Video from 2009 Adaptive Alpine Nationals

After one of his best finishes as a member of the Ability Ski Team, Teague Cowley edited this video together of his races and those of teammates Zack Broderick and Sam Blakley. Check them out!

Giant Slalom at Disabled Nationals Ski Races

Results today in Giant Slalom were OK with Sam Blakley placing 9th and Teague Cowley 10th in GS. Teague skied a 240 point race which is 50 points better than he had going into the race. Sam is still getting used to his new boots and really picked up the pace in the second run. Teague had his own "wardrobe malfunction" with his top boot buckle falling off during morning warm up, allowing him to prove that you CAN fix almost everything with duct tape! Zack missed a gate in the first run and was disqualified. They are all looking forward to the speed events that begin tomorrow with a Downhill training run.

More to come...

Ability Ski Team: On the Road at Nationals

by Sue Greenberg

The Ability Ski Team put the rubber to the road on Tuesday on our way to Winter Park Colorado for the U.S. Alpine Adaptive Nationals. Apparently we missed out on the most epic snowfall of the season in Park City, but that's okay - our entire season of training has been leading up to this event, so it was best that we were able to maintain our focus and edging skills. Wednesday was a training day with an opportunity to ski on the Super G track in the morning and a few runs of Slalom in the afternoon. Thursday was too windy to allow for training, so we had a much needed rest day to catch up after the travel and adapt to the higher elevation. Friday brought a rare sunny day to Winter Park, and we trained Slalom in the morning.

Today was the Slalom National Championship. The first run was exciting with our athletes, Teague Cowley, Zack Broderick and Sam Blakley skiing at a level that showcased their potential. These athletes compete in the two most competitive categories in Adaptive Racing, Men's Standing and Men's Sitting. After the first run, Teague was in seventh place in Men's Standing, ahead of some US team athletes, and Zack was in 8th place in Men's Sitting. These runs represented personal best results for these athletes. Slalom is a two run event, with the overall result coming from the addition of the two runs. At the end of the day, Teague finished in 8th place, with a result that will improve his world ranking by a significant amount. Zack had another solid run, but unfortunately was disqualified on a procedure violation. Despite this setback he has shown a great improvement in this discipline over the season. Sam finished 12th in the Men's Standing category, finding his groove after a shaky start. Overall the athletes represented the NAC very well today, and we are confident that this will continue through the remainder of the Championships.

Other results of interest to our supporters include current US Team member and NAC alumni, Erik Bayindirli finishing just off of the podium in 5th place in Men's Sitting. Park City locals Monte Meier (Men's Standing) and Stephani Victor (Women's Sitting) won the Championship Titles in their respective categories.

The Championships continue tomorrow (Sunday) with the Giant Slalom. We will keep you updated.

A Farewell to Eddy

by Jan Drake, Equestrian Resource Manager

We recently found out that one of our retired therapy horses was humanely put down. Eddy, a 24-year-old buckskin quarter horse was leased to us by Mary Lou Hamil. Eddy provided three years of therapy lessons and put many smiles on the faces of our participants. She will be greatly missed by the National Ability Center. Eddy got to the point that her quality of life was quickly deteriorating, and a tough decision was made by her family. We want to thank Mary Lou for her generosity in leasing Eddy to us for those years.

A Name For Our Mustang!

At this weekend's Red, White and Snow auction, the naming rights to our adopted Mustang were purchased. We are happy to announce that our mustang will be officially named Carroll Shelby, KR (King of the Road) and will be known as Shelby Mustang. Check back regularly for updates on the progress of Shelby's training!

Ability Ski Challenge on PCTV

Park City Television's Mike Bradshaw paid a visit to the race hill at Park City Mountain Resort for the 21st Annual Ability Ski Challenge and talked with some of the event's skiers. Check out the video!

Ability Ski Challenge

This year's Ability Ski Challenge was an integral part of the Red, White and Snow weekend to benefit the National Ability Center. Congratulations to the winners in each team and individual category. We look forward to seeing you all again next year. Check out the photo gallery here!

Team Awards:

Shredders Category

1. Splashy Coaches
2. Masters
3. Killer Kids

Weekend Warriors

1. Adelman Family
2. Cutie Pies
3. Team Juicy

Couch Potatoes

1. Renstall
2. Preferred Source
3. Cottonwoods

Male Host

1. Same Blakely
2. Teague Cowley
3. Josie Featherston

Female Host

1. Cindy Wilmhurst
2. Amber Ohl
3. Kirsten Morrisee

Male Legend

1. Thunder Jalili
2. Christian Mulholland
3. Brian Frost

Female Legend

1. Heidi Voelker
2. Alex Shaeffer
3. Jenny Badger

Male (without a disability)

1. Bob Skinner
2. James Tautkus
3. Jay Hay

Female (without a disability)

1. Dana Alexandrescu
2. Erin McDermott
3. Tina Bucheister

Jr. Male

1. Peter Papineau, Jr.
2. Kieran Adams
3. Bridger Clifford

Jr. Female

1. Sophie Frankenburg
2. Courtney Staples
3. Gretchen Swenson
   

Happy Friday!

How can it not be a happy Friday morning when you wake up to this?

This photo of the east side of Deer Valley at sunrise/moonset this morning shows just how beautiful today is going to be for everyone who is going to Skiing with the Legends. Groomers should be awesome all day long after a cold night. Blue skies are expected to last throughout the day. Hope to see you there!

Red, White and Snow 2009 | Private Wine Tasting

The weekend started early for guests of this year's Red, White and Snow culinary, wine and ski spectacular. More than 50 guests joined some of the best vintners in the country to taste a variety of wines at one of Park City's newest Main Street restaurants. Tatou served as the host for the three hours of wine tasting and mingling on a beautiful, chilly Thursday night.

If you couldn't make it, here's a little of what you missed.

Dale Schoon, CEO of the National Ability Center, talks with Diana Schweiger Isdahl (left) and Andy Isdahl (middle) from Schweiger Family Vineyards.

Tim Brennwald, Heidi Voelker and vintner Bayard Fox

Paul Crowe listens to Sean Capiaux from Capiaux Cellars before tasting wine from one of the dozen vintners being showcased.

Lynanne Nyarady enjoys a glass of wine with Chris Waddell and Rick Garcia.

For more photos, check out our Facebook page.

Hey, there, little fella!

by Abby Jane Ferrin

Our Equestrian Program is very excited to introduce the newest member of its herd—a little, 7-month old mustang. He was adopted from the Bureau of Land Management’s Herriman holding facility on Saturday, February 21st.

Standing in a herd of hundreds of other horses his age, he stuck out immediately to us. His temperament is very calm and accepting of any new thing. He gives lots of love and likes to receive a lot in return. His looks make him completely irresistible. He is a rare tri-color pinto with tan and black points. He also has a rare dorsal stripe only over a tan patch on his back.

He arrived at the NAC on Tuesday, February 24th and immediately settled into his new home. By that weekend, we were able to halter him, and within a week we were brushing and leading him. He has loved being at the NAC and takes to all of his training very well.

As of yet, this adorable little mustang does not have a name. His naming rights will be auctioned off at our annual Red, White and Snow event. The proceeds from this will go toward his formal training when he is a little bigger.