For Haakon Lang-Ree, it was a surreal experience: snow skiing while tethered to former Olympian Jimmie Heuga. Heuga, one of the first Americans to win a medal in Alpine skiing, developed multiple sclerosis in 1970 and eventually was forced to retire from the sport. But with Heuga seated on a modified ski and Lang-Ree attached to him via a nylon cord for safety, Heuga could once again feel the wind across his face as he raced down a mountain.
Lang-Ree is program director of Disabled Sports USA Far West. He first became acquainted with the Lake Tahoe-area nonprofit as a volunteer lesson instructor back in 1992. Lang-Ree now manages more than 200 volunteers who donate some 8,000 hours of service each year. "You get so much meaning out of working in a place like this," Lang-Ree says. "People don't last long here unless they're in it for the right reasons."
The Far West chapter founded Disabled Sports USA in 1967 as a rehabilitation facility for Vietnam War veterans. The organization prides itself on offering challenging recreational sports to anyone with a disability and the Far West chapter serves nearly 900 people per year. Those who want to go road cycling but do not have use of their legs can use a hand cycle. Participants who are unable to stand can sit in a special water-ski as it glides across the water. Disabled golfers use a cart adapted to allow them to remain seated while swinging.
The staff tailor their assistance to meet any kind of need. For example, instructors work closely with caregivers to learn an autistic individual's communication signals, and then implement those signals in the training environment.
Athlete fees are about one quarter of the total cost of these specialty sports, and Lang-Ree hopes to increase fund-raising so that he can serve more people with disabilities. He also wants to expand the program to ski resorts throughout Tahoe. It's a tall order, but Lang-Ree is hopeful. After all, as the program motto goes, "If I can do this, I can do anything."
—MARIE C. BACA, '06
