Adaptive ski program helps those with disabilities take to the slopes
February 22, 2011
The start of a weeklong school holiday attracted a younger crowd Monday to the slopes of the Buffalo Ski Club in Colden — including 12-year-old Rory O’Connor of Orchard Park.
Though Rory has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, he was able to glide across the fresh layer of snow aboard a biski: a bucket seat attached to a small suspension unit that’s mounted above a short pair of skis.
Adaptive ski instructors Clete Tepas and Eric Hahn took turns with the steering, guiding the bi-ski from behind via the roll bar or with tethers. “It’s hard to find something to do as a family — especially physical,” said Julie O’Connor, Rory’s mother. “We go to the beach. We go to the pool. We don’t do anything during the winter,” she said.
But that changed this year, after the O’Connors heard about the adaptive ski program at the Buffalo Ski Club. Earlier this month, Rory hit the slopes for the first time with his twin brother, Gannon, a snowboarder, and their father Michael, a skier.
“He loved it,” his mother said.
Read the rest of the article here.
No comments:
Post a Comment