Hi Again,
I just want to congratulate our Special Olympian Gold Medal winners! ASF sent Troy Desmond, Patrick Carroll, and Douglas Rogers to the New York State games at West Mountain where they swept the podium. Each of our racers raced on the Slalom and Giant Slalom courses in the intermediate and advanced divisions and took home two gold medals a piece! Congrats to Troy, Patrick, and Douglas!
I am heading back to Windham this weekend to go skiing (hopefully there is still snow)!
I will update again after the weekend!
LET IT SNOW! (We actually need it now!)
- Tracker
------------------------------------------------------
"This is a fantastic opportunity for them.... They are really blossoming here because they are experiencing what freedom of the mind really is. They are experiencing the clothing, the weather, and learning about their health. It is a great opportunity for them to experience this feeling."
—Nasrullah Ibrahimzay, leader of the Special Olympics athletes competing from Afghanistan
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Diana Golden Level 1 Race
Hi All,
What a weekend! This weekend, the Adaptive Sports Foundation hosted a Level 1 Race through Disabled Sports USA inspired by Diana Golden (the three time Olympic Gold Medalist who only had one leg). It was an amazing event as skiers and snowboarders with both, physical and cognitive, disabilities came together to race. Part of an entire race circuit, the Adaptive Sports Foundation hosts this race each year.
Every year, they bring in a guest clinician who gives a clinic on the Saturday preceding Sunday's race. The past two years Mau Thompson of Adaptive Adventures has given the clinic. While we did not have a race course to work with for the clinic, Mau made the best of it by having us perform different drills as we skied down beginner terrain with the hope of bettering our skiing.
I was able to work on my outrigger usage on Saturday, primarily keeping my elbow "fused" to the side of my body and extending the outrigger with the sole use of my forearm. This enabled me to become a more efficient skier by using better outrigger placement and allowing me to edge more effectively. I see improvement in my skiing already!
On Sunday, we raced on a course that NASTAR set up on skier's right of Wonderama. It was a very well designed course for the adaptive category as it was a giant slalom course that started out with wide gates that gradually got narrower towards the end of the course. This allowed the skier to keep their momentum and have a fast finish!
I had the best two runs in a true racing scenario that I have ever had, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. I need to start turning earlier so I can carry more momentum down the race course. Nevertheless, both of my factored times were just over 40 seconds.
I won the silver medal, something I am very proud of because this was my third Diana Golden race. The first time I raced I won the bronze and the second time I did not medal. In winning the silver medal, I am able to pat myself on the back because I realize that I am always improving!
Everybody did a great job this weekend and I cannot wait for next year's race!
On another note, Penn State's basketball team knocked off #9 Michigan State which significantly beefed up our resume for March Madness and the NCAA tournament! I hope/ cannot wait to see how crazy Happy Valley becomes!
- Tracker
------------------------------------------------------
"Faster and faster until your love of speed overcomes your fear of death". - Anonymous
What a weekend! This weekend, the Adaptive Sports Foundation hosted a Level 1 Race through Disabled Sports USA inspired by Diana Golden (the three time Olympic Gold Medalist who only had one leg). It was an amazing event as skiers and snowboarders with both, physical and cognitive, disabilities came together to race. Part of an entire race circuit, the Adaptive Sports Foundation hosts this race each year.
Every year, they bring in a guest clinician who gives a clinic on the Saturday preceding Sunday's race. The past two years Mau Thompson of Adaptive Adventures has given the clinic. While we did not have a race course to work with for the clinic, Mau made the best of it by having us perform different drills as we skied down beginner terrain with the hope of bettering our skiing.
I was able to work on my outrigger usage on Saturday, primarily keeping my elbow "fused" to the side of my body and extending the outrigger with the sole use of my forearm. This enabled me to become a more efficient skier by using better outrigger placement and allowing me to edge more effectively. I see improvement in my skiing already!
On Sunday, we raced on a course that NASTAR set up on skier's right of Wonderama. It was a very well designed course for the adaptive category as it was a giant slalom course that started out with wide gates that gradually got narrower towards the end of the course. This allowed the skier to keep their momentum and have a fast finish!
I had the best two runs in a true racing scenario that I have ever had, but I still have a lot of room for improvement. I need to start turning earlier so I can carry more momentum down the race course. Nevertheless, both of my factored times were just over 40 seconds.
I won the silver medal, something I am very proud of because this was my third Diana Golden race. The first time I raced I won the bronze and the second time I did not medal. In winning the silver medal, I am able to pat myself on the back because I realize that I am always improving!
Everybody did a great job this weekend and I cannot wait for next year's race!
On another note, Penn State's basketball team knocked off #9 Michigan State which significantly beefed up our resume for March Madness and the NCAA tournament! I hope/ cannot wait to see how crazy Happy Valley becomes!
- Tracker
------------------------------------------------------
"Faster and faster until your love of speed overcomes your fear of death". - Anonymous
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Congratulations
Hi All,
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate all of the ASF racers and sliders that competed in the Special Olympics race this past weekend. All together, ASF collected 22 medals at West Mountain! Good job to all who participated!
I had a busy week this past week. I played in my second Wheelchair Basketball Halftime Show where our team played the "Celebrity Coaches" of Penn State Athletics. We beat them handily and I had two steals. I think everyone had fun!
We also played our first Wheelchair Basketball game this weekend against a real Wheelchair Basketball team. We lost both games in the double header, but learned a lot in the process. The team we played was called the "Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers" gave us a lot of pointers at the end of the game, so we have a lot of practice to do. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the game immensely!
I am coming home this weekend to race in the Diana Golden Level 1 Race at Windham Mountain on February 1st. I am looking forward to this a great deal and cannot wait to hit the snow again!
Talking about snow, it is supposed to snow a lot here in Happy Valley over the course of the next day or two! They are talking about over 6" of snow! I hope that it is snow and not ice because I have a lot of trouble walking in the ice, so LET IT SNOW!
Finally, Christine Southard was generous enough to e-mail me a copy of a speech that I gave to the volunteers at the Adaptive Sports Foundation at their annual organizational meeting this season. You can listen to it below:
Have a great week and LET IT SNOW!
- Tracker
-----------------------------------------
"Never, never, never, never give up" - Winston Churchill
First and foremost, I would like to congratulate all of the ASF racers and sliders that competed in the Special Olympics race this past weekend. All together, ASF collected 22 medals at West Mountain! Good job to all who participated!
I had a busy week this past week. I played in my second Wheelchair Basketball Halftime Show where our team played the "Celebrity Coaches" of Penn State Athletics. We beat them handily and I had two steals. I think everyone had fun!
We also played our first Wheelchair Basketball game this weekend against a real Wheelchair Basketball team. We lost both games in the double header, but learned a lot in the process. The team we played was called the "Pittsburgh Steel Wheelers" gave us a lot of pointers at the end of the game, so we have a lot of practice to do. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the game immensely!
I am coming home this weekend to race in the Diana Golden Level 1 Race at Windham Mountain on February 1st. I am looking forward to this a great deal and cannot wait to hit the snow again!
Talking about snow, it is supposed to snow a lot here in Happy Valley over the course of the next day or two! They are talking about over 6" of snow! I hope that it is snow and not ice because I have a lot of trouble walking in the ice, so LET IT SNOW!
Finally, Christine Southard was generous enough to e-mail me a copy of a speech that I gave to the volunteers at the Adaptive Sports Foundation at their annual organizational meeting this season. You can listen to it below:
Have a great week and LET IT SNOW!
- Tracker
-----------------------------------------
"Never, never, never, never give up" - Winston Churchill
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Nick Santonastasso
Hi All,
I just wanted to share a video that I came across about a 12 year old boy named Nick Santonastasso from New Jersey born with a disability where his limbs did not develop properly. He did not let that stop him though!
Watch the video here:
-Tracker
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Never let anybody tell you what you can't do!"
I just wanted to share a video that I came across about a 12 year old boy named Nick Santonastasso from New Jersey born with a disability where his limbs did not develop properly. He did not let that stop him though!
Watch the video here:
-Tracker
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Never let anybody tell you what you can't do!"
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
New Semester
Hi All,
I started a new semester here at Penn State last Monday and am looking forward to a great few months! It was absolutely freezing in Happy Valley last week with the temperatures not making it out of single digits, but the cold did not seem to get to me as much as it got to my friends (I say it is all the skiing I do)!
This past weekend, I went back home to enjoy the three day weekend and go skiing. I had a really nice time and was able to work out some issues I had with getting off of C-Lift. The skiing was phenomenal, too, and we even got to go down the NASTAR race course a few times. The worst part about the weekend was the subzero temperatures (at one point it was -13)!
Our Wheelchair Basketball team is playing at halftime of this Thursday's Woman's Basketball game, so I am definately looking forward to that. We also are playing a double header on Saturday against the Allied Forces of Scranton - this will be our first game against a real Wheelchair Basketball team (not just the All Star team of Penn State coaches).
I am planning on heading home in two weeks to race in the Diana Golden Race at Windham Mountain on Sunday, February 1 (yes, that is Super Bowl Sunday)!
I will be sure to post sometime next week and let you know how the Wheelchair Basketball games go!
- Tracker
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Glory lies in the attempt to reach one's goal and not in reaching it." -- Mohandas Gandhi
I started a new semester here at Penn State last Monday and am looking forward to a great few months! It was absolutely freezing in Happy Valley last week with the temperatures not making it out of single digits, but the cold did not seem to get to me as much as it got to my friends (I say it is all the skiing I do)!
This past weekend, I went back home to enjoy the three day weekend and go skiing. I had a really nice time and was able to work out some issues I had with getting off of C-Lift. The skiing was phenomenal, too, and we even got to go down the NASTAR race course a few times. The worst part about the weekend was the subzero temperatures (at one point it was -13)!
Our Wheelchair Basketball team is playing at halftime of this Thursday's Woman's Basketball game, so I am definately looking forward to that. We also are playing a double header on Saturday against the Allied Forces of Scranton - this will be our first game against a real Wheelchair Basketball team (not just the All Star team of Penn State coaches).
I am planning on heading home in two weeks to race in the Diana Golden Race at Windham Mountain on Sunday, February 1 (yes, that is Super Bowl Sunday)!
I will be sure to post sometime next week and let you know how the Wheelchair Basketball games go!
- Tracker
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Glory lies in the attempt to reach one's goal and not in reaching it." -- Mohandas Gandhi
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wounded Warrior Weekend
Hi All,
This weekend was the Wounded Warrior Project Weekend at the Adaptive Sports Foundation. The ASF gave over 20 soldiers who were injured in the line of duty and their families the opportunity to learn how to ski and snowboard with the use of adaptive equipment. They all were truly remarkable and inspiring. The soldiers did not let anything stop them - they all had a great time, too!
Today was also a Powder Day at Windham! Mother Nature dropped just under a foot of powder and the mountain looks better than ever! While it is a bit challenging for a four-tracker to ski in boot deep powder, I still had a great time! It was one of the few times that I fell and felt nothing! It is a beautiful thing!
Finally, I go back to Happy Valley tonight to start my next semester of classes! I cannot wait to see all my friends again. On Friday, I am heading back home to enjoy a nice three day weekend!
Have a great week and I will write soon!
LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! (Yes, even more)
- Tracker
---------------------------------
"A powder day is a fun day!"
This weekend was the Wounded Warrior Project Weekend at the Adaptive Sports Foundation. The ASF gave over 20 soldiers who were injured in the line of duty and their families the opportunity to learn how to ski and snowboard with the use of adaptive equipment. They all were truly remarkable and inspiring. The soldiers did not let anything stop them - they all had a great time, too!
Today was also a Powder Day at Windham! Mother Nature dropped just under a foot of powder and the mountain looks better than ever! While it is a bit challenging for a four-tracker to ski in boot deep powder, I still had a great time! It was one of the few times that I fell and felt nothing! It is a beautiful thing!
Finally, I go back to Happy Valley tonight to start my next semester of classes! I cannot wait to see all my friends again. On Friday, I am heading back home to enjoy a nice three day weekend!
Have a great week and I will write soon!
LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! (Yes, even more)
- Tracker
---------------------------------
"A powder day is a fun day!"
Monday, January 5, 2009
Rose Bowl and Skiing
Hi All,
As I sit in the Adaptive Sports Center, I am absolutely exhausted from skiing three days in a row. After a very crowded Saturday, the mountain emptied out a bit on Sunday and even more on Monday. The skiing this weekend wasn't that bad, either and I think I am constantly improving and skiing the best that I have ever skied.
The mountain was freezing on Saturday, but the race team braved the elements (with a few new members - snowboarders Zach and Taylor) to take advantage of the great conditions! The mountain was too crowded to do any race drills, so we free skied and got a lot of mileage. It was a great day!
On Sunday, the mountain was much less crowded so we worked on edging. We found parts of the mountain a bit icy, but a diamond in the rough on Lower Wiseacres - it was pure powder! I also tackled my first double black diamond trail of the season on Upper Wolverine, but fell twice. I need more practice on steeper terrain!
On Monday, I skied with my father in the morning and took a lesson with Eric in the afternoon. I was so worn out by the end of the afternoon! We did five runs off of A-Lift in under an hour and a half! The snow was very icy and slick, but any day you get out on the mountain is a good day!
Now, let me backtrack for a few seconds to talk about the Rose Bowl. Despite a disappointing Penn State loss, it was an amazing experience all around! I enjoyed feeling like a part of something big - the Penn State family. When I got onto the airplane in JFK, there were Penn State fans! When I arrived in LAX, there were even more Penn State fans! Our hotel should have been called the Penn Stater because it was filled with Penn State fans!
I loved the Rose Parade because the floats were so beautiful and smelled so nice, but my favorite part was the game. I was sitting in the Penn State section, so it was an amazing feeling to be cheering for the same team when everybody else in the stadium was cheering for USC! It was a great experience!
That is about it, so lets all pray for snow (because the mountain can definately use it)!
- Tracker
--------------------------------------
"We are...Penn State!"
As I sit in the Adaptive Sports Center, I am absolutely exhausted from skiing three days in a row. After a very crowded Saturday, the mountain emptied out a bit on Sunday and even more on Monday. The skiing this weekend wasn't that bad, either and I think I am constantly improving and skiing the best that I have ever skied.
The mountain was freezing on Saturday, but the race team braved the elements (with a few new members - snowboarders Zach and Taylor) to take advantage of the great conditions! The mountain was too crowded to do any race drills, so we free skied and got a lot of mileage. It was a great day!
On Sunday, the mountain was much less crowded so we worked on edging. We found parts of the mountain a bit icy, but a diamond in the rough on Lower Wiseacres - it was pure powder! I also tackled my first double black diamond trail of the season on Upper Wolverine, but fell twice. I need more practice on steeper terrain!
On Monday, I skied with my father in the morning and took a lesson with Eric in the afternoon. I was so worn out by the end of the afternoon! We did five runs off of A-Lift in under an hour and a half! The snow was very icy and slick, but any day you get out on the mountain is a good day!
Now, let me backtrack for a few seconds to talk about the Rose Bowl. Despite a disappointing Penn State loss, it was an amazing experience all around! I enjoyed feeling like a part of something big - the Penn State family. When I got onto the airplane in JFK, there were Penn State fans! When I arrived in LAX, there were even more Penn State fans! Our hotel should have been called the Penn Stater because it was filled with Penn State fans!
I loved the Rose Parade because the floats were so beautiful and smelled so nice, but my favorite part was the game. I was sitting in the Penn State section, so it was an amazing feeling to be cheering for the same team when everybody else in the stadium was cheering for USC! It was a great experience!
That is about it, so lets all pray for snow (because the mountain can definately use it)!
- Tracker
--------------------------------------
"We are...Penn State!"
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