. This is serious
business for them."
Wolfowitz was also a speaker at the event's opening ceremony,
which featured remarks from several VA and DAV personnel involved
with the event and entertainment by up-and-coming country singer Ty
Nelson. Veteran and inspirational speaker Rudy Ruettiger, whose
story was immortalized in the film Rudy, also volunteered his time
to spread his words of motivation and inspiration to the veterans
at Snowmass.
Veterans' Stories
 Events and competition for the 323 participants
began on the second day of the clinic, and some first-timers, like
1st Lieutenant Ed Salau of Havelock, North Carolina, were excited
to get started.
Salau is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who lost his left
leg above the knee during an attack on his Bradley tank on November
15th of last year. The same rocket-propelled grenade that took
Salau's left leg ripped offthe right leg of his gunner who was
sitting next to him. Both traveled to Snowmass to take part in
their first Winter Sports Clinic.
After losing his leg in Iraq, Salau spent nearly four months at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington DC, rehabbing both
physically and emotionally. Salau immediately met with peer mentors
who helped him cope with his loss.
"I knew I wasn't the first guy to lose his leg in the world, but
it was my lifeand my leg," said Salau.
Salau learned of the Winter Sports Clinic from an occupational
therapist during a rehabilitation session. When the suggestion was
made that he participate, Salau said, "Really? Skiing? I have one
leg."
After some consideration and three other ski trips, Salau
decided he was ready to come to the Winter Sports Clinic. Salau,
who was not a skier before his amputation, states the value of a
program such as this. "If I can do this, I can do anything. If I
can learn something new and master it, then I know I can go back to
doing everything else I used to do."
When he returns to North Carolina, Salau wants to work with his
prosthetist at East Carolina Brace and Limb Company, headquartered
in New Bern, North Carolina, to learn to run again.
Another first-time participant, Mario Uribe, a Navy veteran from
Oakland, California, had reservations about skiing, but quickly
overcame them.
"I was definitely more doubtful than hopeful," said Uribe, who
lost his right leg and left arm due to a serviceconnected injury in
Vietnam. "I felt like an old lady in a rocker at first, but I got
the hang of it."
Uribe sees the value of this clinic as inspiration to those who
may have lost their zest for lifedue to disability. "This is an
eye-opening experience, and the benefit is selfchallenge. It
engenders hope."
 |
Paul Miosek |
|
For Army veteran Paul Miosek, who was competing in
sled hockey and bi-skiing, the Winter Sports Clinic is an event he
looks forward to all year. Miosek traveled all the way from Albany,
New York, for his fifth year at the clinic because, "It's a place
where people who think they can't do things learn that they
can."
Miosek had his own fears the first time he competed, but
conquering those helped him to overcome other challenges. "I was
afraid the first time because I didn't know what to expect. Then it
was no-holds-barred. Nothing could hold me back from anything."
Miosek's coach Michele Ferrauilo noted the changes that the
clinic has made in Miosek's rehabilitation. "It's a great rehab
opportunity. We've seen weight reduction, more confidence, and a
willingness to compete in any clinic, whereas before he never
would."
People More than Disability
The goal of the Winter Sports Clinic is to initiate these kinds
of rehabilitative changes in its participants. Trombetta says the
only failure is if these veterans leave the clinic without a sense
of accomplishment and a great selfimage.
While he's extremely proud of the success the Winter Sports
Clinic has enjoyed, Trombetta is still humbled by how his desire to
help one man has helped so many. "I wish I had known all this 20
years ago, but I didn't. I just wanted to take a guy skiing."
Trombetta stresses that the most important lesson that the VA
and DAV organizers want the veterans to take with them is that, as
people, they are much more than just their physical disability.
"When our body is gone, it's our spirit that defines us." 
Table Of Contents - June 2005
|
|
