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Posted Sunday, April 12th, 2009 by Admin
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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Posted Wednesday, April 8th, 2009 by Admin
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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Posted Monday, March 16th, 2009 by Admin
BY SANDY LAHMANN
special to the Summit Daily
Summit County, Colorado
Sunday, March 1, 2009
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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Posted Thursday, March 5th, 2009 by Admin
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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Posted Monday, December 29th, 2008 by Admin
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.
http://www.summitdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081225/SPORTS/812259964/1062/NONE&parentprofile=1062&title=A%20day%20in%20the%20life%20of%20a%20BOEC%20intern&template=printart
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Posted Thursday, December 11th, 2008 by Admin
The El Pomar Foundation presented the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) with one of 33 Awards for Excellence at a ceremony in Colorado Springs on November19.
As a finalist in the sports and recreation category, the BOEC received $7,500 along with two other finalists in the category.
El Pomar is one of the largest private foundations in the Rocky Mountains, with assets of more than $400 million. Each year, the organization contributes about $20 million in grants through its 14 programs to support Colorado nonprofits in the arts and humanities, health, education, civic and community issues and human services.
The BOEC provides outdoor activities for people with an array of physical and mental challenges. El Pomar officials selected the organization for its outstanding work in the community.
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Posted Thursday, December 11th, 2008 by Admin
Bob Bond, Wilderness Program Director for the BOEC for over 12 years, was awarded by the Summit Foundation as the Outstanding Professional in Non-Profit work for 2008. Bob was recognized at the Summit Awards Ceremony, November 21, at Beaver Run Resort. Robin “Bean” Albert, Youth Programs Manager for Summit County and long time associate, presented the Award.
Bob has served in the non-profit educational world for over 22 years and has been the Wilderness Program Director at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) for twelve years, a post he still holds. During that time he has overseen the design, safety, staffing and conduct of all Wilderness Programs. These programs are custom-designed for adults and children with disabilities and special needs, as well as youth at risk. Wilderness activities include ropes courses, rafting, canoeing, camping, climbing and many other outdoor pursuits, as well as facilitation tailored to meet very specific needs. Courses are conducted at the BOEC facility in Breckenridge, on the Upper Colorado River, in SE Utah and in many wilderness areas in the region.
Bob’s work has impacted over 10,000 individuals in his time with BOEC, people with virtually every disability or special need imaginable-terminal illness, autism, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, MS, CP. With each client he has designed programs to inspire and uplift, to move beyond perceived limitations and find success that brings hope and greater independence into their lives.
One example of Bob’s exemplary work is the creation of the Brain Injury Camps at the BOEC. Working with the Brain Injury Association of Colorado, these seven day courses immerse adults with severe brain injury in a range of activities that progressively lead these individuals to new levels of confidence and self-esteem. So successful, these camps have grown from just one camp five years ago to five, fully enrolled camps today.
Bob has also worked extensively over the years with the Summit County community, designing and implementing courses for youth in the Mountain Mentors program, the SOAP program for at-risk girls and boys, for Upper Blue Elementary students, for employees at the Rec. Center, for Town of Breck leadership and others. He has worked hard to make the BOEC part of our community by providing direct services and partnering on local programs and events.
Prior to BOEC, Bob worked for other non-profits, including ten years with Outward Bound as Instructor, Course Director and Program Manager, and as an instructor/trainer for the American Red Cross. At Outward Bound, Bob was instrumental in creating one of the best leadership semester programs in the country. Bob also served for many years as a state-licensed Physicians Assistant in Denver’s Lutheran and other west-side hospitals.
As long as he has worked here, Bob has known no “standard work week.” He has put in whatever time is necessary to make his programs successful. He has served all roles to support his courses, from course design to course leader to logistics to clearing snow off the walk. He is a dedicated professional and passionate advocate for those in need. Through his relentless hard work and expertise, Bob has earned his way to be one of the most respected outdoor educators in the country and his efforts have greatly enhanced the quality of life for many, many people, and especially for all of us here in Summit County.
The BOEC is privileged to have Bob as a leader and manager on our staff and we are grateful to the Summit Foundation for honoring his valuable and devoted work to help improve the lives of so many people in need.
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Posted Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 by Admin
October 13, 2008–Bula, North America’s Largest Provider of Winter Accessories, today donated nearly 1,000 hats and accessories valued at approximately $25,000 USD to Colorado-based non-profit Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC).”We greatly admire the wonderful work the BOEC does in fostering the potential of people with disabilities and special needs through meaningful, educational, and inspiring outdoor experiences,” said Bula Brand Manager Juliet Korver. “Donating a portion of product is just one way we show our thanks and gratitude to organizations in mountain communities making a difference.”
Bula’s partnership with the BOEC further extends its philanthropic ties to mountain communities. Two percent of Bula’s GREEN product line sales go to the National Ski Areas Association’s “Keep Winter Cool,” campaign, a sustainability grant program that provides seed money to innovative resort initiatives on global warming.
“We are extremely grateful to Bula for their support of the BOEC for their donation of winter accessories. At the BOEC we utilize over 250 dedicated volunteers, 24 unpaid interns annually, and have a highly skilled team of employees. Bula’s donation allows the BOEC to recognize our volunteers, staff and interns with an appreciation gift without tapping into our general operating funds. In-kind contributions are extremely important to the BOEC and we thank Bula for appreciating the great work we do in the community opening the outdoors to all”. said BOEC Development Director Marci Sloan.
About Bula Snow Accessories:
‘Bula’, a Fijian expression meaning “hello, peace and cheers’, is also the brand name for the Montreal-based premier snow sports accessory brand and manufacturer of winter headwear, socks, and base layers. Bula’s motto, “To live the good life” permeates all that we do, and is reflected in a product line that offers a wide variety of styles stressing high quality at a great price. Bula’s design team comes from a storied background within the industry with strong roots to snowboard, ski and beach culture. To learn more visit: http://www.bulabula.com/.
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Posted Monday, September 8th, 2008 by Admin
Our own Joe Kusumoto, Manager of the Keystone Adaptive Center, is in Beijing this week and next, taking photos of the Paralympics for DSUSA. You can check out Joe’s blog at http://kusumotophoto.blogspot.com/2008/09/ravel-and-birdsnest.html and get a taste of this exciting event.
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