SFL Bulletin Summer 1998 Ski for Light, Inc. 1455 W. Lake Street Minneapolis, MN 55408 From the President by Nancy Rowan Greetings to everyone. We are having our summer just now (Seattle does get a bit of sunshine) and it is quite lovely. Many plans are underway even though it is mid-summer. Lisa Wangberg, 1999 Event Chair, is getting details ironed out for the 1999 event in Anchorage, Alaska. Many people are discussing various activities that they can join in on before and after the event next February. JoAnne Jorud & Larry Showalter have completed the guide & skier applications and are making those available by mail. Judy Dixon has made both applications available via our homepage. So as you can see there is no reason not to get your applications in early skiers & guides alike! As for other goings on in the Ski for Light community, skiers Jeff Pagels & Larry Showalter will join guides Vicki O'Brien & Marie Huston at the Outdoor Retail Show in Salt Lake City to enhance our corporate sponsor program. They will be working hard to continue relationships with current corporate sponsors while grooming others. At the same time, Bud Keith will be taking my place and addressing the Sons of Norway convention in Anaheim, CA while Svea Karlsen will be at a table answering questions and giving information about Ski for Light to convention attendees. Thank you Bud & Svea for your generous support. My best wishes to everyone for a great summer holiday. Personally I am trying to get used to working full time. It is a dramatic change and I have had to learn how to get more organized and make the best use of my time. The good news is that my employer doesn't seem to mind sweatshirts, jeans and SFL business! The bad news is that I am still not a morning person. 1999 Ski for Light International February 21-28 Anchorage, Alaska Lisa Wangberg, Event Chair It is hard to believe that there are only six months left until Ski for Light International. We will be at the luxurious Captain Cook Hotel. The planning meeting is set for the end of September. And there has already been a lot of work going on behind the scenes. Now it is your turn to start planning For the event. First, get your application in as soon as possible. You will receive an information packet that will contain, among other things, materials about Logistics, a travel company that is eager to set-up pre and post attractions for SFL attendees. They can arrange anything from Anchorage attractions to dog sledding and cruises. Then you should keep checking for low airfares through your travel agent and/or the airlines. Some possible options on the Internet are priceline.com and travelocity.com. To make your Alaska trip complete, you may want to contact the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau for the Anchorage Visitors Guide. It will list such events as the large winter carnival scheduled for February 12-21, 1999, just before SFL 1999 in Anchorage. Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau Phone: (907)276-4118 fax: (907)278-5559 E-mail: acvb@alaska.net Home page: http://www.alaska.net/~acvb This will be another wonderful Ski for Light Event. With a little planning, you can make your trip to Alaska one you'll treasure forever! A Great Guiding Experience First Time Guides Speak Out by Bob & Joyce Waite Spokane, WA Thanks to our good friends and neighbors, Gordon & Jean Larson, Joyce & I had a once in a life time experience; that being guides at the International Ski For Light in North Conway, New Hampshire. Not only was it rewarding but also meeting some wonderful people was delightful. We revisit our experience with pictures in a scrapbook. We gained a new understanding of helping others and in return we felt needed whether it be with skiing or socially. We realize now that one must experience Ski for Light to truly appreciate it. So if you are a bit hesitant, take the challenge and go for it. You'll be glad you did! We're looking forward to another great time in Alaska. Hope to see you there. Spread the Ski for Light Word by Rhea Collett Recruitment Committee Now is the time to recruit new participants for next year's event in Alaska. Having taken part in at least 10 previous SFL events, I know I have a boatload of interesting stories and experiences to pass on and I am sure you do too. For each of us, Ski for Light has provided life enhancing and enriching experiences--the value of which is difficult to adequately put into words. SFL is asking each of you to share your experiences with others who would or could be interested in joining us and thus helping this wonderful organization grow. Please tell your blind and visually impaired friends about your wonderful experiences and what SFL has meant in your life. Talk about it at your local affiliate meetings of ACB and NFB. Also, please don't hesitate to let your mobility impaired friends know about us as wonderful exciting experiences will await them also. And PLEASE let anyone you know who is a good skier and enjoys giving of him/herself about this fantastic week as we are always in need of more guides. For information and applications, contact: Guides for Visually and Mobility Impaired Skiers: JoAnne Jorud Phone: 612 533-7415). joanne@sfl.org Visually Impaired Skiers Larry Showalter Phone: 425-644-5663 larry@sfl.org Mobility Impaired Skiers Jeff Pagels phone: 920-494-5572 jeff@sfl.org SFL Jackets Would you like one of those warm up jackets like those given to the guides at this past event in New Hampshire? Jansport, our generous sponsor, is offering Ski for Light these jackets at cost--$45 shipping included. The blue, hooded jacket has a full zipper, pockets, an elastic waistband, elastic cuffs, and the Ski For Light logo in white on the left breast. Sizes are M, L, XL and XXL Before placing a group order, we need to know how many people would like to order jackets. Do not send money, but by OCTOBER 1, contact: Dianne Brunswick 4400 Buschor Road, Coldwater, Ohio 45828 Phone: 419-678-4954 e-mail: dbrnswck@bright.net Get your Photos & Stories in Print by Vicki O'Brien SFL Program Journal Editor It may be summer, but the 1999 Ski for Light event is already in the works. As this years editor for the SFL program journal I am beginning to gather materials. If anyone has fun pictures from North Conway or has a story to share, now is the time to send them. Please send any articles on disk or via e-mail. And if you would like your pictures returned make sure to write your name on the back of each of them. I would like to make the journal a true and varied representation of our community and I can not do this without your help! Vicki O'Brien P.O. Box 7618 Jackson, WY 83002 E-mail: vicki.obrien@juno.com Hurry, The Boat is Leaving! We are raising our sails and preparing to cast off our lines but there is still time for you to get aboard Sail-For-Light 1998. This September 9-14, Boston will be the site of the third annual Sail-For-Light, a program that teaches blind and visually impaired people the fundamentals of sailing. The cost of this popular and unique event is $557.50 and space is still available. But, don't delay! To reserve your berth on the adventure of a lifetime. Contact: Duane Farrar 21 Tufts Street, #2 Malden, MA 02148 Phone: 781-321-5039 E-Mail: dfarrar@cgisystems.com Upcoming Regionals Black Hills Ski for Light Niobrara River: Camping, Canoeing, Hiking Sept. 11-13, 1998 Deer Mountain: Cross-Country Skiing January 24-28, 1999 for information on the Black Hills events, call 605-341-3626 Sierra Regional Ski for Light March 6-8, 1999 Tahoe Donner Cross Country Truckee, CA Cost: $135 if you have skis $160 if you need skis Contact: Betsy Rowell 9608 Mira Del Rio Dr. Sacramento, CA 95827 Phone: 916-362-5557 E-mail betsy@unlimited.net Seattle (Puget Sound) Ski for Light Jan. 9, 23 Feb. 13, 27 Mar. 13, 27 Stampede Pass, WA Cost: $10 per ski day $60 for the season Contact: Maida Pojtinger 12556 S.E. 270th St. Kent, WA 98031 Phone: 253-631-7904 N.E. Pennsylvania Regional Winter program Jan 6-10, 1999 Land of the Vikings, Sherman PA. Contact: Bjorg M. Dunlop RR 1, Box 218 E Earlton NY 12058 Phone: 518-731-8741 E-mail: bjorgm@juno.com Ahoy Mates! Pack your duffel bag, leave your cares behind, and come join us aboard the J.E. Riggin, a 120 foot authentic and historic windjammer schooner, where you'll raise the big canvas sail, hoist the anchor, and chart a course to engage in the leisurely pursuit of gunkholding--poking about the inlets, harbors and coves that make up the intricate downeast coast of Maine. The Riggin has ten double cabins and two triples, accommodating 26 passengers. Hot fresh-water shower and well-ventilated head is located nearby. The sailing date is July 12 to July 17, 1999. The cost of the cruise is expected to be between $700 and $750. A deposit of $250 is required to reserve your space. $125 is due immediately and the remaining $125 is due October 15th. For those who have already reserved their space, please send your deposit in by the due dates. Make checks payable to "J. & E. Riggin" and mail to: Dick Ashley 738-B South 15th St. Arlington, VA 22202-2209 For further information call or e-mail: Dick Ashley, (703) 892-9082, dickashley@juno.com Or George Bianculli, (508) 865-0501, geojan@mindspring.com Windsurfing Lessons for Visually Impaired People Have you ever wanted to learn to windsurf? Now you can, if you visit or live in the Tampa Bay Florida area that is. A Dutch man, Wouter Vanderhorst, has launched a windsurfing program for blind and visually impaired people. A tandem board is used for this one-on-one program. Reasonable hourly fees are charged. For more information, contact: Wouter Vanderhorst Tandem Windsurfing Phone: 813-524-6162 E-Mail: europt@sprynet.com SFL Family News Cupid has been working overtime in the ski for Light family! Congratulations to the following couples who have "tied the knot" recently. Pat Gabriel and Ann Rawland David Fisichella and Amy Bower Dave Wilkinson and Crys Turner Arne Gilbakken and Tanya Gullicks Marit Andol and Orlyn Kringstad (of Sons of Norway office) On a less joyous note, Laurinda Steele Lacey and her husband, Chip, were in a tragic accident while at a Lacey family gathering recently. An outside deck collapsed, leaving Laurinda with a leg broken in multiple places. Chip has a broken hip and will be immobile for months. Get well soon you guys! SFL does RAGBRAI-that's the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. Held the hottest week of the year, July 18-25, five crazy SFL'ers rode their bikes 500 miles! Actually, this is a true testament to Ski for Light motivating disabled and able-bodied people to engage in fitness activities! Marion Elmquist, a long-time RAGBRAI rider, hosted two tandem teams at her Des Moines home before and after the weak-long trek: Suzanne and Joe Brown, and Laura Oftedahl and Adam Moskowitz. Wouldn't you know it! The SFL'ers lost each other in the 10,000 plus riders for days -- but coincidentally, met up with each other at the Sons of Norway Lodge in Story, City, Iowa. They were there to chow down on lefse and other energy-producing goodies! Sculptor Helps Disabled to Carve Their Own Niche In Competitive Skiing Blind, Disabled Skiers Inspire Sculptor By D. Quincy Whitney, Boston Globe Correspondent Reprinted with Permission from The Boston Globe and D. Quincy Whitney North Conway: The Olympics have ended, but many people do not realize that another is about to begin. The Paralympics, the international world games for disabled athletes, not to be confused with Special Olympics, will begin March 2 in Nagano, Japan. Most of the blind skiers and sit skiers competing in those games developed their world-class status through involvement with Ski for Light, an international organization devoted to providing cross-country ski opportunities for the visually and mobility impaired. Last week, in the lobby of the Four Points Hotel in North Conway, as about 100 blind and physically challenged athletes gathered for the 23d annual Ski for Light event, New Durham sculptor Bill Osmundsen was working on his sculpture "Sit Skier." Jeff Pagels, an international sit ski champion and vice president of Ski for Light, provided Osmundsen with details about the "chair built on skis," which allows paralysis victims who have lost the use of their lower body to ski. Pagels, a veteran sit skier who sit skied 55 miles over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in 1993, leaves for Nagano next week to coach the US Disabled Hockey Team. Originally formed 30 years ago in Beitostollen, Norway, the American Ski for Light program was founded in 1975 in Summit County, Colo., by Olav Pedersen. The event has been held in Colorado, California, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont and, for the first time this year, at Great Glen Trails in Pinkham Notch, at Gorham facilities hailed by Pagels and Pedersen as possibly the best in the country. Osmundsen became connected to the Ski for Light program indirectly through his Norwegian heritage. As a young boy, he boarded the tall sailing ship Christian Radich with his Norwegian-born grandfather, a yacht captain and rigger boss. In 1976, when the Christian Radich pulled into Boston Harbor honoring the bicentennial, Osmundsen returned to the ship to plan a series of sculptures on cadet sailing, and he met Einar Bergh. In 1978, Osmundsen serendipitously saw Bergh in a photograph standing with a blind skier in a country ski magazine article about Ski for Light. At the invitation of Bergh, Osmundsen attended the 1979 Ski for Light event in Squaw Valley. "It was the most fulfilling experience that I have ever had," Osmundsen said. "We tend to focus on our own problems. We think we can't do something because of this obstacle or that, not enough time, or money. Here were people who had real obstacles. Yet I met a blind woman whose hobby was gourmet cooking and a blind woodworker. They make up their minds to do things and go through the sight barrier." The experience inspired Osmundsen to create a plaque of a blind skier and his guide, which he presented to Ski for Light. Despite unsuccessful efforts by the Ski for Light organization to raise the money to fund the bronze fabrication of the "Ski for Light, Art for Sight" sculptures, Osmundsen created wax models in 1982, fiberglass models in 1985. So in December of 1996, when the Frisco, Colorado Arts Council raised the money to put the bronze sculpture in its park, Osmundsen was ready. His "Ski for Light, Art for Sight" sculpture was dedicated last August. Pagels, a Green Bay, Wis., ski racer, had skied the American Bierkebeiner, the longest, most difficult cross-country race in the country. It is held in Hayward, Wis., and attracts as many as 7,000 skiers annually. In 1984, a falling tree limb left him paralyzed. In 1986, at the suggestion of a blind co-worker, Pagels decided to try sit skiing with Ski for Light. "They had us skiing in these little red sleds with tiny ski poles. It was so hard to make the thing propel," Pagels said. "A personal breakthrough came in Traverse City, Michigan. I was out in the middle of the woods, and my pole broke. I looked at my wife and said, `Let me borrow your poles.' I took off. The secret had been in the length of the poles. From there, improvements in technology have multiplied. Now we can ski faster sitting down than most people can ski standing up." Pagels became the first skier to ski the American Bierkebeiner sitting down, and beat half of the 7,000 skiers who participated. According to Pagels, the speedy transformation in technology of sit skiing is due largely to the efforts of Bob Hall, the first person to race the Boston Marathon in a wheelchair. "The first frames I used to ski in weighed 15 pounds; they were ugly. Bob's frames weigh 4 pounds; they are very pretty," Pagels said. "In fact, he paints them white so, from a distance, it almost looks like we're not skiing on anything, just floating above the ground, going through the woods." Pagels said that Ski for Light works to enlighten public, private and corporate awareness of athletes with disabilities. "We go to corporations in the outdoor industry and we say, `We are a 40-million people market. A lot of us have money. We're going to spend it if you tap into it. Tell people the outdoors is accessible," Pagels said. "Everybody should be able to go outside and play. Corporate sponsors support us heavily." Key Ski for Light sponsors are JanSport, Hall's Wheels, Thor-Lo Socks, and Grabber Inc., which makes hand warmers. Osmundsen is perhaps best known in New Hampshire for his large copper weathervanes installed atop the State Liquor Store in North Hampton. He continues to create original bronze sculptures, mostly portraits, from his Studio on the Ridge in New Durham. He hopes that his sculptures can educate people across the country about blind skiers and sit skiers. "I would love to see Ski for Light sculptures go into North Conway. And I would love to see a set of these sculptures eventually go to Norway, but it all takes the funds to make that happen," said Osmundsen. For information about Bill Osmundsen, call 603-859-2787. For information about Ski for Light, call 612-827-3232. Its address is 1455 W. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55408. SFL Bulletin is published three times a year in print and on audio tape. Laura Oftedahl, Editor 104 Coolidge Hill Road, Unit 7 Watertown, MA 02472 e-mail: laura@sfl.org Layout of the SFL Bulletin by Kari Heistad, Newton, MA Ski for Light is grateful to the folowing companies for their sponsorship: 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. Ski for Light is a member of ORCA, Outdoor Recreation Coalition of America