DS/USA Hosts Hartford Ski Spectacular

Disabled Sports USA (DS/USA) has announced that it will host the 21st Annual The Hartford Ski Spectacular, the nation's largest winter sports festival for individuals with physical disabilities. The event will bring together more than 800 participants ranging in ability from first-time skiers to members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team (USDST). Held at the Beaver Run Resort on the slopes of Breckenridge, Colorado, December 7 - 14, the event provides ski and race programs, youth mentorship, downhill and Nordic competitions, and instructor training. The event is sponsored by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Hartford, Connecticut, the founding sponsor of the U.S. Paralympics.

"For decades, The Hartford Ski Spectacular has helped thousands of disabled athletes gain exposure to the sport, whether they are learning to ski for the first time during rehabilitation or are promising U.S. Disabled Ski Team hopefuls," said DS/USA Executive Director Kirk Bauer, who lost a leg from a hand grenade during an ambush while serving in the Ninth Combat Infantry Division in Vietnam. "More important than the coaching and training [that] participants receive at the event is the sense of accomplishment. From teens participating in youth developmental clinics to Wounded Warriors disabled in service to our country, participants come away from the event realizing, 'If I can do this, I can do anything.' The [sense of] success and confidence from programs like these can have a profound impact on people's personal and professional lives."

Sharing Stories of Success and Motivation

Several Paralympians who competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games will participate in both learn-to-ski and mentorship programs. Among them is Army SPC Scott Winkler, who was paralyzed while serving in Tikrit, Iraq. Until the Wounded Warrior tried his hand at shot put at a Paralympic sports camp, he thought the only sport he would enjoy again was bass fishing. Winkler went on to become the first veteran of the war in Iraq to qualify for the U.S. Paralympic team. He holds the world record in adaptive shot put (10.23 meters) and earned gold for shot put and bronze for discus at the 2007 Parapan American Games, Rio de Janiero, Brazil. "An event like The Hartford Ski Spectacular gives Wounded Warriors like me the chance to get started in sports again after an injury," Winkler said. "Until you try it, you'll never know."

A total of 119 American Wounded Warriors, their families, and hospital staff will participate in the Learn-to-Ski, Learn-to-Race, and mentor programs. For four years, the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, a partnership between DS/USA and Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), has coordinated adaptive sporting events for Wounded Warriors across the country. Several Wounded Warriors who have participated in the Hartford Ski Spectacular in previous years are returning to serve as mentors and instructors to first-time participants.

Spectacular Events

The Hartford Ski Spectacular will include training camps, as well as slalom and giant slalom competitions to prepare the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team for the 2009 World Championships. Also included will be the National Race Festival, which will enable aspiring young and Wounded-Warrior racers of all abilities to advance their skills alongside the best disabled racers and coaches in the country. These racers will later put their skills to the test in head-to-head competition at the NorAm races, to be held at Copper Mountain, Colorado, on December 8 and 9.

Instructors and volunteers from disabled skiing programs throughout the nation can also attend classes at The Hartford Ski Spectacular, learning the latest techniques in adaptive skiing methods. The only program of its kind, its Instructor Academy is sanctioned by the Professional Ski Instructors of America/American Association of Snowboard Instructors.

"The Hartford [Financial Services Group]is proud to sponsor this unique and innovative program that celebrates its 21st anniversary of helping people with disabilities learn new skills, build their confidence and take important steps on the road to recovery," said Ron Gendreau, executive vice president of The Hartford's Group Benefits Division. "Everyone who participates in this special event leaves inspired and renewed by the awesome display of human spirit and will."

For a complete schedule of events and registration information, visit www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=THEH11E&OID=160