From Village Soup in Maine. In the picture, Alexander Jurek, middle, of Rockport receives assistance from Lisa Reese, left, and Judi Look of the Maine Handicapped Skiing program, while Jurek's mother Hillary looks on. CAMDEN, Maine-- For children with special needs or learning disabilities, mastering the sport of skiing may soon become a reality thanks to efforts underway at the Camden Snow Bowl.
Each year, the Camden Snow Bowl invites fourth-grade students to Ragged Mountain as part of a learn-to-ski program. Each class receives three free visits to the mountain.
On Jan. 22, students from Rockport Elementary School, including two children with Cerebral Palsy, participated in the program with help from Judi Look and Lisa Reece, volunteers with Maine Handicapped Skiing program.
"I contacted Maine Handicap Skiing when I found out that there were two children at Rockport Elementary with Cerebral Palsy and still wanted to be a part of their class ski trips," said Andrew Dailey, director of the ski school at the Camden Snow Bowl. "We are able to accommodate certain handicaps when it comes to skiing. We don't have the major equipment that can handle many physically disabled people, so it makes us limited what we can offer. I am the only instructor that is certified to teach adaptive and we are working with Maine Handicap Skiing to hold clinics for our instructors, so we can open this up to more people."
Alexander Jurek of Rockport was one of those children with Cerebral Palsy receiving assistance from Maine Handicapped Skiing.
"It's hard when you have a child with a disability, especially when you live in a cold climate," Alexander's mother Hillary said. "You can't really do much in the winter, so we decided to do Maine Handicapped Skiing. My husband and I both love to ski, so we thought this would be a great way to get outside and force ourselves to try something a little different."
Based out of Bethel, two volunteers from the Bath area traveled to Camden to assist the youngsters with their skiing. Maine Handicapped Skiing is a non-profit organization founded in 1982, with some full-time positions and the remaining force being volunteers.
"Our motto, 'Safety, Fun, Learning,' speaks to the atmosphere that we enter each time people get together," Look said. "MHS does have a very distinctive name, but it does not limit us just to skiing. We have snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and dog sledding. We also have adaptive golf, kayaking and cycling during the summer. As of last year we were approximately 350 volunteers."
The goal of the Maine Handicapped Skiing program is to provide equipment, lift ticket and the lesson to participants for free, according to Look. The participants qualify by having a physical disability.
"There is equipment that has been honed and perfected over a number of years in an attempt to make considerations for different participant needs," Look said. "The lessons are not short of amazing when you consider those volunteers who have been involved for anywhere from zero to 20-plus years. We have those who have been or maybe still are ski patrol and those who have earned different levels of specialized certification."
"We are interested in creating a long term relationship with them when it comes to the future of the Snow Bowl," Dailey said of the Maine Handicapped Skiing program.
Participants in the Maine Handicapped Skiing program receive free ski passes for themselves and their family members.
Hillary said even though Alexander is resistant to skiing while he is doing it, once he is home he feels differently.
"He will literally talk about [skiing] for days afterwards," Hillary said. "It's just so sweet to see. It's great to see that the Snow Bowl is looking into an adaptive ski program."
The creation of an adaptive ski program at the Camden Snow Bowl would be a welcomed addition for the Jurek family. In the past, the Jureks have traveled to Sunday River and Sugarloaf to use the services of Maine Handicapped Skiing.
"It would be huge," Hillary said. "It's frustrating to see all of our friends skiing, but we have to stay in the lodge. It would make both Alex and I feel like we are more part of the community."Cerebral Palsy is an injury to the brain that happens either before or after birth. For Alexander, his injury occurred before birth, according to his mother.
"It affects any multitude of connections between the brain and the muscles and nerves of your body," Hillary said. "Your brain is just wired a little differently. The good thing is, it doesn't get any worse."
The Camden Snow Bowl and Ragged Mountain Recreation Area is in the process of fundraising $4.5 million after getting a non-binding vote from the Camden voters.
"After that money is raised we will be going back to the town and holding another vote to fund the last $2 million through a bond," Dailey said. "This $6.5 million is to help create a sustainable year-round recreational facility at the Camden Snow Bowl. This includes a new lodge, new lift and snowmaking on 85 percent of the terrain — currently we are at 45 percent. The future for summer traffic with group sales and wedding events in the new lodge are great."Currently the lodge is not handicap accessible and with the new lodge Dailey's vision is to create an adaptive ski and snowboard program for this area.
"I really want an adaptive program at the Snow Bowl, and expand it to all recreational activities that are offered at Ragged Mountain in the future," Dailey said. "There is a need in this area for recreational activities for people with disabilities and we really want to make it a part of the redevelopment process."
Dailey added Seton School, a school in Camden for children with special needs, has also expressed interest in ski programs.
"Also, the amount of autistic children in this area is on the rise, so there is a need in the area and we want to fulfill the need," Dailey said.