Ski for Light Week - Jan 21-28 '07
Cross-country skiing for blind, visually impaired, and mobility impaired adults who want to ski
Ski for Light International Week, January 21-28, 2007, is an opportunity for blind, visually impaired and mobility impaired adults and guides to go cross-country skiing.
Cross-country skiing is the same as Nordic skiing
Cross-country skiing or Nordic skiing is easy to learn and a great form of winter cardiovascular exercise. You can ski on flat terrain or go into the steepest mountains, all under your own power. It can be exciting or contemplative, and provides an excellent way to warm up your winter.
Ski for Light organization
How to get started?
One organization to check out right away is Ski for Light. Established in 1975 in the USA, this group now has regional chapters in many U.S. states, in Canada, and Japan.
From January 21 to 28, 2007, Ski for Light International Week will be held in the White Mountains of Northern New Hampshire. Here's the press release announcing the details of the 2007 Ski for Light International Week.
"CHANGING LIVES, ONE SKIER AT A TIME
SKI FOR LIGHT RETURNS TO NORTH CONWAY, N.H., JANUARY 21 – 28, 2007
“Being blind most of my adulthood, I really didn’t have the chance to enjoy the outdoors, much less any sports-related activities. Thanks to Ski for Light, I know this doesn’t have to be true any more,” said first-time skier Maya Jonas from Toronto, Ontario, reflecting on the impact that attending the 2006 annual Ski for Light event had on her. “Skiing awakened senses in me that I thought had gone with my childhood,” she said enthusiastically.
After a nine-year absence, Ski for Light (SFL) takes its unique cross-country skiing program, pairing visually and mobility impaired adults with volunteer sighted instructor/guides, back to the White Mountains of New Hampshire. At its core, SFL is about partnerships based on trust, safety, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and, of course, enjoyment of the sport of Nordic skiing.
Key to the success of SFL are the guides who volunteer their time, paying the same program fee as visually and mobility impaired skiers in order to share their love of cross-country skiing. Alan Alper, first-year guide from Bolder, Colorado, puts his experience at the 2006 event into perspective: “The feeling of appreciation that you get from the skiers is profound and that seems to drive your own feelings of getting as much as you are giving.”
Since its birth in 1975, Ski for Light has attracted skiers at all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced competitors. Skiers and guides come from every adult age group and occupation. Skiers set the pace, asking their guides to assist with building skills and endurance or simply enjoying the outdoors. The week ends in a race and rally. For many skiers, the goal is simply completing the 5 or 10 kilometer course, while others compete against the clock.
Priority is given to new participants. However, it is common to find both skiers and guides who have returned for 5, 10 or 20 years. SFL maintains a distinct multicultural flavor that grew out of its close ties with a similar event, the Ridderrenn, held annually in Beitostølen, Norway. Skiers come from every corner of the U.S., and from countries such as Norway, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Ski for Light is always looking for new skiers and guides who would like to share the joy of cross-country skiing. To be a guide at the 2007 event, no previous experience with visually or mobility impaired individuals is necessary, just confidence on skis. SFL holds an intensive one-day training session at the beginning of the event. Those interested in becoming a guide can contact Brenda Seeger at 507-274-5502 or BrendaS@sfl.org. Visually impaired individuals interested in attending SFL can contact Lynda Boose at 906-370-7541 or LyndaB@sfl.org. Mobility impaired individuals can contact Jeff Pagels at 920-366-5731 or jpagels@new.rr.com.
Ski for Light, Inc.® is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization. Information, including how you can make a financial contribution to help support SFL is available at www.sfl.org."
(End of press release)
To learn more about cross-country skiing (Nordic skiing) for persons with disabilities, and for visually impaired persons, here are some references:
"Disabled Skiing and Snowboarding" tells you more about getting started on another kind of skiing: alpine skiing or downhill skiing, and its younger brother, snowboarding.
All on-line references were current at the time this article was originally published on Suite101.com.
