[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL SPORTS CENTER FOR THE DISABLED

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
The National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, Colorado. 
This outstanding internationally recognized recreational program in my 
district has been serving people with disabilities more than thirty 
years.
  Founded in January, 1970 by The Winter Park Ski Resort ski school to 
teach skiing to amputees from The Children's Hospital in Denver, this 
now year-round recreational program has now served over 48,000 persons 
with a range of disabilities.
  Blind, paraplegic, cancer, stroke, amputees, deaf and cerebral palsy 
children and adults from across the country participate in skiing, 
mountain climbing, hiking, horseback riding, golfing, rafting and 
fishing in the beautiful Fraser Valley of Colorado.
  Recreational and competitive programs prepare disabled athletes for 
this range of mountain sport activities to develop confidence and self-
esteem in an athletic environment long thought to be inaccessible to 
disabled members of society.
  The Sports Center's competitive programs groom elite-level skiers for 
regional, national and international competition. Winter Park's 
Disabled Ski Team competed in the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, 
winning over 20 medals in competition.
  In 1992, a therapeutic riding center, run by volunteers, was 
established to give participants riding lessons, training riders in the 
care, grooming and health of horses. The Center also provides a fully 
accessible camping experience for disabled campers and their families. 
This outdoor experience is offered on a first come, first serve basis 
and is completely free.
  Through a partnership with The Metropolitan State College of Denver, 
the Center is creating a virtual reality skiing experience on the 
internet to help the disabled overcome the fear of the unknown and work 
toward participating in the many athletic programs available at Winter 
Park.
  Through the generous support of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune 
Foundation, the Denver Broncos Charities Fund, Barbara and Joseph 
Glaser Scholarships, and the NSCD's Sponsor an Athlete Scholarship 
fund, athletes from around the country are selected to come to 
Colorado. Scholarships are awarded based on need and athletic 
commitment.
  Widely considered the largest and most successful outdoor therapeutic 
recreation agency in the world, each year thousands of children and 
adults with disabilities come to our magnificent state to learn they, 
too, can enjoy the mountains, trails, golf courses and streams that the 
Rocky Mountains offers our nation and the world.
  Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West is proud to be the home to The 
National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park, created and 
maintained to give individuals with mental or physical disabilities 
superb summer and winter sports programs to learn about a variety of 
sports and themselves.

                          ____________________