I remember being a kid and the joy my bike brought me. It was my main mode of transportation, from piano lessons to the gas station for a summertime treat. I rode as fast as I could around the park where I grew up in Eagle Mountain and learned the consequences when I flew over my handlebars for the first time. There were mountain bike races, long fundraising road rides and evening rides around the town in the summer. 

When I went off to college, I was gifted a new bike, an exciting upgrade from the mountain bike I had in middle school. During my sophomore year, I crashed on the way to class and broke my knee. In the years since then, I’ve found reasons not to ride: Not strong enough, bad weather, no bike lanes, too busy with classes, etc.

A few weeks ago I decided there weren’t any more excuses and signed up for the Summit Challenge with the National Ability Center. 

For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to sign up for the 25-mile loop. I don’t think I’ve gone on a ride that long since I was 14. My thought process was something like, “I can do 10 miles on a stationary bike in the gym, no problem. How much harder can this be?” Actually, it was a lot harder.

The Summit Challenge is an annual fundraiser for the National Ability Center. This weekend marked 20 years of the fundraiser. Through donations and registration costs, the center raised over $183,000 this year. The funds contribute to the general mission of the National Ability Center, to provide opportunities for adaptive recreation for people with disabilities.  

Like everything the nonprofit does, the ride is centered on inclusivity and accessibility. 

On the day of the ride, I saw so many different kinds of bikes, each designed to fit its riders’ needs. I have a moderate understanding of adaptive equipment, but this weekend I learned about a new one: the tandem bike. 

The morning before, I had breakfast with the Daring Sisters, a group of blind and low-vision women. The group is based in Utah with members all over the world. They host retreats at the National Ability Center, but this was the first time many participated in the Summit Challenge. They ride tandem bikes, many with their partners as pilots, through the challenge.

“I wanted connection in meaningful ways and wanted to be active,” said Becky Andrews, the founder of the group.

All of the women experience a form of vision impairment. Some can see colors, some have their peripheral vision and others have a small field of vision directly ahead. There’s a mix of congenital and progressive conditions, too. 

“Regardless of the eye condition, there’s a shared experience,” said Daring Sister Nicole Kass.

One of those experiences, Nicole said, is “a lot of assumed ‘You can’t.’”

I wish everyone could see how much these Daring Sisters proved that assumption wrong. 

Kass and her partner said they’re still mastering the art of the tandem bike, but they completed the 16-mile loop on Saturday and ended the day with smiles. 

Gina and Scott Meredith from Erda in Tooele County are without a doubt tandem pros.

Gina is experiencing progressive vision loss. She can still ride a bike by herself, but she said it takes so much to focus on the road that it’s not fun.

I asked her what it’s like riding the tandem bike with her husband. Immediately and without hesitation, she responded: “Freeing.”

“With Scott on the front, I can enjoy cycling again,” Gina said.

I had the chance to talk to another adaptive rider, Emma Paden, the day before the race. 

Paden works as an instructor at the National Ability Center and as an adaptive trail assessment program coordinator for the Mountain Trails Foundation. She rides a Bowhead RX, a three-wheel hand-pedal bike. 

For those unfamiliar with this bike, check it out. It’s a really cool bike. The size and suspension make it feel much more like a traditional two-wheel mountain bike. It’s safer to ride and opens up more terrain because of its design.

Paden has been an instructor at the National Ability Center for a few years, but about a year ago she acquired a spinal cord injury and is now an adaptive athlete herself. 

Before the accident, Paden enjoyed biking, but her primary interests were climbing and running. It’s harder to do those things from a wheelchair, so lately she’s turned to biking to get outside and explore trails and solve puzzles like she did before. 

“It’s important for me to do this for my quality of life,” she explained. 

Paden rides with the National Ability Center’s para off-road cycling team. The team challenges each other by going on difficult rides together and entering competitions. 

“It’s easy with an individual sport like cycling (to become competitive), but instead we try to stay together, push each other and support each other,” Paden said. “Being competitive isn’t as important as staying together.”

The para off-road cycling team planned to ride the 100-mile loop, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep up with them. Gina and Scott were riding 25-mile loop, so I decided to stick with them.

I started out the ride with the Merediths and Cassidy Craige, a program specialist at the National Ability Center. I’d talked my dad into joining the ride, along with two of his old cycling buddies. One of his friends, Linde Smith, was a semi-pro cyclist until he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis about 20 years ago. He was riding a gravel e-bike on Saturday.

The skies were gray and rain loomed as we geared up to start the ride. Of course, we all had concerns about riding in the rain, but more importantly, we wanted to dodge the thunderstorms. 

Craige had an eye on the radar, and I was nervously counting the time between flashes of lightning and the loud claps of thunder.

It sprinkled at the beginning of the ride, and the foothills around the Round Valley trails looked like a scene from “The Lord of the Rings.” Less than 5 miles in, brakes were screeching, my shoes were full of water and the glitter Craige and I had on our faces had washed off. 

The heavy rain came in a few rounds throughout the morning. The lightning was never too close to our group. Overall, being cold and wet was preferable to the extreme heat earlier in the week.

Around mile 7 or 8, the rain let up and we hit the first major elevation increase of the route. The Merediths and Craige rode ahead, but I had to stop. My dad and his friends stayed back.

Once we started riding again, I was trying as hard as I could to push through the hill. I was about to hit the “puke factor” from the physical exertion. 

About halfway up the climb, I felt a hand on my back and got a burst of speed as my dad pushed me up the hill. Then there was more speed as his friend gave him a push, and again, as Smith joined the chain. 

There were a few more times throughout the ride where I needed to borrow energy to get through the climbs. 

“It’s amazing what a little help can do,” I heard.

Paden said something that was on my mind throughout the whole ride on Saturday.

“Before, I was seeking freedom, joy and peace in outdoor recreation, like so many people do,” she said. “After the accident, those doors closed. They were suddenly gone.” 

She added, “(Since then) biking has been one of the most consistent forms of freedom.” 

While I was riding on Saturday, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Gina and Paden both said biking gives them freedom.

The National Ability Center embodies this connection between “help” and “freedom” through everything it does. 

Those two things mean something different to everyone. 

In my life, freedom is being able to push back against the things that kept me off my bike. And the help getting there came from riding with familiar faces and borrowing strength. Smith’s e-bike helps him have the freedom to ride as he did before his MS diagnosis. For Gina, freedom is riding with confidence and joy, and the help comes from her partnership with her husband. Paden finds freedom when she’s challenging herself outdoors and her help comes from her Bowhead RX bike. 

The Summit Challenge was without a doubt a challenge for me. But I’ve never been more ready to get back on my bike and experience the joy and freedom I felt on Saturday.

The post What I learned from the National Ability Center’s Summit Challenge appeared first on Park Record.

Volunteers with the Home Depot Foundation and the National Ability Center broke ground on improvements at the National Ability Center campus this week.

Almost 400 volunteers from both organizations spent the day working on various projects around the campus. Many of the projects were aimed at making the campus even more accessible, including new boardwalks and the installation of a new playground by the Lodge. Volunteers also built new picnic tables, painted murals, planted trees and built new shade structures around the equestrian area.

“This is the best of humanity,” said National Ability Center CEO Willie Ford, “where people give up time out of their day to give back to a cause that makes communities better.” 

For a few volunteers, this was their second time building a playground at the National Ability Center.

When the Home Depot Foundation installed the first playground, Monte Meier had just competed in the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games and won a silver medal for slalom racing. The Home Depot Foundation sponsored him as a Paralympic athlete, so when the foundation went to work at the National Ability Center, Monte volunteered his time.

Tracy Meier was an intern at the National Ability Center when she volunteered at the first playground installation. Now, 25 years later, Tracy and Monte are married. Tracy is the center’s chief programming and education officer, and Monte is a five-time Paralympian with medals and championship wins from all around the world.

“It’s a full circle moment,” Monte said. “Our kids play here, and thinking about all the people and all the use it’s had in the past 25 years, and for Home Depot to come back and build it again, it’s exciting.” 

“The playground is a true representation of inclusive communities,” Tracy said. 

It might be hard for someone to recognize the differences between this playground and others. The accessible features are included in the playground design with elements like swings that allows people who use wheelchairs to stay seated, ramps with access to the play structure and support bars to transfer from a wheelchair to the slides. 

The playground, which will be completed later this month, was designed to support parallel play, Ford explained, so people with different abilities can all use the same area at the same time.

Ford described an “impact first” philosophy that guides his work at the center.

“Impact first means everything you do is about how you create more impact for more people. That’s what we talk about every day here,” said Ford.

One of the individuals impacted by the work done at the National Ability Center is Mike Rice, who has Down syndrome and worked as a Creating Opportunities for Achievement, or COACH, intern this summer.

COACH is a supported internship program that helps people with disabilities build job skills while working at the National Ability Center’s recreation programs. 

“COACH internships are designed to help individuals with disabilities strengthen independence, develop vocational skills, and grow as self-advocates through hands-on experience at the National Ability Center,” said Kate McMahon, the nonprofit’s social media and content creator specialist.

Rice said he specifically developed his communication skills this summer. He added that he’s been able to help campers communicate with staff and learn about safety, equipment and activities, and teach people about what the National Ability Center does.

“A lot of people have joined us for making a disability flag,” Rice said.

For Rice, the Disability Pride flag represents support and understanding.

The flag has five multi-colored diagonal stripes across a charcoal grey background. It represents different disabilities and the different experiences people can have with them. The flags, built as small wooden plaques, will be given as gifts to program participants. While he worked with other volunteers on the project, Rice said he was educating them on the programs at the National Ability Center, including his internship. 

“I want people to come here and show them what NAC is and what a disability is,” Rice said. “I want it to be all one community.”

That kind of community is built through communication, Rice said.

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The National Ability Center is holding its 20th annual Summit Challenge on Aug. 29. The challenge of this bike ride isn’t to finish first, but to raise funds for the center.

Early registration ends Aug. 1 for the center’s largest summer event. Development and Events Manager Madison Lambdin said she encourages early signups because of the ride’s popularity.

“One of the things I love most about the National Ability Center is that we create moments people never thought were possible,” Lambdin said. “Whether it’s someone’s first time riding a bike, skiing or simply feeling included, those moments stay with them forever, and Summit Challenge helps make those moments possible.”

The funds raised through the challenge allow the National Ability Center to continue its work in providing adaptive and accessible recreation. Its goal this year is to raise $185,000 through registration and donations. 

Lambdin said registering for the ride with a team is one of the best ways to fundraise.

“People are often surprised by how willing friends and family are to support a cause they care about,” Lambdin said. “Sharing why you’re riding and why the National Ability Center matters to you can go a long way.”

While the competition of the Summit Challenge is in fundraising rather than finish times, the ride will still have many signature race-day features. Names will be announced as riders cross the finish line, custom socks are included with registration and community organized rest stops will support riders throughout the course. 

Riders of all abilities will have their choice of eight paved routes exploring Summit County. They range in distance from a one-mile Discovery Loop, planned with families in mind, to a 100-mile route that goes through Wolf Creek Ranch in Woodland. 

“We just want to make sure that there’s something for everyone,” Lambdin said. “The goal is to get everyone … to enjoy this ride with their friends or their family, and enjoy the community members.”

Adaptive bikes are available on loan from the National Ability Center for those who want to participate but may not have the equipment themselves. The center can also direct riders to rental options for traditional bikes. On the day of the Summit Challenge, the National Ability Center will transform into a vendor village so everyone in the community can be a part of the festivities, not just ride participants.

To sign up, visit summitchallenge100.org.

The post National Ability Center bike race fundraiser returns for 20th year appeared first on Park Record.

The Park City community has worked for decades to be an accessible destination for people with disabilities, but now it’s official: Park City has earned Accessibility Verification from Wheel the World, a non-profit organization that helps plan accessible travel.

The initiative was led by the Park City Chamber/Bureau in collaboration with local organizations including the Mountain Trails Foundation and the National Ability Center. Thirty  businesses and community organizations were recognized at an event Thursday at the National Ability Center. The Chamber/Bureau’s goal is to at least double this number by the beginning of next year.

Becca Gerber, senior director of government and community affairs for the Park City Chamber/Bureau, said this isn’t about asking the community to make big changes, but to highlight the work already being done.

“It’s really about taking the pulse of where we are right now in our business community and seeing what we already offer, and then doing a better job of informing people, both our community and visitors, about what’s already here or what the best ways to navigate our community are,” Gerber said.

At Thursday’s event, Matthew Heimburger and Anna Dance spoke of the importance of accessible travel and adventure to their family. Heimburger and Dance, who live in Midway, are parents of a daughter with a disability. 

Heimburger said it’s important to their family that their daughter feel included in an activity with others rather than separated because of her disability Through the Wheel the World verification and local organizations like the National Ability Center, families with varying disabilities will be able to experience accommodation and inclusion in the greater Park City community.

The efforts to make Park City even more accessible are inspired in part by preparing for the 2034 Olympics and Paralympics, but Gerber emphasized the importance of the local community too. They’re thinking about “how to make it a better place for everyone to navigate together,” she said.

All aspects of the Park City experience are represented in the verified destinations. Breweries and dining, lodging, history, arts, and of course outdoor activities. 

The National Ability Center has for decades promoted accessible outdoor recreation. This initiative is working with the center to highlight and continue its work. The main National Ability Center location and the McGrath Mountain Center are featured as Wheel the World verified locations. They continue to offer adaptive equipment and programs to make outdoor recreation more accessible. 

Gerber said Wheel the World was excited to work with the National Ability Center. 

“Once we talked about doing (the verification), we wanted to make sure we also pulled the NAC in right away, and they were really eager to participate and work with us too,” Gerber said.

Speaking of the importance of the National Ability Center  and accessible adventure, Dance said that being included in these activities gives their daughter courage and confidence that helps her navigate her disability and being a teenager.  

The Mountain Trails Foundation is expanding their trail maintenance work to increase the number of universally accessible trails, starting with the Round Valley area around the center. Trail width and grade must be considered, as well as trailhead features like parking options and restrooms. Grant funding has enabled the foundation to use new technology and experts in adaptive cycling to make these trails accessible to riders of all skill levels and all abilities. Several trail systems are already included in the verified list, with more to come in 2027. 

Lodges at Park City Mountain and Deer Valley Resort are also featured. Although the details aren’t featured on Wheel the World’s site, Park City Mountain’s lifts are accessible, too. The lift team is trained to assist adaptive skiers and riders in loading and unloading lifts, and summer chairs are fitted to carry adaptive bikes.

“Our community really does care a lot and does put a lot of effort into making things accessible. We’re just excited that now we have a better way to share all the things we’re doing,” Gerber said.

To see Park City’s Wheel the World page, click here: wheeltheworld.com

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Emma Paden has built her life around challenge, movement and the outdoors. From climbing and trail building to teaching adaptive skiing, she has worked to share that world with her community while pushing herself to conquer her fears on and off the crag. 

“She’s just always been driven,” her dad, Brad Paden, said. “She pushes herself. Since she was young, she has just decided that she was just going to work hard and go for it. She’s so strong.”

That dedicated spirit continues to fuel her through the biggest climb of her life: recovering from a spinal cord injury she sustained over the summer.

Emma fell about 35 feet from a climbing wall on June 28 while route setting at a gym she managed and broke her back. She underwent a seven-hour surgery to fuse her spine from T9 to L1. 

In the initial weeks after the accident, Emma’s movement and feeling below the hips were extremely limited. But Emma has never been one to let fear win — and she said she isn’t about to start now. 

Loving the outdoors

Emma was raised in Elkhart, Indiana, where her love of sport first took shape. She played soccer growing up and on her college club team. Emma then moved to Michigan to attend Grand Valley State University, where she discovered climbing for the first time.

“I was introduced to climbing and outdoor recreation over those four years and I was just very amazed at how cool it was and how free and awesome I felt doing it,” said Emma. 

Her degree in recreational therapy set the stage for a career built around helping others experience that same joy in the outdoors. She interned with Higher Ground, an adaptive sports nonprofit in Idaho, before moving to Park City to work as an adaptive ski instructor with the National Ability Center. 

In the four years since, she has also spent her summers working on the trail crew with Mountain Trails Foundation, building and maintaining the same outdoor spaces she loves to adventure in.

“Moving to Park City, I just found everybody so kind, welcoming, loving and compassionate. I just love being around those kinds of like-minded people — also pursuing outdoor recreation in their own free time as well as doing it for work,” she said. 

Emma’s love for the outdoors became both her livelihood, her career and her personal form of altruism through adaptive sports, like skiing, and trail work.

“I wanted to make my play also my work and show others how awesome it is. And that you can play every day, just have fun, and you don’t have to take life so seriously,” she said.

Emma had one request the day after major surgery.

“Her wish was that she wanted to go outside,” said mom Sue. “Within that first week, they made it possible so she could just roll out to the terrace at the hospital and spend some time outside.”

Emma pushed to return to activity while adjusting to life using a wheelchair, while still in rehab. Through the University of Utah’s TRAILS program, which provides free adaptive recreation for people with physical disabilities, she joined sailing, kayaking and hand cycling trips with her mom by her side.

“It was very exciting to see her be able to continue to participate in some activities recreationally, and ones that she so enjoys. It was a lot of fun,” said Sue. 

Road to recovery

For now, healing and recovery are Emma’s priority. She makes the drive to Sandy several times a week for intensive physical therapy at Neuroworx; good friends always ready to help with transportation.

“It’s my full-time job right now to just work on therapy,” Emma said. “Day by day, hour by hour. That’s the best I can do. The good news is, things have been coming back in my legs.” 

Life in the outdoors has taught Emma how to push through her fear and challenge herself each day. 

“With climbing, I’d developed to a place more recently where I was able to quiet my mind more, so that the fear didn’t win out over my pursuit, or my continuing to move forward,” she said. 

She now applies that same mindset to her recovery, using the lessons of climbing to steady herself through the uncertainty of recovery and adjusting to life with a spinal cord injury.

“So yes, when I feel fear that maybe I won’t walk again, or that I’m not giving it my all, I just quiet down and try to move through it. I try the best I possibly can with what I have in that moment with the energy I have in that moment,” she said. 

Emma regained movement in her left toes within the last week.

While she continues to overcome incredible hardship, reaching milestone after milestone, putting all of her focus on recovery hasn’t been easy. 

“I keep trying my best every single day, and it’s hard. It’s more physically challenging, maybe, than anything I’ve ever done,” she said. “But it’s different. I’m not outside in nature right now, and that’s a struggle for me, because I just want to be in the mountains.”

Her therapy routine is a constant rotation of the available technologies at Neuroworx to help practice walking and stimulate movement. More recently, she has been working on aqua therapy treadmills and with a machine called “The Vector” to help support her body weight while she practices the motions. 

“I’ve been able to wiggle my toes. I’ve been able to move my legs more and more. So that’s really encouraging, but it’s hard to say where that’s going to stop,” she said. 

Living independently 

As she continues to work through the challenges of the last two months, some of Emma’s biggest concerns have been about maintaining her independence.

Securing accessible housing in Park City quickly became one of Emma’s toughest hurdles. After a month of inpatient care, Emma and her mom lived in the National Ability Center Lodge before finding her a suitable apartment in the area. 

“It was a struggle to find my current place, and I feel very relieved to be living in Park City, because I love it here. I love the fresh air and the people,” she said. 

For Sue and Brad, the idea of Emma staying in Park City after they returned home to Indiana was hard. But it was ultimately the best thing for her and her continued adaptation to living independently.  

“Of course, leaving her and her staying in Park City was my biggest concern,” Sue said. “But I realized what a huge network of people, friends and co-workers she has there. It’s just where she wants to be, and it’s where she’s made her life.”

Adjusting to her new living situation was harder still. It was the first time Emma had lived alone without roommates or friends before. The network of support surrounding Emma continues to fuel her progress, she said. Whether it’s friends helping decorate her new space, donating furniture or offering time to help with transportation. 

“It was hard,” Brad said. “It was hard to leave her, but at the same time, it’s best for her in the long run and she’ll fight through this. Living independently is difficult, but she’ll get through it, and she’ll be stronger for it, even as strong as she is now.”

The next step for Emma is learning to drive with hand controls so that she can independently facilitate her own transportation around town. 

Staying in motion

Through her recovery, Emma continues to give back to the community she built her career around. She participated in the National Ability Center’s Summit Challenge just weeks after leaving the hospital, a fundraising cycling event to support the adaptive sport center. 

Emma also completed a 7-mile hand-cycle ride in the Summit Challenge on Aug. 28. She wanted to go push herself further, but Emma had to prioritize balancing the excitement of being back outside with the need to protect her recovery.

“She was always pushing herself to do more and more new things. People were amazed where she was so soon after the accident,” said Sue.

Emma, reflecting on the accident and her path ahead, knows the risks are inherent in returning to activity. But for her, the rewards are worth it. 

“Even with all the safety measures in place, equipment can fail anytime, and there’s human error involved. Always there are lots of factors involved with these high-risk activities that we pursue. I still find it worth it. I still find it very fulfilling to conquer my fears and overcome things,” said Emma. 

Outdoor sports are an expression and an acknowledgement of life and loving being alive, she said. 

“It’s the flow state of being so in the moment, being completely unselfconscious and unregulated, just doing what I’m doing. It brings me so much peace at the end of the day,” said Emma. “When I pursue these outdoor sports, especially climbing, I feel very satisfied and just in love with my life.”  

Community events like the Summit Challenge and resources like those at the National Ability Center allow Emma to stay connected to the outdoor world that has shaped her life. Being in Park City, she said, has allowed her to lean on the wide web of support available here through nonprofits and friends alike. 

“I’ve found that the thing that makes me feel the most emotional is thinking about all the people who have been there for me. It reminds me I’m not alone,” she said. 

Among the many adjustments of the past months, learning to accept and ask for support has been one of the hardest. Like setting sport aside to focus on recovery, it has become another necessary part of healing.

“I’ve always been such a giver. It’s tough to receive, but I keep thinking that, in the future, I’m going to give as much as I possibly can again. I’m really looking forward to paying it forward,” Emma said.  

This outpouring of care has allowed Emma to remain in Park City, a place where she is also able to tap into the disability community and make connections with others in wheelchairs and with spinal cord injuries who can support and guide her through these changes. 

“I just feel so lucky to be in this area where the systems that we have in place, they’re working and they’re helping, and I’ve greatly benefited from them, and I feel really glad that they’re there, so we need to keep pushing forward for those resources,” she said. 

Emma’s recovery depends on accessible housing, medical care, adaptive equipment and community resources. She has leaned on support from her GoFundMe, where donations can be made at tinyurl.com/mtu9s438.

Emma’s path will be marked by steady milestones in the months ahead — driving, continuing intensive therapy and finding new ways to stay active in the outdoor community she has long helped shape. 

“If I let fear win in this scenario, I would give up, not give this recovery my full effort or accept where I am, but I just refuse to. I refuse to let that stop me,” she said.

The post Emma Paden won’t let fear win on her road to recovery appeared first on Park Record.

For nearly 12 years, Willie Ford has wanted to work at the National Ability Center.

“My wife, Caroline, and I and our son, Walker, have walked many times past the NAC campus in Round Valley with our dog Rudy,” he said. “I’ve always been impressed with what they do, and I’ve told my wife many times that if a leadership position opens up I’ll need to find a way to get my name in the ring.”

On July 15, Ford’s dream came true when he was named the recreational nonprofit’s chief executive officer. And the National Ability Center, which provides recreational opportunities for people of all abilities, is just as thrilled to have him aboard.

“After an extensive eight-month search and reviewing over 100 applications, Willie stood out through his deep connection to our team, mission and values,” the center said in a statement. “His exceptional leadership and extensive background in the outdoor industry make him an excellent fit for our organization.”

Ford comes to the center with more than 10 years of experience in the outdoor industry.

He co-founded Givego, a company that connects athletes with professional coaches, and he has held senior roles at Cake, a Scandinavian maker of premium lightweight electric motorcycles and mopeds that inspires a zero-emission society by combining excitement and responsibility.

He also worked for POC, a Swedish protection brand and manufacturer of helmets, eyewear, protection and apparel in snow sports and cycling, where he earned recognition as a Sporting Goods Business 40 under 40 honoree.

It was through POC that Ford found his way to Park City.

“They moved me out here from New Hampshire when Black Diamond acquired us in 2012,” he said. “And here we are 10 years later, and the ‘sun is brighter and the snow is lighter’ as I always say.”

Ford also has extensive experience working with people with disabilities through the High Fives Foundation, an adaptive sports organization out of Truckee, California.

“They get people back outside after life-altering injuries, specifically spinal cord injuries,” he said. 

While serving on the High Fives Foundation board, Ford’s favorite program was Military to the Mountains, a camp where wounded veterans would experience skiing and snowboarding.

“You don’t understand the experience until you are part of it,” Ford said. “These veterans, who have sacrificed so much for our country, finally get some wind in their faces and experience everything that you and I enjoy skiing in the mountains.”

Skiing and winter sports mean a lot to Ford, who is a two-time NCAA All-American skier.

“I attended Holderness School, a small private boarding school,” he said. “I grew up on a campus where my dad was dean, math teacher and football coach, and my mom was also a ski coach. So, sports, mountains, recreation and skiing has been the heartbeat of my family.”

The family skied in the White Mountains in New Hampshire through the Holderness program, before Ford was able to attend the University of New Hampshire on scholarship.

“I was fortunate to have performed reasonably well as a two-time All American,” he said.

Ford’s three sisters are also known in the sports world.

One sister, Julia, is on the U.S. Olympic Team and competed in the slalom at Sochi in 2014, and his other two sisters are All-Americans.

“Mattie ski raced for Middlebury College, and Lilly played Division One lacrosse at University of New Hampshire,” he said. “So the minute I stepped on the National Ability Center campus, it felt like home.”

Although Ford has been National Ability Center’s CEO for only a few weeks, he felt the responsibility of the job and of the organization from day one.

“The responsibility is big, because the impact we have on our participants is monumental,” he said. “But more importantly and more impressive is the impact we have on the families of those with disabilities.”

The National Ability Center, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this autumn, serves between 5,000 to 6,000 individuals on a yearly basis in about 30,000 programs, including rock climbing, equestrian, snowboarding, skiing or rafting, according to Ford.

“I’ve met several families who have moved to Park City because of the value and impact we’ve had on their members with disabilities,” he said. “To uproot their lives and move to Park City for our services shows (us) how big our responsibility is. There are 40 million people living in the United States with a disability, and I told our team that what we do is not only an opportunity for us to touch more lives and increase impact. It’s truly our responsibility to do everything we can do to empower more families and individuals.”

Ford looks forward to working with the NAC team.

“The minute you start interacting with the team, you can feel their passion, their competence and their ability to relate, coach and inspire our participants,” he said. “It’s truly incredible.”

The post New CEO at National Ability Center waited for his chance appeared first on Park Record.

The National Ability Center held a senior takeover day Saturday, September 9, 2017. The event gave individuals aged 60+ an opportunity to try the center’s adaptive cycling and archery resources. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-NAC-Senior-Takeover/

The post PHOTOS: NAC’s Senior Takeover appeared first on Park Record.

The recreation district will soon provide disabled veterans with a free 10-punch pass to use the Fieldhouse and attend fitness classes. The discount was approved at the April 20 board meeting following a public hearing.

A 2016 piece of legislation that provides free admission to state parks for certain disabled veterans inspired the discount, according to Aaron Newman, Basin board member. Newman is a former employee of the National Ability Center and worked as a legislative liaison for the organization during the general session.

Newman said the measure “fit perfectly” with what the National Ability Center’s mission is and decided to introduce the concept to fellow board members.

“It was the perfect time as we were looking at our rates and adjusting the range of what we could,” Newman said. “Was one of those things my grandpa was a veteran and I just saw what an incredible role recreation plays in the recovery process I saw this as a way that Basin Rec can really be out there and help with that individual recreation for wounded veterans

The legislation, HB 135, required the state Board of Parks and Recreation to make rules granting free admission to state parks to an honorably discharged veteran who is a state resident and at least 50 percent disabled, as determined by documentation from the United States Department of veterans Affairs and an active or reserve component of the military.

“The important thing here is that it will not be the Basin Recreation staff who will be determining if a veteran is disabled,” Newman said. “We didn’t want to put someone in the uncomfortable situation of having to determine that so instead we will base it off the language in the bill.”

The Recreation District currently offers a military discount on regular passes, according to Matt Strader, the Fieldhouse and Facilities manager. The punch pass for disabled veterans will be an addition to that.

Strader said the punch will be immediately available for purchase. Other passes for the general public will be affected by the new fee schedule, which will be rolled out in August, he said.

“We figured since we are government entity, we could offer something like that as well for our disabled veterans,” Strader said. “We definitely have some local military that take advantage of our discount and we just wanted to expand that even more.”

For more information about programs and Fieldhouse passes, go to http://basinrecreation.org/index.html.

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The National Ability Center held their annual Snow Challenge event at Park City Mountain on C.B.’s Run Saturday, April 1, 2017. Participants formed groups to race in and dressed in costume. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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The National Ability Center held their annual Red, White and Snow fundraising event Uncorked at the Stein Eriksen Lodge Thursday evening, March 2, 2017. Attendees were treated to a variety of wines, foods, live music and a silent auction. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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