Huntsman Cup 2000 Champions Determined on Last Day of Competition     Competition was fierce in determining overall winners in both the men's and women's divisions for the National Ability Center's Huntsman Cup 2000. The last day of competition confirmed a repeat victory for U.S. Disabled Ski Team member Mary Riddle, who also took home the coveted Huntsman Cup in 1999. Mary, who finished the three days of competition with first, third, and second place finishes respectively, edged out New Zealand National Team member Rachael Battersby by a mere 3.69 s in the combined three-day series, which ran January 4-6. Rachael, winner of Wednesday's Giant Slalom, also pulled in second and third place finishes during the event. Mary, of Winter Park, Colorado, and Rachael are both Standing Class skiers. Mary competes on two skis with a leg disability, while Rachael, who also trains out of Winter Park, skis with an arm disability.        The overall men's winner was also determined on the final day of racing, with U.S. Disabled Ski Team member Bobby McMullen taking the honors. Bobby is a skier with visual impairment who led the Huntsman Competition last year, only to lose to teammate Adam Fromma, a stand-up skier, after a fall on the final day. The Huntsman Cup title is yet another accomplishment for the Paralympic and World Cup medalist from Redding, California.        Placing the Huntsman Cup at the top of the race circuit for individuals with disabilities, the top three male and female winners were presented with notable prize money after each day of competition, thanks to the generous support of Presenting Sponsor Chevy Astro and Associate Sponsor Mike Hale Chevrolet. At the final Awards Ceremony, winners of the Huntsman Cup were presented with impressive trophies by Chevy Astro representative, John White, along with airline tickets graciously donated by event sponsor Southwest Airlines.        Over sixty competitors demonstrated exceptional skill and athletic ability during the week, as they utilized mono-skis, outriggers, and other adapted equipment to challenge each other for the fastest times of the series. Each year, the best skiers with disabilities in the world, including the United States Disabled Ski Team, converge on Park City, Utah, for the National Ability Center's Huntsman Cup races. This year's field of competitors also included skiers from New Zealand, Sweden, and South Africa. The Huntsman Cup is in its 13th year and is part of the Utah Winter Games.

Huntsman Cup 2000 Champion/Runner-up Performances Women's Division  Date  Event Competitor  Time Place Points  January 4  Giant Slalom Riddell Battersby   88.81   90.33 1 2 1 2  January 5  Giant Slalom Riddell Battersby   95.26   94.83  3 1 3 1  January 6  Slalom Riddell Battersby 112.55 115.15 2 3 2 3 NOTE: Due to a tie of 6 place points each, the winner was selected as the skier with the least aggregate performance time; i.e., Riddell (296.62), Battersby (300.31). Men's Division  Date  Event Competitor  Time Place Points  January 4  Giant Slalom Meier McMullen   81.50   82.52 1 3 1 3  January 5  Giant Slalom Meier McMullen   N/A   85.20 7 1 7 1  January 6  Slalom Meier McMullen   97.41 100.61 1 3 1 3 NOTE: Overall champion was determined by the competitor with least aggregate point total: McMullen (7 pts), Meier (9 pts). Bobby McMullen shows his 1st place form in the Giant Slalom.

Moving In Other Directions

Greg Epstein
The Ice Rocket.

      While tremendous focus is placed on alpine activities during the winter months, the National Ability Center's initiatives are hardly limited to the ski slopes. Cross-country skiing has long been a part of the Center's winter slate of activities, with lessons offered for stand-up or sit-down skiers at Park City's White Pine Touring Center. Participants in the cross-country program enjoy a two-hour afternoon session, over a five-week period, taking in the remarkable sights of Park City and the surrounding mountains. Group snowshoe lessons are also available, with advance notice, covering the same picturesque terrain. Periodically throughout the winter, the Ability Center offers an ice rocket program in conjunction with the Utah Winter Sports Park-the Olympic Bobsled, Luge and Nordic Jumping venue. The ice rocket is akin to a one-man bobsled, fitted with a protective cage, allowing participants with physical and/or developmental disabilities to experience the thrill of racing 45 mph down the same ice-covered track as many of the world's top winter athletes-an experience participants are not likely to forget.
      Another exciting program at the Ability Center will commence this winter with the grand opening of the indoor riding arena and the corresponding launch of a year-round equestrian program. The program provides riding instruction to individuals of all ages with physical and/or developmental disabilities and their families, in both Western and English classes, and is an operating center for North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA). Each riding session includes a 50-minute lesson with NARHA-accredited instructors and trained volunteers, as well as the use of incredibly gentle horses and adaptive equipment. Much like alpine skiing, horseback riding lessons are available weekly, over a six-week session, or on a lesson-by-lesson basis. Horseback riding has long been one of the Center's primary summer activities. In fact, more than 1,600 lessons were taught during the 1999 season in the outdoor arena and scenic trails of the National Ability Center's 26-acre Recreational Center and Ranch.
      Located on the outskirts of Park City, the ranch also boasts a universal challenge course designed to provide both personal and team challenges over a series of low and high elements. In the not-to-distant future, the ranch will also house the Center's administrative offices.

The Dream...

Ability Center leadership has already surpassed the halfway point in a multi-million dollar capital campaign that will bring the dream of a comprehensive recreation center to reality. The dream evolved over the past few years, in part as an attempt to keep up with an ever-growing demand for services. Likewise, it has become an important part of the Center's mission to establish a completely accessible and barrier-free facility which will also be available to the non-disabled community. Such a facility will ensure a setting in which people with disabilities and non-disabled peers can freely interact. The next phase of construction will be the central lodge building, the focal point of the ranch, which will house staff offices, multi-purpose meeting rooms, and a climbing wall. A final phase of construction will eventually include a dormitory to accommodate out-of-state guests and special groups, as well as a fitness center.
      It is the ultimate goal of the National Ability Center to develop a model, integrated facility, which will prove to be an ideal environment in which to discover one's own potential and ability. Whether with or without disabilities, the challenge will be equal.

                                                    A Young cancer survivor from Chicago's One Step At A Time program navigates the slope.

 

 

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