Park City , Utah
Some of you may remember me writing about my nephew Andrew. Andrew turned 18 last December and has been training for several years to compete in the Winter Paralympics. Rather than re-type all the details, Andrew was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) at an early age and he has a very difficult time walking. Surprisingly, or maybe more appropriate Not surprisingly, if you know Andrew, he didn't let that slow him down, and a few years ago he realized he was very capable of skiing.
Through the support of many , including Mount Snow and other sponsors, Andrew has received some of the best ski training available and has become recognized as a Paralympic contender. He has travelled extensively throughout the US and Canada this past winter competing and training. Colorado, British Columbia, this past week Park City Utah, upstate New York and the US Olympic Training Facility have all been regular stops for him this past year. At the same time he is able to keep his grades up as a High School Senior and has been offered a four year $100,000.00 scholarship to Westminster College in Utah ( close to the best ski areas).
His hard work is paying off and this past week he won his first Bronze medal in a National Race. Below is my sister's take on the past week that she just spent with Andrew as a proud mother watching him in Park City Utah. Here is her take below as well as more pictures.
To read Andrews full story as well as more info on fundraisers , go to andrewraces.com. Information on supporting Andrew's efforts are also available on the website
After we landed in Salt Lake City, we went straight to Westminster College for their incoming freshman open house. Andrew is the recipient of their Exemplary Achievement Award totaling $100,000 over the course of four years. He is very excited about going to school there.
We spent the first two days skiing together which was a rare treat. Usually
he is off training and I don't get to see him ski very often. It is truly a
thing of beauty.
The first three days of racing, he came in fifth and sixth. The last day he
hit the jackpot. Yesterday was a fun race to raise money for the National
Ability Center. We met Picabo Street and she was impressed with Andrew's skiing
and wanted to try his outriggers. It was another great day.
We
would like to thank Ability
PLUS at Mount Snow for
supporting Andrew this season and also to the Mount Snow Race Center. Their
coaches worked hard to get Andrew ready for these races. A quote from the
program director when we were trying to figure out training with them was, "we
will work with Andrew and help him be the best athlete he can be." Very
heartwarming!
Special thanks
also go out to Mau and Eric at Team Summit, CO. They have been training with
Andrew for the last few years and have guided him through this crazy world of
adaptive ski racing.
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So the big news is, after two and a
half years of competing on a National Level, Andrew has earned his first bronze
medal in slalom, and I was there to see it. I can't begin to tell you how happy
I am for him. It has been a long slow process and he has worked very hard for
this. Hard to believe my child, who I watched struggle to walk for all those
years in on a podium with athletes who had just competing in the Paralympics in
Sochi, Russia.
The other amazing thing about
this week was I got to meet some of Andrew's friends and their families. These
athletes have to compete against each other and then they cheer each other on
and hang out together after the races are over. You never hear them complain
and the experienced athletes go out of their way to encourage the younger
racers. It is something to witness and this week has been an experience I will
never forget. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...
For more pictures of this wonderful week, click on the link.
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This has been a life changing experience for
our family and this is just the beginning. We are thankful for all the support
on this amazing journey!
We are back to fundraising mode. We
have a new fundraiser at Red Robin coming up in a few weeks. Hope to see you
there.
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AndrewRaces | 16 Shady Oak Dr. |
Enfield | CT |
06082
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8 comments:
Kevin, What a nice article from a proud Uncle. Thanks for spreading the word about Andrew and the Paralympic movement. They are all amazing athletes. And it blows you away when you watch them comepete. Love, your sister.
Kevin, (AKA proud uncle) Thanks for sharing Andrew's Paralympic quest. It has been a long journey to get to this point. It was a thrill of a lifetime to watch Andrew and all the athletes compete. Looking forward to next years racing.
Kevin what's going on with Crabtree and Cavanna takin everyone's guns away? There's like 15 people who got put in booking!!!!!
Not sure why this is under this posting, but several officers did have their weapons taken away after they failed to "qualify" at the range. Retraining is underway for those officers who failed from what I am told
Blessings and Prayers answered. . . @ANDREW Proof Positive that with Faith one may overcome lifes obsticles. As an avid reader of this Blog thank you Kevin for sharing! Opens my eyes to have more faith and appriciation for all that I have.
I know, the wrong spot for this, but...Anonymous 9:46PM. Hearing that Cavanna is the bad guy at the PD now. Why? because he did what he was supposed to do? If an officer can't shott, he shouldn't have a weapon and be on the street. If you can only hit the target once out of 60 rounds that is a huge liability for the City as well as bad for any cop counting on that Officer for backup during a firefight. I want to know the officer next to me can hit a target, especially if that target is someone pointing a gun at me. Maybe if more officers paid attention to training and remaining proficient with their weapons Fig would have never shot himself through the hand when he was sitting on the toilet a couple years ago. And as you can see , I don't believe in covering for problem cops, no matter what. Do the job and do it right or move on, too much is at risk.
Kevin, just by your writing I can tell that you are so proud of Andrew, and being his Uncle you should be, not many young men experience that! Andrew you too are a very Lucky man to also have an Uncle like Kevin !
Congratulations to Andrew and to Kevin... Your smile is a great reward to those who can see your great accomplishment. You go Andrew! Feel the Love!
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