We’re proud each year to send staff and volunteers to the Disabled Sports USA Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge, CO.
This annual event could not be more aptly named. Hundreds of people gather each year for this spectacular week: individuals with disabilities, professional staff and volunteers in the field of rehabilitation, ski instructors and others gather together to learn from each other, teach, compete, network and have a magical week. There’s something for everyone at “Ski Spec” – and it’s as close to magic as it gets on this earth. The beauty of this event is that it shows that you should not let your disability define you – you can do anything if you put your mind to it, of course, sometimes you just have to learn how to live with your disability which can sometimes take a couple of months. This is often the case for people who are newly disabled (e.g. they’ve been injured at work), which is why it’s important to make sure that you have disability insurance to help ensure that you don’t lose out during this time. Of course, you might be able to do everything straight away, but sometimes you just need a bit of time to get used to your new situation. But the point is, it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to do what you need to, you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
I attended my sixth DSUSA Ski Spectacular this year and was again fortunate to get to volunteer and instruct. I was matched up with co-instructors from across the country with differing levels of expertise. We worked together as a team with British Armed Forces Veteran, Jack Otter. Jack was severely injured in Afghanistan and is now a triple amputee. The IED blast may have left him with permanent limb loss and disability – but it did not leave him with a loss of determination! Many amputees don’t let their new disability get in the way of life and still tackle life’s challenges head-on, regardless of their physical circumstances. If they are able to work, a lot of them do try and live their life as normally as possible by finding a job. These days, employers are unable to discriminate against people with a disability, so Jack can be confident that he would be able to get a job again if he wanted to. If any employers ever discriminated against him, he could just get in contact with a law firm, like Whitcomb, Selinsky, PC, to help him take further legal action. No one should experience discrimination for a disability, especially when most disabled people do want to work. In the context of war, it might be difficult to get to those who are responsible for such a dreadful injury but there are many other situations where the party at fault can be brought to justice. In such cases, getting in touch with an attorney who handles amputation injury cases might be a good route to take when seeking to take legal action.
Jack was determined to learn to monoski and be as independent as possible. We set out on Day 1 to help him achieve that goal – and by Day 4 at the mountain, well, WOW!
Let me tell you about magic on this earth: Magic was the whole spectacular week. Magic was getting to share all five days on-snow with Jack Otter. Magic was getting to help him achieve his breakthrough of independent skiing on Day 4 — linking turns, skiing independently, from the top of the chair to the bottom, conquering the mountain. Simply and profoundly MAGIC on this earth! ?
So, with outcomes like these we’ll continue taking part in this annual event. We’ll continue networking and learning with other professional from across the US. And, if you’d like to vicariously join us and celebrate this year’s magic, watch this 57 second long video link for inspiration for your day of Jack conquering the mountain.
Ski Spectacular, indeed!