World's Largest Disabled Veterans Ski Clinic Launches This Weekend at
Snowmass, Colo.
WASHINGTON, March 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 22nd National Disabled
Veterans Winter Sports Clinic will open this Sunday at Snowmass Village, Colo.
More than 400 disabled veterans, including nearly 70 recently injured during
Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF), will ski the
Rocky Mountains through Friday. This ski clinic for disabled veterans is the
largest event of its kind.
"We are extremely honored to not only welcome our recently injured veterans
but to show them that recovering from traumatic injury is to confront
challenges with confidence; to live life to its fullest," said Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. "Adaptive sports give veterans a sense
of accomplishment and enable them to redefine their capabilities."
The Clinic is an annual rehabilitation program open to U.S. military veterans
with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic amputations,
visual impairments, certain neurological problems and other disabilities who
receive care at a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facility or
military treatment facility.
For new veterans, the Clinic is usually the first time they can test their
rehabilitation gains outside of the hospital environment in an activity that
is both challenging and fun. An estimated 200 certified ski instructors for
the disabled and several current and former members of the U.S. Disabled Ski
Team serve as ski instructors to meet the unique needs of the participants.
Army veteran Shane Parsons, 22, who currently resides in San Antonio, Texas,
is an example of the transformation that occurs on the mountain. Injured
September 30, 2006, by a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Iraq, Parsons lost both his
legs and suffered a head injury. After attending his first Clinic last year,
he said, "It was absolutely awesome. This event helps us (newly injured
veterans) get into the mentality of saying 'hey I can do this, and if I can do
this, I can do other things for myself, too.'"
Co-sponsored by VA and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the Clinic is a
world leader in promoting rehabilitation by instructing veterans with
disabilities in adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, and introducing them to a
number of other adaptive recreational activities and sports. For many newly
injured veterans, the Clinic offers them their first experiences in winter
sports and gives them the inspiration for continued self development.
At the six-day event, veterans will also learn rock climbing, scuba diving,
snowmobiling, curling and sled hockey. The U.S. Secret Service will provide a
course on self-defense. All activities are designed to help participants
develop winter sports skills and take part in a variety of other adaptive
sports and workshops, which demonstrate that having a physical or visual
disability need not be an obstacle to an active, rewarding life.
"As a disabled veteran and ski instructor at the Winter Sports Clinic, I can
personally vouch for the amazing impact it has on the lives of our
participants," said DAV National Commander Robert T. Reynolds. "Thanks to the
wonderful partnership between the DAV and the Department of Veterans Affairs,
these miracles will once again take place in the lives of many of our
deserving wounded warriors."
VA is a recognized leader in rehabilitative and recreational therapies. With
153 medical centers, VA operates more than 1,400 sites of care, including 895
ambulatory care and community-based outpatient clinics, 135 nursing homes, 47
residential rehabilitation treatment programs, 209 Vet Centers and 108
comprehensive home-care programs. The DAV is a non-profit, congressionally
chartered veterans service organization with a membership of more than one
million wartime disabled veterans.
Log on to the event's Web site at: www.wintersportsclinic.va.gov
SOURCE U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-461-7600
