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Archive for News and Announcements
Monday, November 1st, 2010
The North Face has awarded a $2500 grant to the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center to help children and families explore the outdoors. The BOEC was selected from hundreds of applications because of our work in the outdoors with children with disabilities and special needs. The grant is part of the inaugural commitment of $250,000 from The North Face Explore Fund, enabling more than 100 programs that will affect an estimated 85,000 young people.
“We are pleased to be a part of this national program and to provide greater opportunities for children with special needs to be inspired by the outdoors,” said Bruce Fitch, Executive Director of the BOEC.
The BOEC was established in 1976 to expand the potential of people with disabilities and special needs through outdoor adventure and education. Since it’s founding, the BOEC has provided opportunities for individuals and families to experience and appreciate the outdoors and adventure activities. Many of these activities require adaptive equipment and instruction to enable these participants to fully enjoy and safely enjoy activities that otherwise would be closed to them. In addition, BOEC has been able to advance their mission exponentially with the support of several important partner organizations such as The Children’s Hospital of Denver, the Mountain Mentors program in Summit County and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. These organizations have allowed the BOEC to integrate their outdoor programs with ongoing therapy and outreach.
“Our goal is to enable more people to get outside and explore their world in ways that are meaningful to them,” said Steve Rendle, President of The North Face. “We’re very proud to launch the Explore Fund and support BOEC and the other impressive organizations that are making outdoor exploration possible, and a priority, in communities across the country.”
BOEC will launch this winter a number of skiing camps and next summer a number of camping and rafting camps that will focus on children with special needs and their families to immerse in life-changing outdoor experiences. To learn more about all of the Explore Fund grantees and to keep up on their progress visit www.planetexplore.com.
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Thursday, October 28th, 2010
Ignite your passion for adventure, action, and travel once again! After a full house event last year, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Breckenridge. This film event will exhilarate you with amazing big-screen stories when it comes to the Riverwalk Center doors open at 6:45 PM show starts at 7:20 PM on February 26th, 2011. Journey to exotic locations, ski the deepest powder, and climb the highest peaks. Get your tickets today and be taken away to the most captivating places on earth.
The 2010/2011 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour brings films from the 35th annual Banff Mountain Film Festival to about 285 communities around the world. From an exploration of remote landscapes and mountain cultures to adrenaline-fueled action sports, films in this year’s World Tour are sure to captivate and amaze the explorer within you.
Be moved. Be inspired. Don’t miss out. Reserve your tickets today. For more information visit www.boec.org or call (970) 453-6422. This stop on the world tour is hosted by the BOEC!
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Friday, April 2nd, 2010
We are sad to report the passing of Richard Griffith, a great friend and supporter of the BOEC. Richard, 68, died on March 25, 2010 at Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida after a brief illness.
Richard’s philanthropy is evident in every place he lived with his highest accomplishment being with the BOEC. It was Richard’s generosity that created The Griffith Lodge. The lodge has been the central base and campus for the BOEC’s programs, serving hundreds of special needs children and adults over the years. The Griffith Lodge has been the cornerstone of the BOEC’s success in recent years, allowing us to expand programs and provide high quality housing in addition to the adaptive adventure activities we are known for. The lodge was renamed in 2005 as The Scott Griffith Lodge in memory of his son who was a student of the BOEC.
Richard was retired as Vice President of the Florida Division of Sysco Foods. He and his family traveled all over the world during his working years and after retirement. He was a former resident of Fayetteville, NC; Banner Elk, NC and Breckenridge, CO. Richard is survived by his wife, Ann West Griffith of Windermere; son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Karen Griffith of Ocoee; daughter and son-in-law, Robin and Kevin Laird of Brookhaven, MS; and his step-mother, Donna L. Griffith of Boca Raton, FL. He is also survived by his beloved Chihuahua, Nacho.
Prior to his illness, Richard and Ann had planned a visit to the BOEC this summer and see again the continuing impacts of their gift. Richard Griffith will be sorely missed by all of us at the BOEC, and greatly honored for how he transformed our school.
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Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) have partnered to create Paralympic Sport – Breckenridge.
Paralympic Sport – Breckenridge is a community-based sports club developed to involve youth and adults with physical and visual disabilities in sports and physical activity, regardless of skill level. All programs and activities will be based in Breckenridge and run by the BOEC.
“U.S. Paralympics is dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals with physical and visual disabilities to be physically active in their own communities. Participation in physical activity enhances not only self-esteem and peer relationships, but also results in greater achievement, better overall health and higher quality of life.” – Mike Mushett, U.S. Paralympics Director of Community Programs.
With 21 million physically disabled Americans, including thousands of military personnel who’ve been severely injured while on active duty, this is an important community need.
The BOEC was established in Breckenridge, Colorado, in 1976 as a non-profit tax-exempt educational organization to provide outdoor experiences for people with disabilities and to train the instructors who work with special populations. Ultimately, the BOEC strives to integrate disability with ability, providing outdoor experiences to all. We welcome people of all abilities from around the world to spectacular natural classrooms in the Rocky Mountains and beyond.
“The BOEC is proud to expand our services to people with disabilities and special needs by providing this opportunity to learn more about and participate in the Paralympic movement. This is yet another way for our participants to expand their potential and push beyond perceived limitations. Our initial focus will be on alpine and nordic skiing but will expand into other adventure sports in the future.” – Bruce Fitch, Executive Director of the BOEC
U.S. Paralympics is committed to working with community organizations across the United States to create 250 Paralympic Sport Clubs by 2012.
For more information about the BOEC and Paralympic Sport – Breckenridge, please contact Marci Sloan at (970) 453-6422 or marci@boec.org.
For more information about U.S. Paralympics, please contact Susan Katz, (719) 866-2068 or susan.katz@usoc.org.
About U.S. Paralympics: U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic sports movement and to promoting excellence in the lives of persons with physical disabilities. Visit the U.S. Paralympics website at www.usparalympics.org. About BOEC: For more than 30-years, the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) has provided life changing outdoor learning experiences to people of all abilities, with a focus on those with special needs. The BOEC provides a sense of freedom to those who are routinely excluded from activity due to a disability or special need. Whether skiing in the Adaptive Ski and Ride Program at Breckenridge or Keystone Ski Resorts, paddling the West’s great rivers, or mastering the Ropes Course, the BOEC inspires people of all abilities to discover new places, learn new skills and rekindle their spirit in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
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Sunday, November 1st, 2009
BY SANDY LAHMANN
special to the Summit Daily
Summit County, Colorado
There’s a pilgrimage every February to Breckenridge. Every February, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center sponsors Monoski Camp. Those of us who can no longer ski standing on two legs, but instead do so sitting over one ski, gather together in Breckenridge for a ski vacation.
Many of us return time and time again, year after year, eager to gather together once more to hit the slopes. We renew our friendships every February on the mountain and in Griffith Lodge. Some of us are new and are quickly welcomed into the fold. At last they have found us.
The week of monoski camp is the best week of my year. It is renewing, refreshing, reinvigorating, and recharging. No matter how rough the previous year has been, monoski camp makes me whole again.
How can the four days of monoski camp, with a bunch of folks who use wheelchairs and crutches, be so important to me?
Because disability disappears. It becomes a non-issue.
We are there to ski and to laugh, to fly down the mountain and to enjoy each others company.
The wheelchairs and the crutches that follow us wherever we go fade into the background. They don’t matter anymore.
We are not limited by our equipment; we are empowered by it.
We become normal. We become average. Within our circle, we are just ourselves. No one is staring at our chairs and crutches making sympathetic expressions of pity. No one is expecting us to be superheroes, overcoming all of our many obstacles for the betterment of mankind.
We are no longer stereotypes, examples, cases, objects for study, “special,” an inspiration, or opportunities for advocacy.
We are just us. We are the mom of a 3-year-old, the soccer dad, the businessman, the brand-new teacher, the guy with the funny accent from Scotland, the pool player, the Southerner, the great omelette maker, the joke teller, the photographer, the writer, the traveler, the last guy up in the morning, and the first guy to bed at night.
We are skiers. We gather on the mountain to fly as fast as we can down the steepest slope, to perfect our carved turns, to improve our skills to the next level, to learn, and to master the Ballet Hill. We push ourselves a little bit harder, a little bit farther, always seeking to get a little bit better and a little bit faster. We accept the challenge and take a risk. For what is life without a few risks?
We are storytellers. We laugh at ourselves as we tell each other about the time we missed the lip, the edge, the crack, and went flying out of our wheelchairs much to the horror of the unsuspecting able-bodied folks. We tell stories about the times we’ve gone down escalators in our chairs with confused security guards providing chase. We extol the many fine virtues of duct tape when used to adapt our monoskis and fix our glasses after a face plant.
We kid each other, harass each other, and cheer for each other.
Late at night our voices and our laughter echo through Griffith Lodge, but the morning brings a great rush to eat breakfast and get to the slope for fresh tracks.
Thank you, my friends, for sharing the mountain and good times. See you next year.
And thank you to Jeff and Gene, Quintin, Sarah, Matt, all the instructors, all the interns, and all the volunteers. You give us far more than you will ever realize.
Sandy Lahmann, a previous Frisco resident now temporarily lost on the Front Range, can be e-mailed at sandy@wheelsonthesummit.com.
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Thursday, July 30th, 2009
The BOEC is running fast and full this summer with programs booked every week. Courses feature a full array of summer activities including rafting, ropes course, rock climbing, handcycling, canoeing and much more. Most of the courses are multi -day programs based at our Griffith Lodge. Some courses are run in a “mobile” fashion on Ruby-Horsethief Canyon on the Colorado River in western Colorado and Labyrinth Canyon on the Green River in southeastern Utah. Many long-term clients have returned, including the Brain Injury Association of Colorado for five courses, The Children’s Hospital, Adventures Within, Campfire of Kansas City, the Challenge Foundation, Summit County Youth and Family Services, the Rehab Institute of Chicago and others. We also welcome several new clients including Halcyon Middle School and Rocky Mountain Independence.
Despite the challenging economy, the BOEC is enjoying one of our best programming years ever and we thank the students, groups and agencies coming to us for keeping outdoor education and recreation as a priority. These programs are indispensible to healthy and productive lives for so many who may otherwise be excluded.
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Sunday, April 12th, 2009
By Bryce Evans
Summit Daily News
Summit County, Colorado
BRECKENRIDGE – Ron Roe had only skied a few laps around the trails of the Breckenridge Nordic Center by noon on Saturday, but the 62-year-old Denver resident already seemed more than satisfied with his day.
After all, he was doing something that he loved – Nordic skiing – and was doing it for a cause close to his heart.
Saturday was the seventh annual Breckebeiner 60k Nordic Ski-a-thon and Snowshoe Bash, an all-in-good-fun sort of race where participants attempt to ski 60 kilometers around the Nordic center to raise money for the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) scholarship fund.
In the theme of the BOEC, which helps to empower people with disabilities through sports and outdoor activities, Roe understands the importance that athletics has on people’s lives. He’s a third-degree black belt and instructor in Taekwondo, not to mention an avid downhill and cross country skier.
Oh, and he’s blind.
“Anything to help raise money for the center,” Roe gave as his reason for skiing in the Breckebeiner. “No other reason than that. They’ve helped me in the past, so I’d like to help however I can do it.”
And that was the sentiment shared by most Saturday in Breck as a couple hundred people came out to show their support of the BOEC. Each participant either took up sponsorship or pledged their own money for the race, giving either a lump sum or a per-kilometer amount.
One big party The idea for the race came from BOEC co-founder Gene Dayton, who – after his wife threw him a 150-person surprise party for his 50th birthday – decided that if that many people were gathering at once, it might as well be for a better cause than himself.
“I told my wife that when I turn 60, I want to do something different and have more meaning to the day,” Dayton said. “So, I asked people to come ski with me 60 kilometers and pledge money to the scholarship fund for the BOEC.”
Though the Breckebeiner no longer celebrates Dayton’s birthday, it still resembles one big party. With barbecues blazing and the music of accordian-player Helmut Fricker – whom Dayton refers to as the “icon of the event” – filling the air, skiers and snowshoers made their loops past the Nordic center clubhouse.
Looking around Saturday at what his event has become, Dayton couldn’t help but feel proud. Although, it wasn’t entirely because of the lively atmosphere.
“It was only a hope that it could get this big,” Dayton said. “We don’t really worry about how big it is, exactly, but rather how it helps the need.”
Filling a void The “need” is what drove Dayton and a handful of others to start the BOEC in 1976.
“We needed a program to just put lives back together and empower people,” Dayton said.
Aris Sophocles, M.D. is in his fourth term as chairman of the board of directors for the BOEC and has been with the organization since it started. As Sophocles put it, the BOEC has three main purposes. The first is to operate adapted ski programs at both Breckenridge and Keystone. Secondly, the BOEC runs a Wilderness program which helps make warm-weather, outdoor activities, such as camping, river trips and various classes, accessible to people with disabilities. Finally and most importantly, Sophocles said, the BOEC trains interns to implement BOEC-like programs across the country.
“Right from the beginning, we realized that if we didn’t train people to do this work, our impact would only be local,” Sophocles said. “If we could figure out how to train them well, we could have a broader impact.”
It worked – BOEC-trained interns are now doing work in 39 states and 11 countries, according to Dayton.
“The need is so far reaching,” Dayton added. “It’s through the country and the whole world that people need this.”
Pushing the limit Most skiers attempted to take on the designated 60k, Saturday, but a couple others attempted a much harder feet.
Locals Greg Ruckman and Justin Easter set out to complete 150 kilometers of skiing Saturday.
In last year’s Breckebeiner, Easter skied 120k, which helped to raise nearly $10,000, Dayton said. So, this year, the Summit Nordic Club head coach decided to up the ante, and Ruckman decided to join in.
The skiers set out at 12:01 a.m., but after 108k, Easter had to call it quits.
“It was OK; I was hoping to go farther,” an obviously exhausted Easter said while lounging on a sofa in the Nordic center clubhouse.
A former Olympic and world champion rower, Ruckman completed the distance in 11 hours, 27 minutes and 15 seconds, according to Dayton.
Easter, 27, was glad that “one of them was able to do it,” but more pleased for what it meant for the BOEC. Easter, who moved to Summit County after racing professionally for a number of years in Montana, said that he believes deeply in what the BOEC stands for.
“I believe in skiing so much,” he said. “It’s something I’ve made my life out of – racing and coaching. It’s something that can make a difference for people.”
For Roe, who participates “quite often” in the BOEC programs, the impact the center has had on him has been invaluable, and he was more than happy to return the favor by skiing in the Breckebeiner.
“They have helped so many people through the years and really made a difference,” Roe said of the BOEC. “This is the least that I can do.”
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Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
The Seventh Annual Breckebeiner 60 km Ski-a-thon was the place to be on March 28th. Over 200 skiers and guests enjoyed great ski conditions and raised over $20,000 for the BOEC! Music was again provided by Helmut Fricker, Those Austrian Guys and Doc PJ’s sound system. Top skiers were Greg Ruckman at 150km and Justin Easter at 120km. Many others skied or snowshoed 3, 12, 30, 60 or more km solo or as part of a team. It was all great fun and the palm trees and decorations reminded all that summer is near.
Many thanks to Gene and Therese Dayton for hosting and working so hard to bring this event about; to volunteers Jim Anderson, Brian and Joanne Hartwig, Elizabeth Hill, Mel Parveti, Bill McClaude, Hampton Gewin and Jim Heil; to staff Marci Sloan, Bob Bond, Melissa Kuwahara, Jaime Benthin, Erin Baird and Kristen Marron; and thanks to the Butterhorn Bakery, Sire Speedy Printing, The Summit Daily and Hans Peak Cafe for their support of the event. Most of all, thanks to all of you who came to ski, to party and to support the work of the BOEC!
Mark your calendars for next year, the last Saturday in March.
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Thursday, March 5th, 2009
By Robert Allen
Summit Daily News
Keystone, CO Colorado,
KEYSTONE – As U.S. Army veteran Scott Winkler boarded Keystone Resort’s Montezuma Express lift on Saturday, the chair stopped and a bell rang.
“It wasn’t me,” he yelled, grinning.
At 237 pounds, the disabled veteran is a hulking monoskier. But the professional athlete was already in position for take-off by the time the cautious lift operator halted the chair.
Winkler and 16 recently wounded military veterans were wrapping up a four-day adaptive ski and ride camp at the resort as part of Snofest. The Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center and Adaptive Adventures partnered to provide lessons to the veterans and their guests. Winkler, 36, lost the use of his legs after a spinal-cord injury in Tikrit, Iraq – Saddam Hussein’s hometown. The American soldier was serving in the first advance of Operation Iraqi Freedom in May 2003.
“It was a hot zone,” Winkler said. “We had to get in, drop off the ammo and get out of there as fast as we could – so we were in a hurry.”
The metal strap for securing the ammunition was caught on his boot as he lifted a 65-pound box of fragmented grenade-launcher rounds.
“If the box hit the ground, everybody would have been in trouble,” he said, adding that it likely would have exploded.
He fell backward “and when I hit the ground with the ammo on my chest, my lower body was twisted all the way around,” Winkler said. “It happened quick, and didn’t hurt at first.”
Scott Barker, with Adaptive Adventures, helps get the soldiers making turns on the slopes. He said veterans, in particular, are positive and “a pleasure to teach.”
“They’re young and they have good core strength,” he said. “They don’t have much of a morale issue – as opposed to a drunk driver victim or a victim of a disease.
“They signed up to go to combat. They knew something could happen, they’re aware of that.”
Barker said getting on the chairlift is often tougher than riding for the disabled soldiers.
Matt Feeney, also of Adaptive Adventures, is a monoskier who’s been instructing others for 18 years.
“I’ve seen people pick it up in two or three days,” he said of monoskiing. “I’ve seen other people that it takes years and years.”
The Snofest is in its 19th consecutive year. It’s offered by regional military installations to all active military and their families. The participants enjoy a weekend of skiing, and other off-mountain events, and more than 4,000 attended last year, according to a BOEC press release. This is the second year for the adaptive ski and ride component. It provides lodging, transportation, meals, equipment and more for the disabled veterans. Funding for the adaptive camp comes mostly through the Wounded Warriors Disabled Sports Project, the Scotty McFadden Foundation and Boeing.
Saturday was Winkler’s 10th on the slopes since his injury. When he’s not competing in world-class events, the veteran from Augusta, Ga., is vice chair of a nonprofit dedicated to activities for people with disabilities. Champions Made From Adversity brings people who have disabilities – and their families – water skiing, hand cycling and even scuba diving. Following his injury, the Winkler said he didn’t do much. He spent some time fishing before getting into wheelchair basketball. Then he went to a military sports camp in Colorado Springs “and it just kicked off from there.” He went on to become the first Iraqi War veteran to join the U.S. Paralympic Team. Winkler also competes in shot put and discus, and has broken both American and world records. Last year he competed in the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, ranking fifth of 17 in his field events.
“Just because you’re disabled, it’s not the end of the world,” he said, adding that he’s preparing for the 2012 Paralympics in London.
The soldier-turned-athlete, who has even appeared on a box of Cheerios, uses his story to encourage others.
“Everything that I do – like the medals that I win, the records that I break – that’s not for me. That’s for the U.S.,” he said. “If I can inspire somebody out there to try something new, that’s all I care about.”
Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.
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Monday, December 29th, 2008
By Caitlin Row
summit daily news
summit county, co colorado,
BRECKENRIDGE — When Englishman Dan Hallam left school eight years ago at 16, he fell straight into sailing instruction near his home. At 18, he went abroad to teach sailing and wind-surfing in Greece, Egypt and the Caribbean.
“School was never that much fun for me,” Hallam said. “I’m dyslexic so it was always quite hard to sit in a classroom and take in what they were saying. … I just found that the school environment didn’t suit the way I could learn.”
According to Hallam, sports kept him on track and helped him through school.
Because of his own struggles with dyslexia, he sees athletics as a method to help people overcome disabilities.
And when he lost his finger in a sailing accident, he decided to pursue outdoor education as a career.
Hallam, who’s originally from the London-area, is now a 24-year-old Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center intern.
He’s recently worked in the UK as a multi-activity instructor, teaching climbing, cycling and mountain biking, as well as other activities. But, when he found the BOEC intern program online, he jumped at the opportunity to work with special-needs clients.
“It’s something that’s always interested me,” Hallam said. “I’ve taught sailing and wind-surfing. … I wanted to come up with different ways to teach and to get everyone involved — including people with disabilities — in outdoor education and outdoor sports. Sports are a great way to get people working together. One of the things we’ve learned so far is how to overcome different situations. It will help me with any future job that I may have. Sort of being able to adapt.”
Hallam loves the work and hopes to be a full-time instructor with BOEC next year.
The BOEC relies on its interns for day-to-day aid. Sometimes interns live with a client(s) for up to a week, helping with everything from making breakfast,
getting them ready to go for the day, transportation, ski instruction, dinner, tidying up and evening entertainment.
“You stay the night and start again the next day,” he said of his experiences acting as a caretaker and an instructor for clients with disabilities.
On other days, interns can also be found working in the ski office in all capacities.
“The job is long hours, but it is so rewarding,” he said. “It’s physically demanding, but you feel like you’ve helped someone realize their potential.”
As an intern, Hallam lives in a house shared by 11 other interns. The BOEC provides food and shelter, but the internship is unpaid.
“It can be pretty tiring because people are in and out,” he said of the shared living space. “It is nice though to live with so many people because there’s always someone to talk to, someone to go mess about with.”
None of the interns have extra jobs. They work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., so savings is required to make the position work. Days off vary each week depending on need.
“It’s worth it, though,” Hallam said. “Just the training that we receive makes it worth it.”
BOEC interns spent the month of November training to be adaptive-ski instructors. Hallam has worked with both tethering and monoskiing.
“It was pretty intense,” he said of his training.
Now all 12 interns are full-fledged teachers who are available daily to help with lessons.
And all the interns — two Australians, nine Americans and Hallam — seem to want to follow the outdoor-education path, he said.
“So far, I have helped with people from London and from all over the country,” he said. “ … It keeps you on your toes, which is nice. Everyone gets such a different experience. Everyone takes away their own things. … It’s an eye-opening experience to the work, disabilities and what they can do.”
Hallam said the seasonal internship program is helpful because it teaches necessary problem-solving skills and versatility in the workforce.
“You get to help people do something that they never thought they could do,” he said. “You may be able to change their lives.”
The BOEC, a nonprofit educational organization, was established in Breckenridge in 1976 to provide outdoor experiences for people with disabilities and to train the instructors who work with special populations.
The BOEC strives to integrate disability with ability, providing outdoor experiences for everyone. The nonprofit hosts people of all abilities from around the world to experience spectacular natural classrooms in the Rocky Mountains.
For more information about the internship program, visit www.boec.org.
Caitlin Row can be reached at (970) 668-4633 or at crow@summitdaily.com.
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