Hi!
My name is Michael
McHugh. I was diagnosed with a mild case of
arthrogryposis at birth. This affected my legs to the point where I am unable to gain any muscle tone below the knee and my ankles are both fused at a 90 degree angle. This has hindered my ability to ambulate without the use of forearm crutches.
When I was 9 years old I learned about the Adaptive Sports Foundation's Winter Sports Program. At the time I played on a Challenger Little League Team in the summer and absolutely loved sports! I always enjoy trying new things, so I figured I would give skiing a try.
I had three instructors for my first lesson. My first skiing apparatus was a walker with skis on the bottom of it as well as skis attached to the bottom of my feet. One of my instructors helped me make my turns and slow down by using ropes called tethers that were attached to my
walker. I loved the feeling of going fast, I had never moved with such speed under my own power. When I popped my bindings off that day I set a goal - to become a fully independent skier.
I continued to take lessons with the Adaptive Sports Foundation about once or twice a month for three more years until I graduated to a device called the snow slider (very similar to a walker, but it allowed me to ski in a bit more of an
aggressive position). While I was still tethered and still had three instructors, I was able to feel what was going on beneath my feet when my instructor initiated my turns - something I was unable to feel when I used the walker.
After two more years of bi-weekly lessons, one of my instructors told me that it was time I make
a big step - it was time to start using something called outriggers. Outriggers are basically forearm crutches with skis on the bottom of them. I was told that this was one of the last steps in achieving my goal of becoming an independent skier. At first, I absolutely hated the outriggers because my instructors made me stay on the bunny hill for a full-day lesson. While I was still tethered, the outriggers were not as stable as the snow slider or the ski walker. Eventually, I made it off of the bunny hill and began to enjoy the outriggers. I finally started to make progress - I was down to two instructors instead of three and once in a while I was able to initiate my own turn when I was going slow. I was extremely
disappointed when the winter was over!
That summer I went
handcycling with
ASF and my father asked the race team coach, Kim, about the possibility of me joining the race team. She said yes because she did not realize that I was not yet an independent skier, but later told me that my goal for the entire year was to get off of tethers and become an independent skier.
My parents drove me up to Windham for a lesson every Saturday and Sunday that winter because they knew how much I wanted to achieve the aforementioned goal. After a lot of work and training, I was finally able to graduate from the tethers in mid-February. I was so excited! While I was only able to do easy terrain for the rest of that season, I was well on my way to becoming an independent skier. I even raced in the Ralph Hartman Tribute Race untethered!
I loved being on the race team! As I mentioned earlier, my only other experience on a team was a Challenger Little League team where I was the only one without a severe cognitive disability, so it was extremely difficult to foster any sense of team unity. The race team, however, has great team unity and your team members are are always there to help you out if you need a hand. We even have nicknames for each other - mine is "Tracker" because I make four tracks in the snow.
That next winter, I only had one instructor assigned to me (instead of the two or three I had in previous years) and continued to work extremely hard every Saturday and Sunday. I was able to do tougher and tougher terrain until I was finally able to do the
NASTAR race course (on an intermediate trail) without falling! This past winter, I continued to improve to a double black diamond without falling.
I still have a great deal of work to do though to achieve my new found goal - to become a volunteer ski instructor with
ASF. In order to do this I need to be able to get up unassisted after I fall and I also need to be able to ski difficult terrain without stopping.
Skiing has opened more doors for me than I ever could imagine. In June 2007 I had the opportunity, along with 48 other teenage disabled athletes and 25 coaches from across the country, to attend the US National
Paralympic Academy at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I did a great deal of networking at the event and still keep in contact with some of the athletes I met - one of which competed in
Beijing this past September. I also had the chance to play Wheelchair Basketball for the first time as well as Wheelchair Volleyball. I scored the game winning point in Wheelchair Volleyball and participated in a post-game celebration for the first time from the perspective of an athlete!
I enjoyed Wheelchair Basketball so much that I decided to look for a team near my house. While I was unable to find one within three hours driving distance, I found out about Penn State and their Ability Athletics Program for disabled athletes. Penn State not only has a wheelchair basketball team, but they also train their disabled athletes to participate in different track and field events and
power lifting.
I am currently a freshman at Penn State University on its main campus and an athlete with Ability Athletics. I not only play wheelchair basketball, but am practicing in track and field events. I am currently learning to throw the javelin,
shot put, and discus - while they are still a work in progress, I am having a great time! Also, I will train for
handcycle races once Spring comes around. I am lifting weights and trying to strengthen the muscles that are essential to throw,
handcycle, and ski.
I never would have been able to attend a school like Penn State if I had never skied. Penn State has such a big campus and I often find myself trying to cross campus in 15 minutes - a daunting task. Two years ago, I made the transition from ambulating with a walker to forearm crutches. This allowed me to walk with less effort and at a quicker pace - something that is essential in order to cross the campus. I never would have been able to do this if I did not build up the strength that I built up so I could ski with my outriggers. Skiing also allowed me to set goals for myself and achieve them - something that a college student must get used to!
Well, ski season is almost here! I saw the first snowflakes here at Penn State about a week and a half ago. Hopefully, this is a sign of a great season to come!
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
- Tracker
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"
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." - Booker T. Washington
