Mike Kane

Photo courtesy of Tom Stillo

The Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte hosted the inaugural Off-Road Handcycling World Championships Aug. 26-27.

Winners of the event in first through fifth place respectively were: Seth Arseneau, Steve Ackerman, Daewon Mickelson, Drew Wills, and Mike Kane.

Arseneau of Albuquerque, N.M. who raced on the road at the Athens Paralympics, declined an invitation to this year’s Road World Championships in Switzerland to stay home and compete in this historic off-road event.

Also competing was Paralympian Nick Catanzarite of Frasier, Colo., who competed in alpine skiing at the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Torino.

The event featured athletes with disabilities competing on specially-designed handcycles outfitted for off-road riding. Sponsored by One-Off Handcycles – one of only two off-road handcycle manufacturers – the competition included three races in two days and included a three-mile hill climb, five-mile cross-country race, and a trials exhibition.

“This will be the first true off-road handcycle race…. in which every competitor will tackle climbs, fire road, single track, and descents completely unassisted,” said Mike Augspurger, founder of One-Off, prior to the event. “Unlike the four-wheeled ‘gravity machines’ introduced a few years ago, off-road handcycles have a single-wheeled drive train in the back, similar to a two-wheeled mountain bike, with two wheels in the front for stability.”

According to Christopher Hensley, Executive Director of the Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte, this event will set the bar for the sport. “The U.S. hosted the first-ever road handcycling World Championship in 1998, and the sport is now huge. Therefore, it only makes sense that we host the first-ever Off-Road Championships in the U.S. as well…it’s a perfect fit for our program niche, right here in Crested Butte,” said Hensley.

Common Ground Outdoor Adventures is located in Northern Utah and provides outdoor recreational opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities. Year-round trips include adaptive downhill skiing, dog sledding, snow shoeing, climbing, white water rafting, adaptive cycling, and camping trips to National Parks in the West.

Slated events include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and dog sledding at Jackson Hole, Feb. 23-25 and March 23-25. Participants will spend time at the Teton Science School cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and learning about the area. This is followed by a day of dog sledding, with an opportunity to drive the sled. Weather ranges from –10 degrees and snowing to 50 degrees and sunny, but warm layers and hot cocoa are provided. Cost is $200 per person and includes transportation from Logan, Utah lodging, and meals.

White water rafting and hiking trips are planned for the Payette River, in Idaho, and the Colorado River, Green River, and Snake River in Utah. Dates and times for the trips will be announced on the chapter’s Web site.

All trips and activities are adapted to meet the needs of all abilities. There is an accessible shuttle available to Logan from Salt Lake City International Airport. Friends, family, and volunteers can attend for a reduced rate.

For more information or to sign up for activities, call us at 435.713.0288, visit www.cgadventures.org, or email programs@cgadventures.org.

Eagle Mount Billings will host its 18th annual Mountain Challenge ski race March 31, 2007, at Red Lodge Mountain Resort. This will be a three-member team race with two runs down a double slalom course. Team times are handicapped to an aggregate team net time.

All proceeds benefit the programs of Eagle Mount Billings, a non-profit organization committed to helping people with disabilities realize their dreams. Since it was founded in 1988, Eagle Mount has served thousands of children and adults with disabilities, offering them the chance to enjoy everything from skiing and swimming to riding bicycles and horses. Eagle Mount now serves more than 550 children and adults, helping them enjoy life and overcome some of the challenges their disabilities pose.

Alpine Alternatives, Anchorage, is planning a variety of programs for 2007. Beginning in May, the chapter will be providing activities several times per week including hiking, hands-on field trips to pizza and candy factories, animal rescue farms, and motorcycle building workshop. Activities are used to promote self-esteem, socialization, and friendships.

Alpine Alternatives will also be providing eight to ten weeks of adaptive horseback riding. Riding is done in a closed arena and covers how to care for the horse, as well as simple riding commands.

In June, a week-long overnight camp for individuals that experience ADD/ADHD is planned. Activities include hiking, canoeing, crafts, and short field trips.

Camp Abilities is slated for July 9-14. This camp is a sports camp for blind/visually-impaired individuals. Some of the activities offered at the week-long camp are tandem biking, beep baseball, goalball, adaptive hiking, rock wall climbing, kayaking, and aquatics. Staff and volunteers check in July 6, and have in-service July 7 and 8.

The Mesa Association of Sports for the Disabled partnered with the Arizona Paralympic Academy for a pilot Paralympic Academy program to serve as an annual celebration of sports for individuals with physical disabilities in and around Arizona. This program was sponsored by the U.S. Paralympics and was held Oct. 28 at the Arizona State University Student Recreation Complex. It was part of the 9th Annual Disabled Sports Expo. Other program partners were the Barrow Neurological Institute Recreation Therapy Department and Arizona State University.

Educational sessions included the definition of Paralympic sports, classification, disability responsibility, and modifying and adapting equipment. Sessions were led by Paralympic athletes.

The 8th Annual Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities, hosted by UCO Disabled Sports and Events, will be held at the University of Central Oklahoma and Edmond North High School, June 7-10, 2007. The event features competition in approximately 10 different sports, as well as sports clinics for athletes and coaches. The Endeavor Games are open to all athletes, regardless of age or ability.

The opening ceremony will be Friday, June 8, at UCO’s Hamilton Field House, and will feature the 2006 Endeavor Games video, a Parade of Athletes, and a guest speaker to be announced.

The entry fee for the competition is $25 for one sport (track and field is considered one sport), $30 for two sports, and $35 for three or more. The fee includes a participant T-shirt, athlete goodie bag, participation in the opening ceremony, a lunch, and the athletes’ banquet. Athletes will be awarded Olympic-style gold, silver, and bronze medals for the first, second, and third place in each event entered.

The Endeavor Games were created in 2000 to meet the need for a multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities. Last year’s event had 315 participants from 29 states and three countries.