Heroes hit the slopes in Sisters Country

The sunny blue skies were chasing the last of the snow clouds off the top of Hoodoo Mountain Resort Saturday morning as the tires of wheel chairs crunched their way across the parking lot to soon be put away for the day.

With the help of a well-organized team of volunteers, rubber wheels and crutches were traded in for a wide variety of snow riding equipment as a widely diverse group of disabled war veterans prepared to hit the ski slopes for Winter Carnival day.

The event was Heroes in Sisters, conceived and executed by the Oregon Adaptive Sports team. It was a day of sharing the exhilarating joys of snow skiing sports with disabled service veterans of a broad range of ages, backgrounds and stories. Trying to give something back to the heroes of our wars was the driving force for the event, now in full swing in its second year.

As it turned out, there were a lot more heroes under those crystal blue Cascade skies at Hoodoo this Carnival Saturday than just the veterans.

Teams of volunteers paired with the disabled participants, assessing their issues, equipping them with a variety of equipment that was then tailored and fitted to them. Mono-chairs, dual ski chairs, outriggers, snowboards, OAS has acquired a diverse arsenal of equipment through generous grants and donations that they can tailor to most any situation. Just putting on today's event took a $5,000 commitment from sponsors and donors.

OAS Board Member and lead instructor Kendall Cook says Hoodoo has been a huge supporter of the Adaptive Ski program and offered the organization a permanent facility in the basement of their new lodge in 2003.

"Hoodoo offers us complimentary lift tickets to the instructors, volunteers and participants on a continual basis and is treating the whole group of almost 60 to dinner tonight as well," he said.

In Sisters, Angeline's Bakery stepped up to supply the event's breakfast while Ray's Food Place supplied the lunches. FivePine Lodge was generous with lodging rates and helmet supplier GIRO sent every athlete home with their own helmet.

Ex-marine (if there is such a thing) Debbie Dennis from Vancouver, Washington, says that the training and environment necessary to equip troops for war situations "changes a person for life" whether they ever enter battle or not. A former top athlete who played All-Marine basketball, volleyball and softball before succumbing to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, she found the exhilaration and freedom of the skiing tremendously exciting.

Both Dennis and Vietnam era vet Mike Ward, the State Commissioner for the Disabled American Veterans, feel that what the OAS is doing teaching this sport is a godsend for the disabled.

Ward said, "There are 13,000 members in Oregon and probably 40,000 disabled service veterans in the state. Events like this are so important and aren't even touching the tip of the iceberg."

Dennis said, "Although I would love to come back next year, I won't. I need to give another disabled vet the opportunity. I look forward to coming back on my own and learning well enough to go up with my son."

Heroes abound also on the OAS side and role models were plentiful for the vets this weekend. Paraplegic Board Members Kevin McCormack and Carl Backstrom made short work of the black diamonds and shared unbounded enthusiasm for their mission with OAS as well as the power of "can do" attitude.

TR Ryan, an amputee volunteer from Prineville who almost died of his injuries, now lives to ski and drives sno-cats at Mt. Bachelor for a living.

"To exist is normal; to live is divine!" he said. "Being disabled does not mean that you can't live. It can teach you how."

While this event brought a huge team of volunteers out, Sisters residents Ben and Sharon Sparrow are found at Hoodoo teaching disabled skiers almost every weekend. More information on the OAS programs can be found at oregonadativesports.org