Summer 2008
News and Information about the People and Programs of SFL International
Skiing. Sharing. Learning
The mission of Ski for Light is to enhance the quality of life and independence of visually or mobility-impaired adults through a program of cross country skiing.
Dear Ski for Light Friends-current ones and new ones to be made,
I hope this finds you enjoying a lovely summer. I have left the floods of Iowa to enjoy the cool, dry air of the Colorado mountains for a few weeks. But, it's not all fun and games. I have had yet another knee surgery to patch up a previous injury and surgery. It's all part of the plan to get ready for the next ski season. I'm already looking forward to getting out my cross country skis and heading off to Provo and Soldier Hollow for the 2009 International Week, February 1-8, 2009.
On a less upbeat note, most of you have already heard of Bud Keith's death in June, after a long but well-fought battle with prostate cancer. Bud was active, involved and on top of things to the very end.
He was awarded the Brit Peterson award just a few days before his death for his financial contributions to Ski for Light, amounting to $25,000 over time. Of course, as we all know, his non-financial contributions were vast. Bud was instrumental from the beginning in ensuring that the leadership of SFL was a shared responsibility, not one of sighted folks doing for blind folks. That sentiment continues strongly today in the leadership makeup of SFL, and it is just one of the things that makes Ski for Light such a strong and unique organization. You will read more about Bud in other articles in this Bulletin and on the SFL web site.
A celebration of Bud's life was held in Arlington, Virginia on July 19, attended by 125 people. The program included stories and recollections by several people from different eras of Bud's life. Nancy McKinney spoke on behalf of Ski for Light and Judy Dixon sang the Ridderrenn song that was created some years ago. Speakers also included a friend from Bud's Peace Corps days in Panama, readers, and people from the audience who wanted to share their memories of Bud.
Judy Dixon, chair of the 2009 event, is working on the details for the week; the annual SFL International Week planning meeting will be held in early October in Provo with visits to the Nordic center. We'll have more detailed information for you at that time, but I am sure that it will be a great week with fantastic skiing, with echoes of Olympians in the air.
Remember, Ski for Light is an all-volunteer organization, and we count on all of your efforts and support to keep us strong.
Now, start thinking snow and skiing and what a great week we'll have in Utah in early 2009!
By Judy Dixon, Event Chair
The applications for the 34th annual Ski for Light International Event, to be held in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah from February 1 through 8, 2009, are now on the Ski for Light web site: www.sfl.org. While all of the information you will need is on the website, here is a summary to whet your appetite.
We will be staying at the Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Provo, and skiing each day at the Soldier Hollow Ski Area in Midway. Provo is located in the middle of Utah, about 45 miles south of the Salt Lake City airport. It is a clean, pleasant city of about 100,000 people, and is the home of Brigham Young University.
Provo is situated along the western base of the Wasatch Mountains. The rugged terrain of the Wasatch, coupled with the lightest, driest and deepest powder anywhere, result in some of the finest skiing anywhere in the country, if not the world. If you plan to arrive early or stay late at SFL to downhill ski, you will be pleased to learn that within an hour of Provo are the world-class ski resorts of Sundance (located nearest to the Marriott), Park City, Alta, Snowbird, the Canyons, Brighton and Solitude.
The Provo Marriott is a modern, full-service business and convention hotel, with all of the amenities you could ask for. the 330 guest rooms are large, airy and well-appointed. The Marriott has a large indoor heated pool and hot-tub, a state of the art work-out facility, a restaurant and bar, and more than enough meeting and banquet space to meet our needs. The hotel is located right in the middle of downtown Provo, so restaurants and shops of all kinds will be just a short walk away.
Soldier Hollow is about 27 miles from the Marriott. The route to Soldier Hollow will take us through Provo Canyon, passing the Sundance Resort on the way.
While the dry powder of the Wasatch has long been a magnet for downhill skiers, it has not been of much interest to cross country skiers until recent times. The major ski resorts in the area are generally too rugged for good cross country skiing, and there was no economic reason to develop good cross country venues since the area already attracted so many downhill skiers.
This all changed starting in about 2000, with the approach of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Park City was the Olympic venue for downhill skiing but it was not suitable for cross country competitions. The Olympic Organizing Committee and the state of Utah solved the problem by carving good cross country trails into Wasatch State Park. They added a beautiful two-story ski lodge and built roads into the area, named it all Soldier Hollow, and the rest is history. The 2002 events that were held there were described by all who attended as among the best ever held.
Within the past two years Soldier Hollow has expanded their trail system to include more beginner and intermediate terrain. The 35K system now has trails for all abilities. Trails are wide and wonderfully well-groomed. There is snow making capability at the site should it ever be needed, but the probability of good natural skiing conditions is quite high.
We expect a high number of applications for this event, so don't delay! Get your application in early. Also please remember that most of our new attendees first hear of SFL from someone who has attended before, so please spread the word.
I look forward to seeing you in Utah!
Raymond (Bud) Keith was born in Washington, DC, November 20, 1939 and died June 14, 2008. He became totally blind at age eleven as a result of a playground accident. His insatiable curiosity, intense interest in the people around him, and an amazing capacity to remember details were all traits that characterized Bud's life and they characterized his involvement with Ski for Light as well.
Bud is the only person to attend every Ski for Light International event, from 1975 in Breckenridge, Colorado, to 2008 in Bend, Oregon. He served as SFL President from 1981 to 1988 and from 1994 to 1996. He never held any other office and never held an event job.
Many of the things we do today at Ski for Light were initiated by Bud's creativity at a time of organizational crisis. In 1987, when trail conditions had deteriorated to the point that holding a ski race was deemed unsafe, Bud came up with the idea of holding a rally instead. When the Board of Directors was suffering from not enough new members, Bud came up with the idea of an "Australian" ballot, ranking every person running for election rather than each person receiving a simple majority.
There were many other facets to Bud's life. Those of us who knew him through Ski for Light would often hear him mention that he had been a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama in the 1960's but did we know that he worked for the next forty years as a leader in the returned Peace Corps Volunteer community? For the past 15 years, Bud has been the president of the Peace Corps Panama Friends, the alumni group for Peace Corps volunteers and staff who served in Panama.
Bud was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1995. Because it had already metastasized to his bones, surgery was not an option for him. Bud approached the undertaking of being a cancer survivor in the same way that he approached everything else--he gathered all the information he could (fortunately, by then, the Internet had been invented); he contacted the most knowledgeable people; and he got involved. His involvement in his own treatment gave him 13 years of life when his prognosis had been three to six, and with a quality of life that was very high right to the end.
Those of us lucky enough to know the younger Bud knew a man full of energy and tireless capacity for getting the job done. There was no hour of the day or night that Bud wasn't ready to brainstorm about a problem, participate in a conference call, or just lick envelopes if it meant making the Ski for light program better. Ski for Light was a life's passion for Bud and Bud's passion for Ski for Light will live in the organization's essence for many, many years to come.
Bud, we will miss you always.
From Judy Dixon
I don't remember when I met Bud. He was at my first Ski for Light in 1977. When I moved to Washington in 1981, I saw him more often. We had dinner together every month or so and talked on the phone nearly every day. We consulted each other about Ski for Light no matter which one of us was President at the time. Bud was a walking database of local information--whether it was where can I get a railing made for my back porch or where do they have good seafood, Bud always knew. We laughed, we argued, we enjoyed the detail in things.
from Tor Dahl
The death of Bud Keith was a reminder that towering figures in our midst are not immortal, and that we must find ways to survive as seemingly indispensable leaders fall away. Like Bud, I was intensely involved with the start-up of Ski for Light. I was elected by SFL, together with Grethe Winter, to serve as guides to Ridderrennet (I guided Mary Kozy). I was a co-author of that notorious song that somehow has survived a quarter of a century in SFL ("Those were the days my friends...."). Bud, Billie Jean, and Judy Dixon last sang it together with me in Minneapolis at the Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse in July. My last conversation with Bud was about the future of Ski for Light. Bud was one of the superstars of SFL who laid the foundation of what is now a mature organization.
From Linda Mumford
I attended my first SFL event in 1998. I remember thinking at the time that Ski for Light was a strange name because the name gave no clue that it was an organization promoting cross country skiing for disabled persons, and I wondered what it meant. Over the next ten years, I continued to wonder about Ski for Light's name, and finally, on May 23, 2008 I decided to find out by sending an email to Bud Keith and asking him.
The very next day I received the following reply from Bud:
"Linda, The idea behind the name, ski for light, is somewhat complicated. erling [Stordahl] was full of metaphors. Instead of focusing on blindness and the absence of light, he focused on the unknown and enlightenment. So, in looking at the Norwegian culture, he used or created a metaphor. In the legend, a Norwegian knight, the ridder part of ridderrenn, needed to escape some bad guys. He came to an abyss and not having any idea of whether he could safely make it, leaped with faith and succeeded. erling equated this with the human struggle and pushed the need for us to try things where success was doubtful, and discover some previously unknown strength or ability within ourselves that help us succeed. it is the metaphorical struggle from ignorance to enlightenment. so in cross country skiing, blind folks are enabled to ski from the ignorance of not knowing anything about the limits of our abilities to the enlightenment of learning that we can succeed at much more than we had ever imagined.
the first event using an English name was race for light. oral miller and I were the first two blind folks who insinuated ourselves into leadership for the second event. we both insisted that racing and hard training for a race might fit in the Norwegian culture, but it wouldn't fit in our culture for many reasons. we insisted on something more appropriate, so we switched to ski for light, keeping the idea of enlightening oneself regarding possibilities and deemphasizing the racing aspects.
is that too much?"
No Bud, it is not too much, and I wish there could be more. May your memory be a blessing.
In January of 2002, my guide dog and I boarded a plane for Colorado to go to a program called Ski for Light in Granby. Two friends, Suzanne Brown and Richard Casey, convinced me to attend. First of all, I am from North Carolina, the South. I had never seen or touched a ski other than a water ski. Second, I never liked cold weather as I was a summer person. Third, I was at a point in life of getting doors closed on a bad life experience. So I find myself at the Denver airport talking to Kathy and Jim Strahan, more newbies, about the experience we were anticipating. On that first bus ride up the mountain, I sat with Annie Doyle, who captivated me with stories about her Ski for Light experiences. Upon arrival at the Ski Resort, people were greeting each other with hugs and warm greetings. They were obviously a caring group. My first guide, Maury Witteveen, was patient, firm and motivated me to learn to ski. It was a truly awesome week of learning to ski, meeting and getting to know a fantastic group of people, learning about the Ski for Light organization and being introduced to Norwegian culture.After that first time, I was hooked, and I have not missed a Ski for Light event since. Each time has been an incredibly rich experience that has motivated me and energized my life.We the VIPs, MIPs, GIPs and Worker Bees are the best advertisement for Ski for Light! Each of you has rich experiences to share with others you meet in your daily life, as well as in chance meetings. And we know that sharing these great times will inspire new folks to join our Ski for Light community. Our 2009 Ski for Light Event is February 1-8 in Provo, Utah. We are skiing in the Wasatch Mountains at Soldier Hollow Ski Resort, scene of the 2002 Olympics. The hotel is the Marriott in downtown Provo. The whole venue is absolutely exciting! So, as you work to get in shape, make your travel plans and pack your suitcase, remember to share your excitement and inspiration with as many people as possible, encouraging them to experience Ski for Light for themselves. Don't forget to mention and use all the resources on our web site: www.sfl.org. See you and yours in Provo!
Here we are in the middle of summer and already we are planning our next event. As always, we like to see new guides join the SFL family. Therefore, we would like to remind everyone to tell their skiing friends and acquaintances about Ski for Light. We know from prior years that more than 50% of new guides hear about Ski for Light from past participants.
In the Fall, it would be helpful to post one of our Event Flyers at ski shops and ski swap events.
Those interested can go to our website at www.sfl.org and click on 2009 Event Information.
If you have any suggestions on where we could recruit for new guides kindly email me at valk@sfl.org.
As a footnote, we still have considerable snow in the high country around Mt. Bachelor in Bend, Oregon. Maybe by the end of August we will have normal hiking conditions. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
SFL guide, Bruce Scharfenberg, reports on his care page that he is doing well. His amyloid is in remission, and he believes that he has no more reason to go back to the Mayo clinic. He says his heart even shows some modest improvement. He, along with all of us at Ski for Light, are very happy about this news. Keep up the good fight, Bruce!
SFL guide and worker bee, Jean Replinger, turns 80 years young this summer. She will be toasted, hugged, honored and celebrated by many of her friends on August 16th; we wish her well, and we look forward to pictures and stories when we all meet in Utah. Happy birthday, Jean!
On June 26th, Margaret Martin, a summer resident in Eagle Vail, CO. and a personal friend of Joe and Suzanne Brown, hosted a cocktail reception on her deck to benefit Ski for Light. Her guests, mainly residents of the Vail valley, gathered together under a spectacular blue Colorado sky to visit with each other and to hear the SFL story. Karen Ishibashi, Erik Ringkjob and Kristen Johnson were present to represent our SFL guides, and Suzanne Brown and Robin Van Lant to represent the VIPs. Robin was the winner of a $100 gift certificate, offered by one of the guests. This event was not only a fund raiser, but also a friend raiser for SFL.
Have you been looking for a way to support SFL without leaving home? Read on...
Many of you know Liv Markle, a long time SFL guide since 1987. For most of the past 20 years, Liv has been hosting annual SFL fund raiser events in her own home. She has raised over $25,000, which has earned her the honor of receiving the prestigious Brit Peterson award. She has demonstrated that fund raising activities right in one's own community can result in significant support for SFL. So why can't the rest of us make a difference also?
The endowment committee, with helpful guidance from Liv, is putting together a Ski for Light party starter package (PSP). It will contain ideas, information, tips, suggestions and instructions on how to plan and execute a successful SFL benefit right in your own living room, back yard or community venue. The SFL PSPs should be ready for distribution by early October 2008. These packets will be sent to you by request. Contact Suzanne Brown at 770 438-0101 or by e-mail at: suzannehb@bellsouth.net.
As many of you know, much of the hard work of Ski for Light happens in many different committees. Below is a list of those committees, along with their chairs for 2008-2009. If you feel called to join any of these committees, please contact the appropriate chairperson directly; they will be very glad of any help you can give.
Annual Appeal: Chris Leghorn E-mail: cdlegs@comcast.net
Board Development and Elections: Scott McCall E-mail: scottmccall3@comcast.net
Budget and Finance: Larry Showalter E-mail: larrysho@mindspring.com
Constitution and Bylaws: Wendy David E-mail: wendydav@mindspring.com
Corporate Sponsors: Crystal Skahan E-mail: crystal.skahan@unh.edu
Endowment: Suzanne Brown E-mail: suzannehb@bellsouth.net
Foundations: Linda Mumford E-mail: lmumford@uga.edu
Guide Recruitment: Valerie Keever E-mail: v.keever@yahoo.com
Long-Range Planning: Suzanne Brown E-mail: suzannehb@bellsouth.net
Mobility-impaired Recruitment: Dianne Brunswick E-mail: dmbrunswick@msn.com
Publicity and Public Relations: Cara Barnes E-mail: cara@quik.com
Regional Liaison: Duane Farrar E-mail: duano@mindspring.com
Risk Management: David Fisk E-mail: lutefisk_us@yahoo.com
Site Selection: Brook Yates E-mail: brookyates.sfl@gmail.com
Ski for Light Bulletin: Vicki Post E-mail: vickipost@earthlink.net
Ski for Light International Week Planning: Judy Dixon E-mail: judydixon@earthlink.net
Sons of Norway and Norwegian Community Liaison: Marion Elmquist E-mail: mlelmquist@aol.com
Visually-impaired Participant Recruitment: Renee Abernathy E-mail: reneabne@bellsouth.net
As part of its mission, Ski for Light encourages people to enhance their SFL experience by participating in other outdoor recreational activities. One way to do that is through one of the nine regional affiliates.
All of the regionals offer a wide variety of winter activities; a few offer some summer fun as well. These groups were founded by people who were eager to recreate their own Ski for Light experience in a more local and intimate setting. Many of the regionals are in the process of organizing their upcoming winter events; this information will be posted on the Ski for Light web site as soon as it is available. So, for the most up-to-date information on all their activities, please see the regionals page of the SFL website at www.sfl.org.
A Cycling Opportunity reprinted from the SFL-l mailing list Developmental Cycling Camp to Be Offered September 23-28, 2008 to Riders with Disabilities: Cyclist's Learn to Race at U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs
(Colorado Springs, Colorado) - The U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA), in collaboration with U.S. Hand Cycling (USHC) and Disabled Sports USA (DS/USA) is hosting the U.S. Developmental Cycling Camp for Riders with Disabilities at the U.S. Olympic Training Center, September 23-28 in Colorado Springs, CO.
Cyclists ages 16 and older with physical disabilities will learn bike handling skills, safe riding techniques and road racing strategies. Instruction in track riding will also be provided at the velodrome. Athletes eligible for participation include: blind and visually impaired cyclists and their sighted partners, who ride tandem bikes; cyclists with lower mobility impairments who use hand cycles; cyclists with cerebral palsy or head injury who use both standard bikes and tricycles; and amputee cyclists who ride either single bikes or hand cycles. A special invitation is being extended to military servicemen and women who have encountered disabilities from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom who want to learn to race.
"This is an outstanding opportunity for cyclists who want to expand their riding knowledge and experience. We also hope to identify athletes who will go on and compete for the United States in future regional and national events, as well as for some with the talent, dedication and desire to race internationally, including at the Paralympic Games", said Mark Lucas, Executive Director of the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes.
Camp staff will include certified cycling coaches, a U.S. Cycling Federation certified mechanic and guest speakers from a variety of sports related fields.
Riders attending camp will be on their bikes up to two times per day participating in skill drills, practicing safe riding techniques and competing in race simulations. There will also be evening lectures. "We will help network interested riders into their local riding and racing communities as much as possible and provide a schedule of future race opportunities," said Pam Fernandes, camp coordinator and former Paralympic cyclist.
Whatever the outcome for each rider, the goal of the camp is to foster a passion for riding and staying healthy. After completing camp, some participants will choose to become recreational riders while others will strive to become Paralympic champions. No matter which road athletes choose, the hope is that the camp will open new opportunities for sports and recreation to people with physical disabilities. In the past, some camp attendees have gone on to become Paralympic and World Champion medalists, setting National, World and Paralympic Records.
Food, housing and transportation to and from the airport will be provided by the U.S. Olympic Training Center as part of the camp. Athletes will be responsible for their own travel arrangements and will be asked to pay a nominal fee to attend the camp.
Riders are asked to bring their own bikes and gear to the camp. Tandem riders are encouraged to bring their own pilots (riding partners), but if needed, USABA will assist in finding partners for visually impaired riders.
Generous support for this camp has been provided by The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.
For more information or to request an application, contact Pam Fernandes at pamala@quik.com or call (781) 449-9563. Information about the camp and an application can also be downloaded from the USABA web site at http://www.usaba.org
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