SFL Bulletin Spring 1998 Ski for Light 1455 W. Lake Street Minneapolis, MN 55408-2648 612-827-3232 Alaska Calls by Lisa Wangberg Plans are underway for a great SFL event in Anchorage, AK. Feb. 21-28, 1999. I think it will prove to be a very exciting and unique year for SFL. Word is out locally about our program and there is a lot of excitement and feelings of "this is just what we need in Anchorage". We are following the SFL mission by bringing SFL to a new winter sports arena and very likely to start another regional program because of it. We will be at the four-star Hotel Captain Cook. Great food, service, shops, health club, pool, jacuzzi, decor, just to name a few of the amenities. And we'll be in the heart of downtown Anchorage with a spectacular view of the Turnagain Arm and the Chugiak Mountains. There is shopping and entertainment right out the door. Skiing will be nearby at Russian Jack Springs Park and/or Kincaid Park, exceptional ski areas in Anchorage. Both can be reached from a trail head a block from the Hotel. For information and an application for visually impaired skiers, contact Larry Showalter at: 15002 N.E. 9th Place Bellevue, WA 98007 Phone: 425-644-5663 E-mail: larry@sfl.org Financial Assistance for Guides A limited amount of financial assistance is available for Instructor/Guides who have financial need. If you would like to be considered for a partial stipend please state clearly on the guide application form (available soon) your financial circumstances. The application must be returned to JoAnne Jorud by December 1, 1998 The amount awarded will be based on the funds that SFL has available, your demonstrated need, and your total cost of participating (incl. travel. Assistance is not available to applicants arriving early and/or staying late at the event hotel and applicants with a single room. The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau says that generally airline fares go down just before summer and right after Labor Day. It is wise to keep checking, especially if you hear of price wars. With some careful planning and checking you should find decent prices to Anchorage. Ski for Light 1999 will be great. Make plans now to be a part of it! From the President by Nancy Rowan Yesterday I returned from 10 days of skiing and playing in Norway at the Ridderren. There was a group of 22 Americans this year. The company was great, the tracks were wonderful and my tight clothes can attest to the food. It was really exciting to see Americans medal all week. Linda Boose, Amy Bower and Lisa Galdi all medaled a bronze in the Biathlon. In the 5K race Linda Boose, Laura Margolis and Suzanne Brown medaled, a gold, silver and bronze respectively and in the Ridderren Linda and Laura medaled earning a gold and silver medal respectively. Laura was also invited to ski in the Erling Stordahl Cup, a very elite race for the fastest skiers. What fun to see the Americans placing in so many events. Off the snow it was good to see our Norwegian friends that many of us know from both SFL and the Ridderren. Once again we were taken care of very well by: Opel Norge providing the Americans with transportation thanks to Reidar Brustad; the King's Guard chauffeured us around thanks to the Norwegian Military; Lisen Wikant spent hours hosting the group for a reception in her home as well as escorting the group to many sites in Oslo including the American Embassy; and of course Ridderrenets Venner for all they do to organize the event. On an unfortunate note, the Ridderren Team selected this year (SFL sponsored representatives) George Bianculli & Amy Bower as the Visually Impaired Skiers, Marie Huston & Mary Mosbey as the sighted guides--ended up going overseas without George. George fell and dislocated his shoulder. Word is that he is on the mend. We missed you George. Going back in time, this was an election year for the SFL Board. In New Hampshire we had some members step down from the board and some new members join. Many thanks for the years of dedication to the following Board Members: Egil Almaas, Richard Casey, Annemarie Cooke, Celeste Lopes, Mary Mosbey, Jack Newbury and Vicki Van Gelderen. I would also like to welcome the following new members: Marion Elmquist, David Fisichella and Marie Huston along with Honorary Directors Dennis Sorheim, Sons of Norway and Roger Lohr, associated with the Ski Industries of America. The Board also voted Egil Almaas and Jean Replinger to become Directors Emeritus. (See the complete list of board members elsewhere in this Bulletin.) Finally, it's not too early to start planning for Anchorage next February. Also, why not get more involved with SFL. Check out the list of committees in the Journal and let me know where your interests and talents could best be used. The Photos Please We need photos or slides from the New Hampshire event that show the Ski for Light Banner which was on display at the finish/start line and behind the podium in the dining room. The photos are needed to assist Ski for Light in getting its name copyrighted with the Federal Government. If you can help, rush photos to: Jeff Pagels 1400 Carole Lane Green Bay, WI 54313 A Race of Their Own by Larry Showalter If you were standing near the finish line of the 5k Rally held on the final day of the recently completed Ski for Light 1998 Event in North Conway, New Hampshire, you would have had a lot of trouble figuring out who had "won" the event. That is because each of the 47 people who participated in the Rally were in competition with only themselves. And they were all winners! A majority of those 47 visually-impaired participants were beginning skiers. Many, in fact, had never been on skis before the week began. Not too many of them would have predicted on Monday that by Saturday they would be able to ski 5 kilometers. But as always happens at Ski for Light, confidence and ability grow steadily from day to day. Instructed, encouraged and supported (sometimes literally) by their Instructor/Guides, they steadily progressed. And on Saturday, each of them went at the 5k course as their personal challenge. The objective for most of the beginners was just to finish, and they all did. There were lots of smiles, cheers, laughter, and even a few tears, at the finish line. In addition to the support and encouragement of their guides and other participants, there was one other major factor behind the very high level of participation in the two events on that day. (46 other participants competed in the 10k race that day.) This factor was the course itself. Master track-setter Leif Andol and Race/rally Coordinator David Fisichella, assisted by Jeff Pagels, spent a lot of time early in the week laying out a 5k course on which just about every skier could ski comfortably. It was mostly flat, with only moderate hills. They coupled this 5k course with a more demanding 10k course, so there was a course for every ability level. Congratulations for a job well-done to Leif, David and Jeff. And congratulations to all of the race or rally competitors. They learned for themselves a bit of the feeling behind that traditional SFL motto: "If I can do this, I can do anything!" Sail for Light 1998 Ahoy! Have you ever imagined what it would be like to take hold of the tiller of a sailboat, feel the wind in your face and the gentle acceleration of the boat as the sail catches the wind? Maybe you have, but without access to a boat or a sighted guide, you haven't had the opportunity to try it. Well, here is your chance! The third annual Sail for Light learn-to-sail program is scheduled for September 9 - 14. Boston's Community Boating will once again be the venue for this popular event. For further information contact: Duane Farrar 21 Tufts Street #2, Malden, MA 02148. Telephone: 781-321-5039 E-Mail: dfarrar@cgisystems.com Visually Impaired Golfer Pushes Team to Victory in Uff Da Tournament Before the start of the 6th Annual Uff Da Scandinavian Golf Tournament in Phoenix last fall, visually impaired golfer Dick Ashley was good-naturedly grousing about the skills of his sighted teammates and opponents. "I could beat anyone if we started at midnight,", he was heard to mutter. Little did he know his words would be prophetic. The shot-gun start, scramble format didn't count on a slow-paced five and a half hour game. Dusk overtook the players and kept them playing into Arizona's darkness on the last two holes. Dick was finally in his element. In the twilight, his great-playing sighted golfing partners--Allan Solheim and Steve Bostwick, of Karsten Manufacturing, the makers of Ping golf equipment; and Chuck Rogness, a Hemet, California banker--had a hard time seeing the ball. With Dick's seeing-eye golf-club-liner-upper Keith Carlson, of Tucson, to help him line up his shots, Dick provided the steady, winning hand when his three team-mates blinked! So, Dick's consistent play, although not great by "normal standards, was good enough to let his ball be used several times in the "best-ball format of the day on the last two "blind holes, resulting in his team getting first place. The District 6 Sons of Norway has been organizing this golf tournament for six years now. Ski for Light is the major "benefactor" of this event. Congratulations Dick and many thanks to the members of Sons of Norway who spend their time putting on such a great event. Rafting on the Salmon River by Bud Keith For the past two summers the American River Touring Association (ARTA), has included Ski for Lighters in a major river rafting trip on the main fork of the Salmon River in the Idaho wilderness. ARTA is a non-profit corporation and one of the oldest river rafting companies in the nation. The 1996 trip had five visually impaired rafters and only three guides, but this year's group included five of each. The 1997 trip was under the direction of SFL guide Richard Epstein who helped 32 people work and play together for six days. We left our hotel in the small town of Salmon, Idaho on Friday, August 1 and didn't sleep indoors again until Wednesday, August 6. In between we slept in tents on sandy beaches always within the sound of rapids or small water falls. We ate marvelous food provided by the friendly crew, shed a few hang ups about personal hygiene necessities, and learned a lot about the land and animal life in Idaho. The visually impaired participants fit well into the wide mix. There were a few singles and five family groups. The entire community included thirteen men, eleven women and seven children. There were three types of water craft. The largest and safest were oar boats. These are fairly large rubber rafts in which a skilled crew member uses eleven foot oars to steer and add a little speed to control the boat in the fast moving current. These boats are used to carry all the gear including food, beer, cooking equipment and waterproof bags containing personal gear. The oar boats can carry two or three passengers who can relax and enjoy the passing scene. The next smaller craft is a paddle boat. This is a rubber raft that can comfortably hold one crew member and six paddlers. Each person uses a five foot paddle to propel and steer the raft. The crew member gives orders, not requests, and the paddlers function as a unit to avoid rocks and crash through the waves in the rapids. The smallest crafts are one or two person rafts called duckies. Persons in these rafts use kayak paddles and dip alternately on one side and the other to navigate. No one ever got tossed from an oar boat or the paddle boat, but almost every person who used a duckie went swimming sometime during the trip. In roaring rapids such an unscheduled swim can be scaring, but the paddle boat or a crew member in a kayak was always waiting to effect rescue if needed. There were no injuries, although several folks suffered sun burn and bee stings and two women confronted a moose on a narrow trail. Everyone had thrilling rides between granite walls or pine covered mountain sides. Many of us were amazed at the plentiful and delicious meals that the crew prepared, especially the dinners around the fire. Both before and after dinner there was free time. Several evenings we mingled informally. On one evening there was a joke session and on the last evening there were some really interesting group games. I know I cannot put into words the perspective one can gain by such a separation from normalcy. It's almost impossible to carry your daily worries and stresses on the river. As ARTA explains in its promotional material, the need to focus on the moment can easily have you asking "What day is this?" Just as Ski for Light can provide an opportunity to create a different reality of joy, friendship and growth, so can a well organized rafting trip down a beautiful river in the American wilderness. 1998 Raft Trip in Oregon This year the white water raft trip shifts to the Cascades of Oregon. The Rogue River, which is designated a National Wild and Scenic River, will be the venue for the 5 day adventure. This trip is exclusively for Ski for Light and is limited to 10 rafters. The Rogue River is the ideal river for the first time rafter. The trip will be from July 28 to August 1. On July 27th, you will meet your fellow rafters and river guides in Grants Pass. Medford is the closest commercial airport to Grants Pass. Ground transportation is available. The cost of this trip is $625.50. The cost does not include: meals and lodging before and after the trip, sleep gear or tent rental, ground transportation, or guide gratuity. A deposit of $100 is required to reserve your space. Checks are made payable to ARTA, Inc." and mailed to: Dick Ashley 738-B South 15th Street Arlington, Virginia 22202 Phone: 703-892-9082 E-Mail: dickashley@juno.com ARTA can be reached at 800- 323-2782 and on the Web at www.arta.org Nagano Paralympics Report by Noriko Tani The 7th Winter Paralympics was held in Nagano, Japan this past March. There were 1200 participants (athletes and officials) from 32 countries who participated in 34 events in five sports: alpine skiing, nordic skiing, biathlon, ice sledge racing, and ice sledge hockey. It was a great success. All event tickets had sold out before the game started. Chris Waddell of the U.S. Alpine team said that he was grateful for the support. "For those of us who are disabled racers, this feels like a really big event. We're used to competing in front of (just) our friends and family." All events took place in the actual Olympic venues. Nagano's school children got the day off to see many events. Nearly 3000 volunteers, ranging in age from 18 to 70 directed traffic, shoveled snow, interpreted, repaired equipment, and Another group, the "Para-volas" helped disabled people get around the venues. They wore yellow jackets and were seen around the Nagano station all the time. I heard some concerned comments from people who had known the (low) level of accessibility around the area before the Paralympics. However, Nagano took care of the potential problem with the volunteers. It made me think that the highest barrier to the accessibility lies in people's hearts, not in architectural design. Several Americans who have participated with Ski for Light competed in the 1998 Games. Bob Balk, sit skier and Puget Sound SFL participant, took a bronze medal in the 10k race. Nancy Stevens, totally blind from Colorado, took 7th place in both the 5k classical and skating events. Craig Gray, sit skier from Maine, finished 9th in both the 5k and 10k events The U.S. sledge hockey team, including Dave Conklin, finished in 6th place. out of 7 team. The gold went to Norway, silver to Canada, and bronze to Sweden. SFL Family News Sarah and John Luke Mills, Tewksbury, MA, became the proud parents of Luke Matthew Mills, an 8 lb. 2 oz., 21-1/2 inch long baby boy on March 18. Everyone who flew into Logan Airport on the way to the 1998 New Hampshire event was greeted by Sarah (and John Luke) who coordinated all transportation. The whole family is doing fine. E-mail congratulations can be sent to smills@pobox.com (which is a new address for Sarah). Greg Ortiz, Elizabeth, NJ, a 1987 SFL participant, and active with the ABLE program in New Jersey, was struck and killed by a hit and run driver on March 2. Greg, accompanied by his guide dog Painter, was on his way to work at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic in Princeton. Painter had some bruises but is okay. Several New England Regional (and International( participants are members of the "walking wounded" after what ended up being a very eventful Regional weekend in Vermont in early March. George Bianculli, Milbury, MA, selected as one of SFL's official representatives to the Ridderrennet, dislocated his shoulder and had to cancel his trip plans. Annemarie Cooke, N. Brunswick, NJ, broke her ankle, and has been navigating in a wheelchair. As if that wasn't enough, a first-time guide fell in the inn's dining room and broke her ankle! Regional SFL Activities The North Eastern Pennsylvania Regional Sports for Health program is scheduled for August 2 - 9, 1998 at Land of the Vikings, Sherman PA. For information contact: Allison C. Holder 159 B Watkins Mill Road Gaithersburg MD 20879 phone: 301-990-1634 e-mail: trappycat@aol.com The New England Regional Ski for Light June 13 - Tandem Cycling Day Ride July 31 - August 2 - Canoe and Hike Weekend, Royalty Inn, Gorham NH. $125 August 23rd - Nature Walk and Pool Party hosted by George and Janice Bianculli. September 20--Canoeing on the Concord River. All day trips are $10 per person. For information contact: Claire Morrissette 16 Cedar Lane Foxboro, MA 02035 Phone: 508-543-6157 E-mail: clairem@ici.net A First-Timer's Perspective of SFL 1998 Remarks made at the 1998 Banquet by Dianne Brunswick I have had a spinal cord injury (T-11) for 19-1/2 years, and this was my first Ski for Light. I had a fantastic week learning to cross country ski, play ice hockey, and skijor. To be able to separate myself from the wheelchair to do things that I have an interest in is so dear to me. I have taken river trips with the Phoenix Parks Special Populations Office which mean so much to me. It was on these trips that I met Ski for Light'ers Dick Ashley and Errol Honhoinewa. Dick had been telling me about Ski for Light for two years. I gained a new appreciation for an activity like cross country skiing where I can push myself physically and mentally in the direction that I want to go--well, OK, a fee times during the week I was going in directions I didn't want to go! When I was out there with SFL I could feel my soul flying with freedom, accomplishment, success, and having fun. I want to do it again! I am impressed by the people in this group that return year after year--guides and participants alike. You know you can't go too far wrong with people who like to play in the snow and who will let me play too. Thank you Olav for bringing Ski for Light to the U.S. Thank you Dick for getting me to experience Ski for Light. Thank you Jeff Pagels for being an excellent teacher. Thank you Anne Berg for being a wonderful guide. Thank you to all of my other new friends at Ski for Light. You have made me feel welcome and you have given me back my winters. A WINDJAMMER CRUISE IS IN THE OFFING FOR NEXT SUMMER! Are you looking for a unique and memorable vacation? Come and cruise the down east Maine coast on board a windjammer. Spend six days exploring the secluded coves, uninhabited islands, historic towns, and island fishing villages. There is no need to fear sea-sickness because you will be sailing the protected coastal waters of Maine within sight of land. Each night will be spent in a different protected anchorage. You are welcome to lend a hand in sailing the Riggin or just find a quiet spot to relax. Each cabin has berths, a place for clothes, an opening window, and a sink with cold running water. A hot, freshwater shower and well ventilated heads are conveniently located. The tentative sailing dates are from July 12 to July 17, 1999. The cost of the cruise is expected to be between $700 to $750. A deposit of $250 is required to reserve your space. $125 is due August 15th and the remaining $125 is due October 15th. Make checks payable to "J. & E. Riggin' and mail to: Dick Ashley 738-B So. 15th At. Arlington, Va. 22202 Phone: 703-892-9082 E-Mail: dickashley@juno.com Or George Bianculli: Phone: 508-865-0501 or geojan@mindspring.com. A Joke... A London tour guide was explaining to an American tourist yesterday why pedestrian crossings make a funny bleeping sound. "They tell blind people when it's safe to go." "Amazing" replied the tourist "In the States we'd never let blind people drive." Ski for Light, Inc. Board of Directors 1998-1999 Executive Committee: Nancy Rowan, President Larry Showalter, Vice President Judith Dixon, Treasurer Marion Elmquist, Secretary Jeff Pagels, Director at Large Lisa Wangberg, Director at Large Raymond Bud Keith, Immediate Past President Board of Directors: Chuck Bell Ft. Collins, CO Scott Bertrand Lakewood, CO Wendy David Bellevue, WA Judith Dixon Arlington, VA Bjorg Dunlop Earlton, NY Marion Elmquist Des Moines, IA David Fisichella Falmouth, MA Pat Gabriel St. Paul, MN Kari Heistad Newton, MA Marie Huston Winter Park, CO JoAnne Jorud Robbinsdale, MN Raymond (Bud) Keith Arlington, VA Laurinda Steele Lacey Bethesda, MD Gordon Larson Spokane, WA Jeanne MacKenzie LaPorte, CO Claire Morrissette Foxboro, MA Vicki O'Brien Jackson, WY Laura Oftedahl Watertown, MA Jeff Pagels Green Bay, WI Haakon Randar Elm Grove, WI Nancy Rowan Seattle, WA Brenda Seeger Westbrook, MN Larry Showalter Bellevue, WA Lisa Wangberg Wasilla, AK Deborah Wiese East Lansing, MI ORCA: Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America JanSport, Thor-Lo Socks, Cascade Designs, Turtle-Fur, Hotfingers, Bison Belts, Bula Hats, Chuck Roast, Inc., Jytte May, Grabber Performance Group, Granite Gear, Crazy Creek Chairs, Halls Wheels, Mountain Lift Energy Bars, Rocky Mt. Sunscreen, Royal Robbins, Great Glen Trails, SAS Airlines, and Wyoming Wear.