News and Information about the People and Programs of SFL International
Skiing. Sharing. Learning
The mission of Ski for Light is to enhance the quality of life and independence of visually or mobility-impaired adults through a program of cross country skiing.
Dear Friends,
As Roseanne Roseannadanna used to say, "Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it's always something--if it's not one thing, it's another." So, at SFL 2011 we had the Great Blizzard to talk about, but also a week of really good - if cold--skiing. At SFL 2012 we were worried about low snowfall levels, but if anyone didn't get in enough skiing, they probably weren't trying all that hard. Thanks to the efforts of Soldier Hollow Cross Country Ski Center, an exciting interesting 5 km trail was created using man-made snow. It was groomed nearly every night, and the weather gods cooperated to keep temps cool enough so that the tracks held up well. And our Event Chair, Scott McCall and Trails Meister, Ken Leghorn, wrangled an additional ski venue at Sundance for two days at mid-week. This not only relieved congestion but also helped to preserve the Soldier Hollow trails while providing another skiing option.
As we always say, if we have good snow and good skiing, we all have a good week. And a good week we did have. Back at the Marriott, we were entertained by the usual round-up of Special Interest sessions, a Mystery/ Movie night, and who could forget the Dueling Pianos? And of course, there were the many informal get-togethers with friends old and new; the conversations on the bus that renew acquaintances and form new friendships, the hot tub chats, and on and on.
Now, hard to believe, it's already time to start thinking about SFL 2013. We'll be at Shanty Creek Resorts, a brand-new venue for Ski for Light in Northern Michigan. With some 30 km of groomed trails, along with ice skating, tubing and indoor recreation at hand, I'm sure that Deb Wiese, the Event Chair, and Cara Barnes, the Vice Chair, are well into planning great and fun things for us beyond the ski trails. Get those dates on your calendar: January 27 to February 3, 2013.
So, pack your skis away for the summer, but don't forget where you put them, because soon enough, it will be time to dust them off and take them to Michigan. In the meantime, have a fun, safe and active summer.
Marion
Editor's Note: We all know that a week at Ski for Light can be intense, even cathartic. But when I received the article you'll read next in my email Inbox just a few days after Ski for Light 2012 from hard-driving skier Dave Wilkinson, I was thrilled an impressed by his openness as well as by the clarity with which he expressed the experience. Whether you're a VIP, a MIP, a GIP or simply a fan of the human species, I'm sure you'll feel much the same as I did on reading this. - P.S.
I came back to Ski for Light International after an 8-year absence from both the organization and the sport. I left the event feeling reborn!
As a blind person, my immediate world consists of what I can touch, with ancillary information provided through hearing, taste and smell plus a few confusing blobs thrown in for good measure. But the senses outside of touch aren't precise. For instance, I might know there's a pitcher of water on the table because I hear ice clink in a glass as water is poured. But to find that pitcher I will have to extend my hand out into space and grope.
I run marathons and other races and have a Saturday morning running group. I'm attached to my guide by a 20-inch tether and am guided by spoken directions and by tugs on the rope. I know there's a curve in the road because I'm told and because I'm guided by a push or a pull. The blobs come in again as I look for what I think the landscape will be, but my minuscule amount of vision is based almost entirely on context so that a driveway can appear remarkably like an intersection, and cracks in the pavement look like steps.
All that being said, I have no complaints. I have a great wife, an awesome son and a good job. I have the good fortune to be a decent athlete. I have a happy successful life. But I ALWAYS want more! This has nothing to do with vision, it's just my nature.
So SFL 2012 had some surprises in store for me. I roomed by myself, and that proved to be a lucky thing. At various times during the week I would come back to my room and cry for no apparent reason. I would sit at my desk and wait for the moment to pass and the feelings to subside. Then it would be time for dinner or something else and off I'd go. But just what the hell was going on! Sudden teary outbursts just aren't my thing.
Reasons presented themselves, but nothing seemed to fit. I was tired--sure. I was frustrated by exercises designed to improve my technique - true. I was overwhelmed-- whatever.
Cross country skiing has always had an incredible hold on me, but I've never understood why. The first time I skied I took to the snow as if I'd been there all my life. That's what I expected to happen, so I missed the magic of what was really going on. I was looking beyond to see what was next.
I've always given lip service to the sense of freedom provided by this sport. But during Ski for Light 2012 I learned that those words have some serious punch behind them. I had awesome guides who provided me with an overview of the landscape and who helped me with my technique, but ultimately I was in control. I finally GOT it - not physically, but emotionally! My world REALLY WAS what I could touch. I could FEEL my surroundings through the tracks in the snow. And when the tracks were washed out, my body adjusted to the contours of the countryside. My body was able to use all its pores to grab information and make instant decisions. My world was still what was within arm's length, but what I could touch was going by at breakneck speeds and thus expanding my horizons every second. I love speed and I'm too competitive for my own good. If I do something, I do it to win! Competition makes me who I am and has helped me in many physically and psychologically bruising battles throughout my life. But focusing on the immediate battle can lead to - well, a myopic view.
Yes I won an age group award in my age group, and for that I am grateful. But that's not the award that means the most for me this week. I FINALLY understand the nature of the grip skiing has on my soul. It's all about Freedom! It's all about being in immediate control of my own destiny. It's about discovering that Ethereal MORE! I ALWAYS want more and this past week I got it, and that's what the tears were all about.
Thank you SFL!
Editor's Note: I asked SFL 2012 attendees to send in brief comments about their week on the trails at Soldier Hollow. You obliged with some great stories and observations. Here goes:
As first time guides at SFL, Karin Grossman and I want to thank everyone for making us feel so welcome. It was an entirely new way for us to share our love for cross-country skiing and to give back to the world of skiing, which has given so much to us. We made a lot of new friends. Our days were filled with new experiences that made us feel good. We went to bed each night tired and happy. It is entirely true that the giver receives and the receiver gives. We returned home feeling like we received more then we gave. We hope to see you again. Happy trails to everyone.
I had a marvelous time at SFL and having my skier CARA BARNES (who is absolutely fabulous) come in second in her age group on race day was very exciting and rewarding. This was my first time entering a cross-country ski race. What I noticed most about this group is that everyone is so positive and all have a great sense of humor, which I find essential in my life. I thank you all for your hard work in getting this event organized. It takes a Village.
My favorite time during SFL was skiing : the tracks were just fine (especially in the morning) ; the organization was just perfect for the race rally, even though I sometimes had a tough time (after 18 years without practicing). It was a terrific time. I'm very grateful to the guides, who spend their time and share their knowledge with us. I enjoyed all of the evening activities, but my favorite was the "Dueling Pianos." I liked what they played, the dancing, the atmosphere... Thank you to all the volunteers who involve themselves so much to make a wonderful week.
I was introduced to guiding and to Ski For Light in 2009 by my young friend Theresa Fancher, a former US Alpine Team Paralympian. After her unexpected death in 2010, I dedicated my 2011 ski season to guiding others and attended my first SFL International in Granby, Colorado. That SFL was such an uplifting experience that I committed to returning to the 2012 SFL in Provo/Soldier Hollow. What I quickly discovered in Provo was that I had returned, not just as a guide, but as a member of a new family. A family of familiar faces, voices, and personalities. A family that grew in 2012, as I reconnected with skiers and guides I had met in Colorado and embraced new skiers, guides, and worker bees in Utah. The 2012 SFL was another great experience and I look forward to seeing my new family in Michigan next year.
I went to SFL in a very hesitant mode. I had been watching the Soldier Hollow website for weeks and all they showed were 2-3 kilometers of trail open. What a great relief it was to see that at least 5 kilometers were open when I arrived on Saturday and skated the area. After having such a great ski on that man-made snow, I was re-energized about spending the week on the Soldier Hollow snow. The Marriott was a very comfortable place to stay. I really enjoyed meeting many more new people this year and getting to revisit people I met last year. The selection of Shanty Creek as next year's location also is a positive. Less time in a bus and more ski time! Hope to see you all next winter,
I had a fantastic week at Ski for Light, easily the best I've had this century or since I've been blind. I fell all over the place on the first day of skiing, but started tapping into the muscle memory of decades ago, and by Thursday relished the freedom of gliding along untethered to another person, cane or canine. I cannot capture in words that feeling, sort of like riding a bike for the first time without the reassuring yet constraining hand of a parent. What made it better though was sharing it with my sighted guide, Jeannette, who skied beside or behind me, describing the upcoming terrain, calling track changes and coaching me down the hills. Sometimes sharing such moments with another surpasses the actual physical accomplishment. Jeannette was a great guide who figured me out rather quickly. She adeptly knew when to nudge my competitive nature and when to rein me in a bit. After the second day of skiing, she inquired as to my goals for the week. I muttered some vague thoughts about improving my technique, going faster, and having fun. After pondering her question overnight and during yoga the next day, I flashed on the idea of covering 100 kilometers during the week. When I posed the goal to Jeannette, she quickly did the math and accepted the challenge. We started Wednesday with 28 km covered, and gobbled up 20, 25, and 20 km over the next three days. Thursday was probably our best overall day of skiing. The tracks were good, the snow cold and not slushy. We skied loop after loop, three before lunch and 2 more afterwards. The last loop of the day was our best with no falls, smooth transitions, and great double poling on the fast sections. After the race and lunch on Saturday, Jeanette and I skied a final leisurely loop with the trail to ourselves. We skied as near equals with her using our short hand terms and code to describe the terrain ahead. It was a great way to end the ski week and finish with 103+ kilometers beneath our skis for the six days.
I really appreciated the fine week in Utah. The skiing conditions were a bit iffy, but for the most part I had a great time. It's too bad that we didn't get natural snow, but what do you do? You take what you get. I thought the hotel was absolutely awesome. The people were great. The entire staff bent over backwards to make sure we had clean rooms and a place to relax after a hard day of skiing. On a personal note, I lost my luggage, or should I say that the Airlines lost my luggage. The hotel staff was very nice. They supplied me with what I needed until my luggage was brought to my door at 6:30 AM. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had lost luggage. I found out that morning that my next door neighbor from Norway lost his luggage. It was traced to Vietnam!
Keep those "likes" coming! Just click "Like" on the Ski for Light Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SkiforLight?sk=wall. Thanks to you, your family and friends, we're well over the 100 "likes" mark, and have an active and dynamic Facebook page! Remember, Ski for Light is on Facebook year-' round! So, please keep the SFL community updated with your off ski season activities. Recent updates include everything from late season SFL regional updates to Team Ridderrennet pictures, to who's training to run a marathon! Keep us posted on what trips and training you're up to this summer!
Ski for Light is managed and governed by an elected Board of Directors, while the affairs of the organization are managed between meetings of the full Board by an Executive Committee of the Board. During the recent Annual Meeting of the SFL Board in Provo 13 people were elected to the Board. Re-elected for additional terms as Directors were Cara Barnes, Julie York Coppens, Wendy David, David Fisk, Leslie Maclin, Scott McCall, Laura Oftedahl, Holly Schmaling, Brenda Seeger and Larry Showalter. Also elected to the Board were new members Bob Civiak, Lawrence Povinelli and Peter Slatin.
The Board also elected officers for the next two years. Elected were Marion Elmquist as President, Scott McCall as Vice-President, Heather Hall as Secretary, Doug Boose as Treasurer, and Judith Dixon and Laura Oftedahl as Directors-at-Large. The Executive Committee is comprised of these six officers plus the Immediate Past President, Larry Showalter.
Our thanks for their many years of service go to departing Directors Suzanne Brown, Dianne Brunswick and Brook Yates. All new board members and officers assumed their duties on February 26th. Congratulations to all of those elected to the Board and/or officer positions. The new Board roster follows.
Ski for Light, Inc.
Officers and Directors 2012 - 2014
Marion Elmquist, President - Des Moines, IA
Scott McCall, Vice-President - Atlanta, GA
Heather Hall, Secretary - Girdwood, AK
Doug Boose, Treasurer - Houghton, MI
Judith Dixon, Director-at-Large - Arlington, VA
Laura Oftedahl, Director-at-Large - Berkeley, CA
Larry Showalter, Immediate Past President - Seattle, WA
Renee Abernathy - Dallas, NC
Cara Barnes - Eureka, CA
Tim Byas - Fort Collins, CO
Robert Civiak - Lebanon, NH
Julie York Coppens - Cincinnati, OH
Wendy David - Seattle, WA
Richard Epstein - Dummerston, VT
David Fisk - Post Mills, VT
Robert Hartt - Alexandria, VA
Eivind Heiberg- Minneapolis, MN
Leslie Maclin - Evanston, IL
Theresa Montano - Denver, CO
Bonnie O'Day - Alexandria, VA
Lawrence Povinelli - Madison, AL
Holly Schmaling - Delafield, WI
Brenda Seeger - Red Lake Falls, MN
Peter Slatin - New York, NY
By Bonnie O'Day
Whether participants or guides or worker bees, attendees of SFL International Week in any year are encouraged to embrace the SFL motto: "If I can do this, I can do anything." We're also challenged to translate the sense of accomplishment we experience during the event into positive life changes back home. Participation in cross-country skiing, plus contact with positive role models who work, are in school, or participate actively in their communities can be strong motivators for personal change. To find out whether or how Ski for Light has positively affected our lives, in Fall 2011 we conducted an on-line survey of past SFL event participants, including skiers and guides. We asked what long-term effect, if any, that participation in SFL has had since returning home.
Along with gathering basic demographic information, we asked whether participation in SFL had caused participants to think about, prepare for, or make changes in exercise, education and training, employment, or community participation. We also asked questions to see if participants had changed their attitudes towards individuals with disabilities after participating in SFL.
A total of 133 people (and 12 guide dogs) completed the survey: 40 percent were visually impaired participants (VIPs); 52 percent were guides; 3 percent were mobility impaired participants (MIPs), and 5 percent were "other," meaning worker bees or attendee companions.
Nearly 60% of MIP and VIP skiers, and 35% of guides said they had increased the amount of exercise they get or were taking steps to do so since attending SFL. Almost one quarter of all respondents said they had either taken steps to increase or had increased their education; 16% of participants and 19% of guides said they had increased their employment or taken steps to do so. Nearly 60 percent of participants said they had increased their independence or had taken steps in that direction (we did not ask guides this question). Finally, 63 percent of participants and 59 percent of guides said they had increased their community participation or were taking steps to do so after attending SFL.
Most participants and almost all guides said they were more aware of the capabilities of other people with disabilities and interacted differently with people with disabilities since attending SFL. More than 90 percent of participants and 67 percent of guides said SFL gave them a chance to engage in an activity they would not have otherwise had the chance to enjoy.
At the end of the survey, we provided the opportunity for respondents to make additional comments. Here is a sampling:.
Participants:
"I have attended one Ski for Light International week. I had a truly fantastic time. The event made me realize that I needed to lose weight. In the following months, I lost 85 pounds. Had I lost this weight before SFL, I know that my time at Ski for Light would have been that much more amazing." "SFL International has made me more assertive. As a result, I get my needs met more often... It allows me the opportunity to network with others, which is very important as one seeks employment... Skiing with SFL allows me to enjoy the sport without having to worry about getting to the trailhead, finding and staying on the trail and avoiding dangerous situations."
Guides:
"To be able to share the enjoyment in cross country skiing with someone who is vision impaired and would not be able to do this great sport without guiding is truly a wonderful experience. The friendships formed and the joint love of this sport have enriched my life."
"I was so impressed and excited about SFL that I wanted in immediately! I now work with preschoolers with visual impairments. SFL has inspired me to go back to school and get a masters in Occupational Therapy. I feel so lucky to be able to share my passion for skiing with so many others who might not otherwise get a chance to ski or get exercise! I have met so many amazing people and have built some incredible relationships! Ski for Light is truly so special! And I don't know what I would do without it! Ski for Light has really changed my life!"
While it is difficult to disentangle the impact of a particular experience from what might have happened over the course of a life, it is evident from the survey data and comments that survey respondents perceive that SFL has had a profound impact on their lives. Several participants commented that overcoming the challenge of cross-country skiing had motivated them to take on other challenges in their lives. Other participants said that meeting other successfully employed people with disabilities had caused them to push beyond the limits they had set for themselves.
SFL has had a profound effect on guides as well. Several said that participation in SFL had helped them increase their self-confidence, try new activities, and begin volunteering in their communities. Others increased their social networks, embarked on new careers, and developed lifelong friendships. Almost all guides said that they had a better understanding of the capabilities of people with disabilities and interacted with them differently after participating in SFL. This increased acceptance could open many other doors for people with disabilities throughout the country.
By Sonja Elmquist
Most of my favorite moments of Ski For Light have nothing to do with being a first-time guide: open mike at the townie bar, getting splashed by a hot-tub bellyflop from a wheelchair and the occasional freshman-dorm party atmosphere at the hotel were there for everyone. As was cheering at the finish line. And lunch. But a meaningful moment from my week was a new-kid type moment. Since SFL, I've thought of it often when trying to articulate to friends and co-workers what on earth could be so fun about being cooped up in a hotel for a week with a bunch of strangers -- half of them disabled -- in Utah.
It was the first day at Soldier Hollow, in guide training, my novice feet attached to skis and my eyes blindfolded. My training group had talked for hours about things to check on and be aware of and now there was nothing left to do but practice on ourselves before Bob Hart and Bob Civiak were ready to inflict us on our blameless skiers.
Feeling that it was in the spirit of the organization to leap before I looked, I was first to cover my eyes with Bob Hartt's purple fleece earband, while Bill Carr guided me around, telling me some things after I'd already figured them out myself, some things that I couldn't understand and many things that kept me on my feet and somehow unafraid of moving forward. With his guidance, I quickly became confident in putting my feet into unknown space and picking up my pace from a slow to a medium shuffle.
"Ok," I proclaimed, "I've got this, Bill. It's your turn for the blindfold. I'm bored." Bill, annoyingly (but smartly), said we should finish out the 2k lap. Wishing to be agreeable, at least at the beginning, I acquiesced.
Then something neat happened. I began to have fun. I guess I had assumed the skiers were having a particular, if limited, kind of fun - call it disabled fun. Something like fun, fun-ish, but less fun than real fun would have been. This near-fun I thought the skiers must be having meant that I must be doing a capital-G Good Thing; generous, charitable and noble but still somewhat short of showing them an able-bodied good time.
But as we skied along, I was startled to find myself having all-the-way fun. I was enjoying the feeling of my feet on the snow and the air moving on my skin, listening for what was going on around me, sorting out what things were in my capacity to figure out on my own and gratefully trusting my guide to tell me what I needed to be told.
That experience let me go ahead and do Ski for Light with my skiers and let go of doing Ski for Light for them. And I've come to think this is the secret handshake, part of the glue that makes the organization so sticky to some people. The "fun," and the "with," and the "for," get blended up into a sum that is more than its parts. like the last bite of Mexican chocolate cookie on the mountain, discovered somehow by Lauren Heine and shared because it's too good to keep to yourself.
Our thanks go to the following companies that have provided products or services to help support Ski for Light. Many of these companies have stood behind us for years - and we're grateful. Be sure to think of our friends when you're gearing up for your next adventure.
JanSport
Acorn
Birkenstock
Bison Designs LLC
Blue Ridge Chair Works
Brazos Walking Sticks
Byer of Maine
CamelBak Products
Canine Hardware
Clif Bar and Company
Columbia Sportswear
Crazy Creek Products
Dansko
Fox River Mills
Granite Gear
Haiku
Hog Wild
iFitness
Injinji Performance Toe Socks
Katie's Bumpers
KAVU
Kiva Designs, Inc.
Kuhl
LARABAR
LEKI USA
Live Eyewear
Paper Shower
Patagonia
Pepper's Eyeware
Point 6
Ruff Wear
Runnur
Sperry Top-Sider
SportHill
Stunt Puppy
Utah Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau
Zuke's
Editor: Peter Slatin
Layout and graphics: Bjorg Dunlop
Electronic version: Duane Farrar and Larry Showalter
Special thanks to: Fram Lodge #3-564, Sons of Norway
The SFL Bulletin is published three times a year. It is available in ink-print, on audio cassette, or via e-mail. If you wish to change formats, please send your request to: bulletin@sfl.org.
The current as well as past issues of the Bulletin are also available online at www.sfl.org/bulletin.html. In addition to an online edition that may be read in your browser, you will find a downloadable pdf version of the current issue.
For future Bulletins, remember that your contributions and feedback are always most welcome. You may submit articles as e-mail or as a word attachment; if you do not have e-mail, you may send a typed article through the mail. Send all items to:
Peter Slatin
255 West 108th Street, Apt. 8A-1
New York, NY 10025
The deadline for the Summer 2012 Bulletin is June 15, 2012. We look forward to hearing from you.
Ski for Light, Inc. is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.
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