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News and Information about the People and Programs of SFL International
Skiing. Sharing. LearningThe 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.
I hope by now that many of you have completed your application to attend the 40th Ski for Light event. Later in this issue you will read more from event chair Cara Barnes about plans for this very special celebration.
I have been affiliated with SFL since 1982 and this will be my 30th international event. While I rotated off of the board for about ten years, I have had the opportunity to serve on the board in four different decades and was honored to serve a term as president in the early 1990's. It has been rewarding to see Ski for Light evolve and mature as an organization, and become a leader in outdoor recreational services for individuals who are visually or mobility impaired.
Dating back to the days when the organization was formed, visually impaired individuals have been partners with sighted individuals in all aspects of leadership, governance, and event management. I believe this is our greatest strength and salute the advocacy of early participants Bud Keith and Oral Miller and the cooperation of SFL's first two presidents Carl Platou and Bjarne Eikevik.
Below I have listed five significant organizational changes that I have seen in my time with Ski for Light. This is not intended to be a complete list of important changes, just one person's reflections. A few of the significant individuals are named, but this is by no means a complete list of people who have contributed to SFL's growth and development. Such a list would fill this bulletin.
A spirit of cooperation and participation by members of the SFL Board has influenced each of these changes. While many have participated in this process, former president Nancy McKinney has been a constant catalyst for team work and board development.
As we recognize and celebrate our many past accomplishments and the individuals who made them possible, we also embrace new leaders and welcome new members of the board, planning committee and the SFL family. It is genuinely a privilege to have worked with and continue to work with so many who are committed to "Making a good thing better."
Editor's Note: Many thanks to Larry Showalter for passing along this lovely 2008 e-mail exchange between Linda Mumford and Bud Keith. I contemplated simply publishing the first paragraph of Bud's reply to Linda, but realized that the complete conversation is a wonderful encapsulation of why Ski for Light is so enduring: first, there's the inquiring mind of Linda Mumford wishing to know all she can about the foundations of Ski for Light. And then there is the late, much missed Bud Keith, who took the time to share his knowledge with Linda. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do; I know I will be thinking about it all through the last week of January 2015 out on the trails at Snow Mountain Ranch. - P.S.
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 from Peer Gynt. 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 for a blessing.
Linda Mumford
According to Wikipedia - as everyone knows, the world's most reliable source - the tradition of celebrating anniversaries goes back to the Roman Empire. While Togas may not be appropriate ski attire, I hope that everyone will join Ski for Light for our 40th Anniversary Celebration January 25 through February 1, 2015. We're staying at the wonderful Inn at Silver Creek and skiing on the much-loved trails of Snow Mountain Ranch. Plans are taking shape for a special event with some special friends.
Gifted guitarist and incredible songwriter Jim Salestrom will join us for a memorable evening of music that crosses generational boundaries. We will honor Ski for Light's 40-year history throughout the week and honor our Norwegian roots in a special Norway Night event.
Forget your Toga but don't leave that Ski for Light T-Shirt at home. Bring your favorite, your oldest, your cleanest Ski for Light shirt to wear at T-Shirt night. If you don't have a Ski for Light shirt don't worry, as shirts and other fun and fabulous items will be on sale in the SFL sales room. In popular culture the 40th anniversary is known as the ruby anniversary, so be sure to pack that red skiwear (ruby slippers optional).
In addition to celebrating with friends and special guests there will be ample time to catch up with old friends and make new friends. Check out the Inn's arcade, fitness center pool and hot tubs after a day of skiing, or attend an educational Special Interest Session.
Don't let the party pass you by, join the celebration! Apply today!
The Silent Auction has been an annual event at the Ski for Light International week as long as I can remember - and longer, of course (not because of my imperfect memory, but because the tradition predates my first International Week in 1999). It is a fun, and not so silent, evening that also helps financially support the organization. Each year a number of corporate sponsors donate items for the auction. In addition many participants and friends of Ski for Light also show support by donating items. I am always awed by the number of wonderful handmade items created by members of the Ski for Light family. From jam to sweaters to dog gear, there really is something for everyone.
A former SFL President remembers a bidding war with Tom Burgunder over a Jeanne Mackenzie painting. Gina Bevilaqua acted as Tom's agent and finally signaled that Tom would stop at a certain amount so the President got the painting. I will be forever grateful to a certain guide (who shall remain nameless), for helping to make sure that I was the high bidder on a beautiful bracelet.
Donated Silent Auction items should be new and have a value of $20 or more (collectible memorabilia and hand made items are also acceptable). Items can be shipped via UPS or Federal Express (No US Postal Service please) to:
Marie HustonEditor's Note: Although we have published several articles in the past by Ski for Light athletes describing various events they have participated in, rarely do we learn how people prepared for their particular achievement. Eliza Cooper, who attended her first SFL International Week this past February, discusses her training regimen for a Half-Ironman Triathlon she undertook in late August, and lets us see how it paid off, well before she even got to the starting line: - P.S.
On August 24, 2014, I achieved something that I had not even conceived of attempting until a year ago. I raced in my first half ironman distance triathlon, which consisted of a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a half marathon (13.1 mile) run. Now, I could wax poetic about what an unforgettable day it was for me and my guide: how it felt to sprint across the finish line an hour sooner than we thought we would; how beautiful the course was, and how incredibly supportive the other athletes and volunteers were. But what really amazes me about this whole endeavor is how much I learned during my eight months of preparation for the event.
Training changed me not only physically but mentally in many positive ways. I knew it was going to take a lot of effort and time to prepare my body to handle six hours of racing, and that my guide was putting in the same amount of time and effort. I certainly couldn't let her down, but I couldn't let myself down, either. You never know what might happen in a triathlon - you could have problems with your bike; you can get injured; you can get dehydrated or fail to consume enough of the right nutrition. Knowing this from past mishaps in shorter triathlons, I wouldn't let myself take the race for granted. My only goal was to train as hard as I could, so that no matter what happened on race day, I could feel confident that my body was ready.
I started training in February: running in Central Park when it was freezing cold; commuting over an hour each way to workouts at all hours; changing my diet so that it emphasized the proper foods in the proper amounts. And you know what? It felt incredibly good! As I got stronger, I began experiencing the adrenaline highs I'd heard about, and I remember the moment when I realized that I could push myself much further past my limits than I'd ever done before. Sure, there were low moments. Everyone breaks down or panics during this type of training at least once. But forcing myself to keep moving showed me pretty quickly that I would be okay.
At the peak of my training, I was riding for three hours at a time, running 16 miles the next day, and swimming 3,000 yards the next. And learning how much my body could handle and how good it all felt was worth every minute. The day after my race, when I got out of bed and realized I wasn't broken or in too much pain, I truly appreciated how much my body had done for me and how well my training had worked. And it is for that reason that I will keep racing. Every finish line is going to be sweet, for sure, but it is the day-to-day benchmarks of the training process that will keep me coming back.
Next year, I plan to train for my first marathon, and will attempt to qualify for the Paratriathlon World Championships.
Editor's Note: Thanks to Bob Hartt and Bonnie O'Day for sharing this article with us. Bob explains that the article and an accompanying video piece came about after Bonnie responded to the author's query on a web site for blind tandem cyclists. "The author, Rosalie Skirble, works for Voice of America and had put a message out on the cycling blind listserve. We were pleased with the outcome. My only disappointment is that she edited out the Ski for Light name, which I mentioned when explaining that it was our SFL friends who got us interested in tandem riding as a way to keep in shape during the warm weather months..." Here is a link to the website that Bonnie and Bob use: http://blindstokersclub.org/BSC_website/Homepage.html - Hope you enjoy it. - P.S.
Almost one in five Americans - some 43 million people - has a disability. But that does not have to keep them away from sports. Not only does participating in a sport provide rehabilitation, it promotes independence. There are several organizations in the United States dedicated to getting everyone - amputees, people who are blind or deaf, those with brain injuries or medical issues - onto the ski slopes, basketball courts, rivers and riding trails. Disabled athletes may start early, boosted by teams in their schools and communities, or like Bob Hartt, 62, return to a favorite passion of their youth.
Hartt hadn't ridden a bike in 20 years, since losing his sight from a progressive eye disease. His wife Bonnie O'Day, 58, has been legally blind since childhood. But the two are avid cross-country skiers, going out with guides who provide orientation through verbal descriptions and instructions.
Three years ago, their guides suggested that the couple might want to try biking to keep in shape the rest of the year. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to get back to doing something I used to love doing," Hartt said. So they bought a couple of used tandem bikes and began to recruit volunteers to ride with them. The couple lives near Washington, D.C., where cycling is popular.
"Once we put out the call, it was a matter of coordination as to who would captain or pilot the two-seaters," O'Day said. That grew into a club called "Tuesday Night Tandems," which meets in a Northern Virginia neighborhood once or twice a week after work. "We usually have four or five teams of riders," Hartt added. When there is an odd number of blind riders, Hartt and O'Day ride the 3.2-meter, three-seat tandem bike that volunteer Mark Mulligan carefully unloads from the roof of his car.
The riders soon take off down the driveway, picking up speed as they move downhill out of the neighborhood. They are careful to obey traffic lights and stop signs as they follow a network of trails that leads them along the Potomac River. Tandem captain pilots, stokers fuel engine In tandem language, Mulligan is team captain. His job is to make sure there are no surprises for the blind riders that sit behind him. They're called stokers. "So you're supposed to tell them what's coming up, what's going on. The difference is learning to actually describe what we're doing," he said. "I call it the cruise director. You're trying to describe the sights as we're going on."
Mulligan says it is a misconception that blind people don't know where they are. "When we go out on a new ride I have to announce landmarks and after repeating the same ride, it puts a map in their heads," he said. "I've seen Bob out with a new volunteer and he's telling him where to go. Bonnie does the same thing."
Hartt doesn't want Mulligan to do more than his share. "We want to keep up on our side of the bargain by keeping in shape ourselves. We want to make it fun for them as well," he said.
A well-choreographed dance After dozens of tandem rides, the three work together like a well-oiled machine, acutely aware of one another and their surroundings. Hartt says the ride is like a choreographed dance. "It just feels great when you've got some speed and you're going around some curves, and you're all in sync," he said. "Once you get going you get that breeze, you get a little wind chill and it cools you right off and it's just a lot of fun."
O'Day loves to be out in nature. "It's faster than walking, which is really good and as I go by things, I get to smell them," she said. "I get to experience the wind in my face and the smell of the flowers and a bakery if you happen to go by one, like the one we passed today."
Nearly three hours later, the bikers head down the home stretch, tired, hungry but happy, like any cyclist who has just ridden 40 kilometers. "We're not unique in any way," O'Day pointed out. "There are a lot of blind people who ride tandems. And, of course, when we're riding the people who are around us don't know we're vision-impaired. So, we're just out there doing the regular thing just like everybody else and I think that's good."
The teams pull into the driveway where they started their ride. Hartt and O'Day dismount and give each other a hug, buoyed by a sense of confidence and camaraderie that they carry back into their daily lives.
An update of the Guide Handbook for 2014-15 is now available at www.sfl.org/event/sflguidehandbook14.pdf. The 24-page booklet contains a wealth of general skiing tips, SFL-specific terminology, a standard progression of instruction for beginners, and other information to help new guides approach their first event with confidence, and to help everyone ski together more safely and enjoyably. An audio version will be posted on the website soon; all registered guides for the 2015 event in Granby will receive a printed copy in the mail. We hope everyone in the SFL community will benefit from the work of handbook editors Scott McCall, Bob Civiak, Ken Leghorn, and Julie Coppens, who welcome readers' feedback for future editions.
Ski for Light maintains two electronic mailing lists for people who are interested in the activities and programs of the organization:
2015 Winter Program January 26 - 29, 2015
This will be the 36th annual Black Hills Regional Ski For Light event. Ski daily at Terry Peak Ski Area and Wharf Resources Area. Both Alpine and Nordic skiing are offered to the blind, visually impaired, and physically challenged. All skill levels are welcome from beginner to experienced skiers. Lodging is in Deadwood, South Dakota. Evening activities are centered in this historic western town. Transportation is provided between the ski venue and Deadwood. The cost of the event is $200 which includes a banquet ticket.
2015 Winter Program January 23 - 25, 2015
The 2015 three-day event will take place January 23 - 25, 2015, at Snow Mountain Ranch, just before the SFL International event. Several people will be attending both events. The cost of $89.00 includes lodging, food, trail passes and rentals. Space is limited, so get your application in early.
Contact: Brenda Bertrand2015 Winter Program January 16 - 18, 2015
Higgins Lake, Ralph A. MacMulllen Conference Center, Roscommon, Michigan.
This is a full service event with accommodations, meals, entertainment and lots of great skiing for every skill level. Online registration starts October 15, 2014, with early registration discounts. Check the complete Schedule of Events on the website.
2015 Winter Program March 8 - 12, 2015
West Yellowstone, MontanaLodging will be at the West Yellowstone Holiday Inn. The event is three days of skiing. The ski area is within walking distance from the hotel. There is always an ample amount of snow in West Yellowstone.
There will be two winter trips in 2015.
The first will be January 9 - 12, 2015 at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. The cost will be similar to last years, which was $275 prior to December 1 and $295 thereafter. Ski right from the lodge. Great food! Trip includes three nights lodging double occupancy. There will be opportunities for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. This trip fills fast, so register early!
The date of the second trip has not been set, but it will be at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center, in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire or the Bear Notch Ski Touring, Center in Bartlett, New Hampshire, with lodging at the Wayside Inn in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. Last year's cost was $180 prior to January 30, and $200 thereafter. This location offers double rooms overlooking the Ammonoosuc River and features meals prepared by the award winning chef/owner. Bretton Woods and Bear Notch offer all levels of cross country skiing.
The long-term site for their winter event, the Land of the Vikings lodge, has closed, but they may be able to hold their event there anyway. They are also looking for other venues. Keep an eye on their website for the latest information.
2015 Winter Program Saturday day trips from Seattle via chartered bus to Trollhaugen Sons of Norway Lodge, Erling Stordahl Snow Park, Stampede Pass, Washington.
Dates for 2015 are January 10 and 17, February 7 and 21, March 7 and 21.
All events take place at Tahoe Donner Cross Country Center in Truckee, California.
23rd Annual 3-Day Ski Event February 28 - March 2, 2015
The bus will depart from Sacramento early Saturday morning. Those coming from out of town will spend Friday night at the Fairfield Inn in Rancho Cordova. Please come join us - incredible trails, incredible food, and incredible people! For all the details, including cost and applications, please contact:
Cindy QuintanaSaturday Day Trips For Children and Adults January 24, February 7, and March 21, 2015
Contact: Betsy RowellAges 12 and up may participate.
Contact for visually-impaired skiers: Bev HellandSee website for details.
Contact: Barry Nelson, PresidentDetails will be on their website soon.
Contact: Toshiaki AomatsuOur thanks go to the following companies that have provided products or services to help support Ski for Light. Many of these companies have stood behind us for years - and we're grateful. Be sure to think of our friends when you're gearing up for your next adventure.
JanSport * Acorn * Blue Ridge Chair Works * Camelbak * Clif Bar * Columbia * Cowbells.com * Crazy Creek * Dansko * Darn Tough Socks * Eagle Creek * Fox River Mills * Haiku * Honey Stinger * Hydro Flask * Kavu * Leki * Live Eyewear * Olly Dog * Patagonia * PEET Shoe Dryers * Peppers Polarized Eyewear * Polar Bottle * Powertraveller * Ruffwear * Sierra Designs * SportHill * Tiger Tail Massagers * Toko US
Special thanks to: Fram Lodge #3-564, Sons of Norway
The SFL Bulletin is published three times a year. It is available in
ink-print or via e-mail. If you wish to change
formats, please send your request to: bulletin@sfl.org
The current as well as past issues of the Bulletin are also available online at www.sfl.org/bulletin.html. In addition to an online edition that may be read in your browser, you will find a downloadable pdf version of the current issue.
For future Bulletins, remember that your contributions and feedback are always most welcome. You may submit articles as e-mail or as a word attachment; if you do not have e-mail, you may send a typed article through the mail. Send all items to:
Peter SlatinThe deadline for the Spring 2015 Bulletin is March 15, 2015. We look forward to hearing from you.
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