Challenge Alaska: Our Winter Home

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You want to be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name

(Portnoy Gary / Angelo Judy Hart)

 

Folks from my generation will remember these lyrics from the theme song of Cheers, a popular tv show back in the day. For years now, the refrain echoes in my head whenever we enter the Challenge chalet and everyone greets Elias by name. All the smiles, pre-covid high fives and side hugs. The feeling that we finally belong.

No longer peering at the action as outsiders, with the mark of "special needs" segregating us from others-- instead the various disabilities in the room unite us one to another. Whether we stand as family members, friends, volunteers or individual adaptive skiers, we are all a tribe of folks who, either by choice, birth, accident, illness, or war, live fully in a world of physical and intellectual differences.

A world where anything is possible, regardless of mobility or cognition. Where everyone remains fully human even if they look, talk, move, sound, respond different from the norm.

I still remember the first day we climbed the stairs of the chalet just to check the place out. No appointment or reservation. Just a family with an eight-year-old boy who walked with two forearm crutches, asked repetitive questions in a gravelly voice, and rarely made eye contact. We drove to Girdwood for Elias's 8th birthday to ride the tram and on a whim stopped at Challenge Alaska's Adaptive Ski School.

Before we knew it the savvy staff and volunteers persuaded Elias to try on the stiff ski boots. A volunteer named Nancy put on skis with him and walked around the living room with her arms out like Frankenstein; Elias laughed and followed her around the comfy chairs and couches.

Nancy led him out the door where she wrapped her arms around Elias and skied with him down the gentle slope down towards the chairlift. We gave him a piggyback ride back up the hill.

When Elias resisted the idea of trying it again Nancy said: "Let's play a game where no means yes. Ok? It will be fun. You ready?"  She smiled at Elias,  "Do you want to do it again?"

"No!" Elias said, as he flopped in her arms like a noodle.

"Yesss!!" she tickled him. "You want to ski again!!!"

"No!" he laughed.

"Yes! Isn't this fun?"

And so it went, until Nancy magically convinced Elias to ski a couple more times down the gentle slope, her arms around him, as David, Pop, Nick and I cheered.

Little did I know then that this would be the start of a winter tradition, the start of a love affair between our family and this magical place on the slopes of Alyeska that not only introduced us to adaptive skiing but to a place we now call home.

Elias is currently raising money for Challenge Alaska's Adaptive Ski School--if you wish to contribute you can do so here. 

I also understand that money is tight, so if you can't contribute please know you are doing your part every time you include and accept the marginalized, every time you open your heart to those marked "others", every time you step across the line that divides us to find the common stones beneath our feet. 

Even if we don't have feet.

Comments

[Lily Lou]

Most compelling fund-raising story ever! Happy to help...

[Christy]

Thank you Lily!!!!