16-year-old Sophie Logan goes through the NSCD Move! Adaptive Field at the new National Disability Sports Center Adaptive Program Center at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado, May 1, 2024 An obstacle course with the help of several teachers participating in the day. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/Denver Post)
For more than 50 years, the National Disability Sports Center has been a world leader in adaptive snow sports in Winter Park, helping people with disabilities get active outdoors, providing competitive programs, and producing Paralympic athletes. I've been doing it. We are now ready to expand our programs on the Front Range with the opening of a spacious new facility at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds.
The NSCD Adaptive Program Center opened Wednesday with an outdoor activity for 100 special needs students from Aurora Public Schools. They rode handcycles, adaptive mountain bikes with e-power assist, and fat tire bikes. They tried an obstacle course and tried archery.
The new facility also provides a base from which NSCD can conduct trips to Bear Creek Lake Park for paddling activities and Clear Creek for whitewater sports, both just a few miles away. NSCD also has a rock climbing program one mile upstream in Clear Creek Canyon.
“This is a learning center, it's a social center, it's an experience center where we engage them in a variety of activities,” said Julie Tallman, chief executive officer of NSCD. “Having a place to try all the different activities instead of driving to Winter Park is a step in the right direction for us and for people with disabilities.”
NSCD was founded in 1970 when Winter Park Ski School needed instructors to teach skiing to amputees at Children's Hospital Denver. Hal O'Leary, who passed away in 2021, volunteered to help revolutionize adaptive snowsports through NSCD. Nine NSCD athletes competed in the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, including Tolman's son, alpine skier Kyle.
NSCD has offered some programs on the Front Range for 12 years, but limited equipment storage space at Empower Field meant they didn't have their own space to host events. While consulting with Jefferson County Open Space officials to make the county's trails more accessible to adaptive cycles, the NSCD discovered that there was unused space at the county's playgrounds. Officials at the expo site, which dates back to 1954, were also looking for ways to host more events. It was a coincidence.
“We have more than doubled our event offerings this year and have a great partnership with NSCD,” said Matt Robbins, Community Connections Director for Jeffco Parks and Conservation. “We want to get people outdoors, and they want to get people outdoors. This population is underrepresented and open space is for everyone. We believe that it is.”
The 100-acre facility provides NSCD with lots of space to run its programs and access miles of trails. The goal is to accommodate students from kindergarten through high school, as well as people with disabilities from Craig Hospital, Children's Hospital, and veterans organizations. We enjoy a pleasant setting at the base of Green Mountain with views of the foothills and South Table Mountain. There are picnic tables and a small playground.
“It just opens up a lot of new opportunities,” Tolman said. “And while the kids are here, they're outside looking at the mountains and greenery. That's what we're really about. We're not thinking about concrete. For people with disabilities. , we hope it will be a place that feels like a second home during the summer.”
These new opportunities include a fleet of handcycles and adaptive mountain bikes purchased with a $50,000 grant from Hartford and another $100,000 from other donors. Tolman thought cycling was one of the best ways to introduce adaptive sports to people with disabilities.
“Many programs around the country include bicycle programs, but NSCD did not have one,” Tallman said. “When my son first became paralyzed at age 2, all I thought was, 'How will he be able to ride a bike?' And then, 'How can I buy a bike as a parent?' Is this OK?'' It cannot be obtained by exchanging a used bicycle. ”
Handcycles cost over $4,000, and NSCD's electric-assist mountain bikes cost $18,000.
“We have beautiful mountains here, and mountain biking is a big part of Coloradans' lives and something they love,” Tolman said. “Adaptive hand cycling and adaptive mountain biking are exploding across the United States. We are making this a new program to ensure we stay on the cutting edge and offer programs that people with disabilities want.” It was a very important step for us to be able to start offering this.”
As part of Wednesday's field day, Hartford surprised 9-year-old Luke Carruth with his own handcycle. Carruth is a double amputee and was born without a tibia. He is an avid competitive swimmer and started skiing last year at his NSCD.
“He had never been able to ride a regular bike and was honestly disappointed in that,” said his mother, Kelsey. “Today is the complete opposite, a new opportunity.”
Carruth had never ridden an Adaptive Cycle until an hour before becoming the proud owner of one. When asked what his favorite part of the experience was, he said, “Everything.” He also liked the messages sent.
“Now people can see that any disability can be anything and anything is possible,” Carruth said.
Tallman's son, 22, is an engineering student at the University of Colorado. He goes scuba diving, plays wheelchair tennis, and rides his cycle by hand.
“He's doing great, and I always say it's because of adaptive sports,” Tolman said. “It helped him live independently.”
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