Summer 2006
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.
This issue of the bulletin is made possible by a generous donation made by Christine Faltz in loving memory of Corinne Morris, a dedicated teacher and genuine friend.
Welcome to the summer Ski for Light Bulletin. In this issue you will hear about our 32nd annual event, to be held in North Conway, New Hampshire from January 21 through 28, 2007. Ski for Light has not been held in the east since 1998, and we are really excited about the chance to take our event to a part of the country that is home to so many of our guides and participants. We think we have, in North Conway, the perfect combination of those things that make for a successful event. Great Glen Trails, where we will be skiing, is located in an area that averages 150 inches of snow per year. The odds of good skiing conditions are about as good as can be found in the east. The North Conway Grand hotel, where we will be staying, is a full-service resort destination location with all of the amenities. If you are a shopper, you will be in heaven since the hotel is adjacent to New England's largest outlet mall. Please give serious consideration to joining us in New Hampshire for what is sure to be a great week.
When you apply, you will probably do so online at our website www.sfl.org. I can safely say this because last year more than 95% of all applicants submitted their application that way. It is amazing how much the internet has changed all of our lives in the past few years, and how much more easily people, especially blind people, can access the information they want and need. We are trying to keep pace with this evolution. Many new sections and features have been added to the website in the past two years. If you haven't visited recently, take some time to visit and look around. The website is full of helpful information about every aspect of the Ski for Light program. You will find it totally accessible, too, which is not an easy feat these days.
There are three ways you can help Ski for Light. First would be to offer your time and energy to one of the many committees that do most of the work in SFL. Elsewhere in this issue of the Bulletin you will find the list of SFL committees, and information on how to contact each committee chair if you want to get more involved. Second, you can tell your friends and acquaintances about Ski for Light. Almost all of our new guides and participants learn of SFL this way. We count on you to spread the word to anyone who might be interested. Third, you can support SFL financially if you are able. We need to raise about $60,000 each and every year to keep the cost of our events affordable for all. You can make your tax-deductible donation on our website or by sending your check to the SFL office. You can earmark your donation to the general operating fund, to Friends of SFL, to the Marilou Goodfellow fund for guide related expenses, or to the Endowment Fund. Your gift can be in memory or honor of another person. You could also include a bequest to SFL in your will. Many people have told us that this is the best way they know to ensure that the organization they care so much about remains viable for future generations.
I hope that each of you has a happy and active summer and fall. I look forward to seeing you in New Hampshire.
The applications for the 32nd Ski for Light event, to be held in North Conway, New Hampshire, January 21 through 28, 2007, are now on the Ski for Light web site: www.sfl.org.
Whether you are a potential or returning visually impaired skier, mobility impaired skier, or instructor/guide, you can find all the necessary information and the relevant application on the SFl web site.
This is the first time that SFL has come "East" since 1998 and many have told us that they have been waiting for this opportunity. We expect that numbers of applicants will be high this year so get your application in early.
The North Conway Grand Hotel is the same property that housed Ski for Light in 1998 but is a renovated facility under all new management. Great Glen Trails is also where we skied in 1998 but since that time they have widened trails and built an all-new ski chalet after a devastating fire. Links to both web sites are on the 2007 event page on the SFL web site.
We look forward to one of our biggest and best events ever.
Hi Ski for Light! Do you remember when you first heard of Ski for Light? Can you recall the feelings of anticipation and nervousness you felt when you arrived at your first event? Do you still smile when you recollect the person who first turned you on to SFL?
Well, my friends, there are people out there in the world right now who are awaiting YOUR phone calls and e-mails so that in a year, they, too, can answer each of the above questions. As you have heard, most people who attend Ski for Light do so after hearing someone relay their remarkable SFL experiences to them. And I want each of you to take a few moments to think of people you have met or know well who would enjoy the SFL experience and get them jazzed up to come to the 2007 event in New Hampshire. Great skiing, fresh air, warm sunshine, delicious food, dancing, and most of all nearly 300 of the most wonderful people in the world are what is in store for prospective participants. I just need you to spread the word.
GUIDES, GUIDES, & MORE GUIDES from the Guide Recruitment Committee
The place & dates are set -- North Conway, New Hampshire, Jan.21-28, 2007 -- the applications are available on line, www.sfl.org, & you received the SFL marketing kit in Colorado, So lets start guide recruiting! As veteran SFL participants it's our personal endorsement that attracts new people. There must be at least one person in each of our life's who could benefit from Ski for Light as we have. The marketing kit we were given has great tools to promote SFL including a DVD which does the selling for you. If you have misplaced yours our devoted secretary, Brenda Seeger, at BrendaS@sfl.org has more. Let's share Ski for Light and everyone bring a new guide with them to New Hampshire.
People who are new to Ski for Light are always surprised to learn that it is an all-volunteer organization, with no paid staff or employees. SFL is in reality a collaborative association of people who care about the organization and the work it does. More than 80 people are involved every year doing all of the many things that have to be done to conduct a well-organized annual event, and to do all of the other things necessary to keep the organization financially viable and affordable and on-track for the future. We urge you to join the effort by volunteering to help on one of the many committees that do most of this work. The roster of SFL committees for 2006 is listed below, with the name of the chair of each committee. To contact the chair, send an e-mail to their SFL alias address, or leave a message on our phone line at the office in Minneapolis. SFL alias e-mail addresses are always of the form: first name plus initial letter of last name @sfl.org. The office phone number is (612) 827-3232. Let us hear from you!
Ski for Light International Week Planning - Judy Dixon Guide Recruitment - Marie Huston Mobility-Impaired Participant Recruitment - Dianne Brunswick Visually-Impaired Participant Recruitment - Dave Thomas Publicity & Public Relations - Marion Elmquist Corporate sponsors - Wendy David and Val Keever Endowment Fund - Suzanne Brown Foundations - Kathy Strahan Friends of Ski for Light - Chris Leghorn Site Selection - Duane Farrar and Nancy McKinney Risk Management - David Fisichella Ski for Light Annual Report - Laura Oftedahl Ski for Light Bulletin - Vicki Post Regional Liaison - Ted Ellickson Board Development and Elections - Bud Keith Budget & Finance - Nancy McKinney Constitution & Bylaws - Judy Dixon Long-Range Planning - Marion Elmquist Sons of Norway & Norwegian Community Relations - Larry Showalter
May 1 2006
There was a time when one's youthful body had the endurance of a raging horse but at the age of 50 plus don't do it! That is, thinking you can do an adventure weekend of camping and rafting with college students who are in charge is a no-no.
As for the plan, Linda's daughter Rachel and some student friends of hers were to pick up Linda and me by 6:15 pm Friday evening to drive a few hours to Tennessee. There we would camp out just a short distance from the white water rafting center. The idea was that if we were close to the rafting center we wouldn't have to get up so early the next morning for our 10 am run down the river. Well -- that was the plan.
What follows is a series of mishaps and waylaid plans, and by the time we gather with the mostly international group of students, it is 10:50 pm. Due to the lateness of the hour we will not make it to the campgrounds in Tennessee before they close the gates there. So, it is off to another campground at a place called Stone Mountain, Georgia instead.
We drive for another 40 minutes or so with wrong turns etc. and end up at the Stone Mountain Stadium where we or I should say, they check the map for new directions to the campgrounds and Hola! We find the camp and it's open! But no one is at the camp ground gate to help us find a spot or pay our fees. There is a night deposit box with instructions but with 17 college students all trying to figure out the costs and exchanging money. time check 11:45 pm.
It's now going onto midnight and the kids are running around in the dark putting up tents for the first time in their lives. Meanwhile, Linda and I, at the mercy of the situation, stand by listening to the clamoring around us and we also hear, not to far off in the distance, the rumblings of an onslaught of a major thunderstorm! The kids are not aware of the oncoming nightmare but we are and praying. Time check 12:30 am.
Just around the time the kids finish putting up the tents, Linda and I feel the first gust of wind blowing ever so teasingly gently into our faces. The wind gets more and more gusty. I finally burst out loudly, "Let's go! Here comes the rain!" WE could not wait any longer and I shout out to Rachel, "Take us to our tent. Now! Leave all of our gear in the car just in case we get washed out in the tent!" Hastily we scurry to our tent with Rachel guiding us in the dark through the trees. The wind is now picking up great speed and huge pelts of rain begin to fall. Quickly we dive into the tight confines of our two man tent. Rachel with lightening speed zips up the tent and dashes for cover! Time check 12:45 am.
Roars of thunder! Flashes of lightning! Pelts of heavy rain! It brings fear to the toughest of people. Linda grabs me shaking for dear life! Even with her eyes closed and her cochlear implant turned off, she can still hear the thunder and see the simultaneous flashes of lightning! (And I've got the bruises to prove her vise-like grip, too!) The storm rages on for another hour or so. The long and hard rumblings of the storm bring to my mind one of my worst fears, Tornadoes! I was sure one was coming our way. Time check 2 am.
There's a welcome break in the storm and Rachel comes out to check on us and finds us doing ok, alive and dry! However, Rachel announces that a few of the tents got washed out and some of the kids will now be sleeping in the cars or in the public washroom. One of the college girls is very uncomfortable about the situation and is trying to round up people to come with her to her parent's Atlanta home to spend the rest of the night, but there are no takers. Linda decides to head to the washroom while things are quiet and has a beer there to settle her nerves. Meanwhile, I just stay in the tent as I don't want to get caught out there when the second wave comes.
Sure enough, about 45 minutes later the wind again picks up and rumblings are fast approaching! Just at that moment, Linda and Rachel return. I cry out, "Get in the tent Linda! It's coming again!" Linda stumbles in and Rachel quickly zips up the tent after her and dashes off to the public washroom to spend the night. Time check 2:50 am.
The second wave is just as fierce as the first! The rumblings are even longer and louder which again gives me thoughts of tornadoes! I have in the past rode out many thunderstorms while camping but as you get older it's just not as much fun especially when you are lying on a hard bed of gravel wearing damp clothing with just a blanket underneath you. As a man, I made sure Linda was warm and dry so at least she could get some sleep. As for me, I just toughed it out. Time check 4 am.
I must have eventually fallen asleep, but awoke when Rachel came by to wake us up at 6:00 am. We had to pack and get on the road because we had at least a two and one half hour drive left to get to the rafting site. Yes, in spite of the original plan to get as close to the rafting center as possible, we had only gotten 45 minutes outside of Athens!!!
After eating Linda's home made oatmeal raisin cookies, her banana nut bread and I think, her chocolate chip zucchini bread washed down with diet coke and water for breakfast, (breakfast of collegiates), we then drag our rather exhausted-sucker-for-punishment bodies into the car. Time check 7 am.
The two or so hour drive to the rafting site is uneventful; thank goodness! By now it has stopped raining but there is still a little bit of a chill in the air from the previous night's storm. I think my nerves are still quivering in fear... and this time it's the fear of riding through level 4 rapids! Yeah!
After getting safety instructions from the rafting guides about what to do if you fall into the rapids (heaven forbid!), we put on helmets and tightly secured life jackets; it looks like we're getting ready to go to war! Yikes!!! Onto the bus we go to the river head. At the take-out point we get a few more instructions on how to raft, and then get into the raft to practice a couple of strokes. Then lifting our raft out of the water, we carry it across a make shift bridge which spans rapids that are almost 6 feet high and look like level 50s! We are reassured that we will not be doing these Niagara Falls-like rapids. Thank goodness!
We launch off with our crew of 5 plus our guide and the very first rapids we approach are level 4! We do a quick 360 degree spin and dive into the rapids with a big bounce! Oh dear! Linda is bounced right out of the raft into the swift river! Rachel reaches out to pull Linda back into the raft, and there goes Rachel!! Into the river too! Yahoo!!! I am sitting on the other side of the raft and I quickly pass my paddle to the guy in front of me to hold while I reach out to grab Linda and pull her back in. Then as we pull each other to our proper seating positions, the guide reaches out and pulls Rachel back into the raft, too! Yahoo!!! If that didn't wake me up, I don't know what would!
There were several more level 4 rapids as well as level 2 and 3 rapids, with the grand finale at the end where everyone dropped into the bottom of the raft to ride out a 4 meter waterfall drop! During the run of the river we would turn this way and that way where the guide would do a sharp left hand turn and yell out to me, "This one is for James!" Then boom! Splash! A six foot wave would hit me from head to toe! Ya! Hooooo!
What a ride! For a mere 33 dollars you can get a rollercoaster ride that stretches 10 miles long taking well over an hour to do. Wow! It sure made up for the long night riding out the thunderstorm, that's for sure! (smile)
To say the least, everyone was very happy-tired and sleepy on the non stop 3 hour trip home. We arrive back in Athens. Time check Saturday 5 pm.
Just call ahead and ask them to accommodate you. http://www.noc.com/rafting.html
Wendy David is the 2006 recipient of the Robert Lambert Memorial Award presented by the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), Psychosocial Services Division. AER is the leading professional organization of people who work in the various areas of the blindness field.
The Lambert Award honors the memory of a man who was a pioneer in the field of psychology and was an author of a series of studies regarding the impact of sight loss. The award is given to a psychologist, social worker, or educational diagnostician who has made a significant lifetime contribution to psychosocial services in the field of education and/or rehabilitation of children or adults who are blind or visually impaired.
Dr. David, a Clinical Psychologist at the Puget Sound Veterans Administration Health Care System in Seattle, received this prestigious award in honor and recognition of her work in the areas of self-awareness and self-defense strategies for people who are blind or visually-impaired. Congratulations, Wendy, on this award!
The August edition of the Viking, the monthly magazine of the Sons of Norway, has a full page article about Robb Rasmussen and his 25 years as a guide with us. It does a very nice job telling Robb's story, while at the same time telling the story of Ski for Light.
Congratulations to Robb for this honor and recognition, and for all that he has done for SFL in the past 25 years.
SFL skier, Robin Smithtro was married on July 8th to Tim Van Landt who visited Ski for Light this past event. The two were married in Boulder, Colorado on what Robin describes as a rainy but wonderful day! Despite the weather, the real pelting came from a cascade of rose petals thrown at the end of the ceremony. Robin and Tim were a hit with their polka and swing dancing. After the wedding, Robin says they ate their way through Vancouver, and are now settling into their home and enjoying married life. And yes, Robin is changing her name.
Congratulations to Tim and Robin Van Landt; may you share a long and happy life together!
Summer is now in full swing, but many of the Ski for Light Regional groups are beginning to plan their upcoming winter programs. As always, a complete listing of those activities will appear in the fall/winter SFL Bulletin; however, if you are thinking of planning a ski tour, taking in several of the regional events, we encourage you to check on the various web sites for updated information. You can access these sites through the main SFL site at: www.sfl.org
The SFL regional groups are always eager to welcome new people and ideas; we encourage you to support them in their ongoing work.
by Vicki Post
In each issue of the Bulletin, we will turn the spotlight on one of our nine Regional programs. These regional groups were established by people who were inspired to recreate their own SFL experiences in a more local and intimate setting. It is our hope that you will enjoy their stories, and that you will support them in their efforts.
In this issue, we visit another of the lesser-known regionals; travel with me now to Wisconsin Regional Ski for Light.
Wonderful trails around the lake; home-baked goodies for snacks, modern dorm-like facilities, a strong social atmosphere, and some of the most changeable weather you can imagine – These things are all an integral part of Wisconsin Regional Ski for Light. In any given year, you might find some 38 skiers at the event; some years, as many as 90 skiers have taken part. Devoted guides come back year after year, many from the Sons of Norway. Apparently, the social component is as big a part of this regional as the skiing.
The Wisconsin Regional was founded in the early 1980's; it is funded primarily by members of the Sons of Norway, and is run by a committee of 13 more or less active members. Bev Helland, committee chair for many years, began attending in 1984, along with her visually-impaired son. Her son no longer skis much, but Bev remains very committed to the regional.
Each year, the regional holds one event at the Wisconsin Lions Camp in Rosholt, Wisconsin, north of Madison. Most of the participants travel to the camp on a chartered bus from Madison, so transportation is relatively simple. The Regional actually started in Madison, but due to changes in the weather, the event was moved farther north to have better snow.
The event itself runs from Friday evening through lunch on Sunday; it is often held the second or third weekend in January. It features a lot of socializing, three "on-the-trail" activities such as skiing and snowshoeing, dancing and more. One year, many participants tried their hand at sled hockey; this past year, many learned some Norwegian songs, and when lack of snow threatened to force yet another cancellation, members of this regional found a very creative solution.
Mike Graper, long-time guide recruiter/instructor, introduced everyone to CatSkis. Catskis? Here's a clip from last November's pre-ski event to introduce these skis:
"The CAT SKI is not a roller ski. It actually slides on any surface, so it is stable and perfect for dry land cross country ski training. Read about the CAT SKI at www.catskier.com."
After positive feedback from the fall event, Helland says the Regional Committee decided to purchase several pair of CatSkis. While it isn't the wonderful experience that skiing on good snow is, Helland says skiers did get a chance to enjoy the activity.
Still, Helland says the two biggest concerns facing this regional are a rather short supply of guides, and the increasingly unpredictable weather. Helland says the guides who do come are dedicated and very capable, but given the number of events that have been canceled recently, it is not easy recruiting new ones.
As for the weather, it can sometimes get down below zero. Even though the trails are relatively protected from the cold and the wind, these occasions call for a lot of socializing. Other times, it can get warm and icy. When this happens, some of the trails get blocked off, or the event is canceled for safety reasons. "We can't keep moving farther north to try and find good snow," Helland says. "But the CatSkis are helping us rebuild our organization."
The event is open to adults and to children 14 years or more; out-of-state guides and skiers are most welcome. In addition, the Committee is now considering adding a summer event to introduce the CatSkis and recruit more visually-impaired skiers.
The 2007 event is scheduled for January 19-21. For more information, contact Bev Helland at: Email: bevhelland@yahoo.com
Whatever the weather, there is plenty of good exercise to be had; and, Helland says, "It's a real good social." In fact, she says, several marriages have come out of it, so you never know!
Ski for Light, Inc. is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.
Go to SFL Bulletin Page Go to SFL Home Page