Two more free adaptive clinics coming up!

Adaptive clinic with Kim Seevers at Terry Peak on Saturday, March 1
Adaptive clinic with Kim Seevers at Deer Mountain on Sunday, March 2

Lift tickets for both events will be donated by the host mountain.
There is no registration fee for these events - the event is paid for by the Ken Breon grant.

Call/email Neil to register 406.581.6139 director@psia-nrm.org

Kim Seevers will present two one-day adaptive clinics at Red Lodge on Jan. 26th and 27th, 2007

Registration is open to the general membership. Price… Free courtesy of Ken Breon Funds.
(Donations to the education foundation would be appreciated)

The focus of the clinics will be exploring the common ground between non-adaptive and adaptive skiing. Improving ones ability to teach efficient skiing is more important than the type of equipment the student uses.

Lift tickets will be donated by Red Lodge!

Please call Bill Burbridge if you have questions - 307-765-9430

Or call/email Neil to register 406.581.6139 director@psia-nrm.org

Adaptive Notes by Bill Burbridge, Adaptive Chair
October 2007

I teach at Red Lodge Mountain every Saturday and Sunday through Eagle Mount Billings. We serve the needs of adaptive skiers and snowboarders. We are hard to miss at the mountain because of the location - our staging area is at the base of the mountain. Pretty much you have to walk by us to get to the lift. I’d often wondered why we never had a visible number of disabled skiers or riders just coming to the mountain independently and having fun. It seemed that people with disabilities only came as participants with the Eagle Mount program. Being not afraid to ask the tough questions, I was rather surprised by the answers. Mainly, people with physical disabilities who can ski or board do not want to be associated with individuals who have some cognitive or physical disabilities. Oh my god. (OMG) What they are saying is the guy who lost his leg doesn’t want to be “grouped” with the person who has cerebral palsy. I have a student who is a practicing attorney and a judge. The thought never crossed my mind that he would be looked down upon because of the type of disability that he has. Who among us would not want to spend time in the presence of Stephen Hawking? Don’t know who Stephen Hawking is? Google him. Brilliance doesn’t care what container it’s in. Desire and dedication don’t care what the wrapper looks like.

Bottom line, it’s not the person with the disability who has the problem. It’s those of us who think we are superior, for some reason that has the problem. You now have an awareness of a bias that is not justifiable and doesn’t belong particularly when people are there to have a great time on the snow.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Work Last Winter

The Eagle Mount adaptive program at Red Lodge Mountain , Montana is primarily an all volunteer program, with the exception of three or so people. Quite often we have plenty of volunteers to meet the needs of our students, but on one particular Sunday that was not the case. We normally send out one staff instructor and one or two volunteers with each student. This day we were short-handed, very short-handed, and we were in a one teacher/multiple student situation. It looked as though I was going to have three young men all to myself.

As I took them down to the rental shop my thoughts were consumed by the fear that ‘there is going to be a huge train wreck and I'm going to die!' As we were getting their equipment I began to notice a lot of positive social interaction between the three young men. Two of the kids were already good friends, but circumstances had never allowed them to ski together in a lesson. The conversation was lively and they began to seek information and give me lots and lots of personal data—I had become a member of their group. I began to replace my concerns of disaster with ideas for a teaching strategy that would require me to manage my group with tasks and commands.

The first challenge was getting them up the chair, a triple, and reinforcing the need for them to move off to the side and wait for me. I felt like a hen with a bunch of little chicks on the hill, all ready to head in a different direction the minute their skis hit the snow. Keeping track of everyone as we went down the hill ended up being the biggest concern and challenge. Traveling short distances, having specific destinations, and having them watch other members of the group helped keep them from getting separated.

Let me stress the need to check for understanding on the assigned task and the stopping point. I had them repeat those goals no fewer than three times and I was seeing positive things happening. They started giving each other feedback and we took turns on who went first. This promoted a need to perform for their friends and gave them an increased level of pride and determination to do well, since they knew they were going to be watched by their friends in the group. The train wreck I had dreaded never materialized.

By mainstreaming these young men into a group lesson I witnessed a high level of social interaction and a very positive outcome. This was the best lesson experience I have had in years. They learned and I learned. We repeated this group lesson again and I had a newfound enthusiasm. Many other customers noticed our group and I took great pride in being a part of it.

This year I hope to repeat the group lesson and take it one step further by mixing males and females. Talk about really changing the dynamics of the group!

What our special students need from us is much more than just a companion to slide down the hill with. Teaching a group lesson of students with cognitive disabilities has prompted me to ask everyone involved in adaptive teaching to begin considering the social needs of teenagers who ski. The opportunities for learning appropriate social skills and just having genuine fun should encourage adaptive teachers to experiment and look for ways to have a lesson where their students are sad that it's ending and anxious to come back the following week.

Bill Burbridge, Adaptive Chair