What Skippers do during the winter!!!

[Scimitar Diving]

Hi All,
I have just returned from a week away in Bavaria teaching guys to ski. Nothing unusual in that apart from the fact that all the students are blind or visualy impaired! Before I explain a little bit more, let me first explain a little of its history. For me it started many years ago when I was in the Army. A gang of blind come over from both North and Southern Ireland and get together for a weeks ski-ing without any of the fluffy rubbish that can often get in the way. Its now been going over twenty years and continues to go from strength to strength. Its now evolved in to what can best be described as a gang of friends that get together once a year to go ski-ing and some just happen to see a little better than others!
Personally I have only been involved for about twelve years and simply could not imagine going a year without it. We get about 16 students annually of various disabilities. Some are totally blind, others less so, some blind from birth, others only in recent years. All instruction and guiding is done on a one to one basis for obvious reasons. The only difference is that luminous bibs are worn with the wording "Blind Skier" as the only indication as to who they are.
Every year I think I have seen everything but always something or someone else comes along to prove me wrong, and this year was no exception. Last year a new disability joined the group in the form of a friend Frank Gardener. Frank is a reporter for the BBC who was shot many times and left for dead whilst covering a story in Iraq. He contacted the group and the organiser "Pete" agreed to try and get Frank back on to the ski slopes. Frank had been a skier before his accident and dreamed of being able to return to the slopes and go ski-ing again with his family. That was achieved as you will see from the picture and he then went on that holiday with his family. Some of you will recognise Frank as he then went on to do a report about disabled diving in Egypt. I have yet to convince him to try UK waters but I will keep trying. As i said, i thought that I had seen it all.
This season the gang as usual got together with the inclusion of a new member "Brian". He had been wanting to come on the trip for many years and this year we were happy to have him along. As well as being blind from birth, Brian is also disabled!!!!!
I have had the pleasure of meeting many divers on this forum over last years diving season and have made many new friends. For those that know me well will know that basically I break people down in to one of two groups. Your cup is either half full or half empty depending on your outlook to life. This year I had the pleasure off seeing Brian being able to join his mates and come down a ski slope alone except for having a guide follow him down shouting directions.
Thank goodness I was wearing sun glasses as it simply wouldnt do to see a rufty-tufty ex Sergeant Major in the Army with damp eyes. I will leave you to decide what cup Brian drinks from......................
Smudge

[purple vonny]

Wow, Smudge, that's brilliant! I saw visually impaired and totally blind people skiing in Auffach in Austria and I was blown away with the skill and communication between skiers and guides. Some skied by listening to commands, others skied in harness-type things, but they whizzed passed me and left me speechless.

It's scarey enough when you can see where you are going. Huge respect to you and to the courage of your fellow skiers.

[paramedic paul]

You have to experience working with so called "disabled" folks to fully appreciate the abilities they have and not disabilities.

A good few years ago I was a swimming coach working with kids up to the age of about 16 coaching them with a view to weekend gala's etc.

I was approached by the local branch of PHAB to help out with their swimming classes. To list all the achievements of these guy's would be nothing short of a thread hijack but one girls success really stands out in my memory. On dry land she needed assistance with just about everything but in the water she was like a swan and i'm not embarrased to say the first time she completed a full 25mtr of the pool i had moist eyes and a lump in my throat! (must have been a reaction to the chlorine )

[milldog]

woos

as always well done smudge see you Friday

Graham

[triplefin]

great stuff Smudge
expect I'll see you at some point over the summer

[lloydwatkin]

Nice one. Sounds like fun for all

See you tomorrow!