by Pascale Savard

The Vermont Ski Museum was buzzing with energy at the Meet and Greet the Athletes of the Stowe Tour de Snow this Saturday.  Three very special guests braved the snow storm and traveled long distances to be a part of the Tour, serve as ambassador for the event, and share their personal experiences, missions and overall love of life.

What made these people stand out from the crowd, is all of them have suffered spinal injury and are now wheelchair user.  What makes them so special, is their desire to share their life story, their personal mission, their desire to make a difference, to follow their dream and... to share their adaptive equipment.  To the pleasure of the 60 something guests in attendance, Monica Quimby, Patrick Standen, and Erik Kondo each took a turn at talking to a very captive audience.

Monica Quimby, is on her last event as Miss Wheelchair Maine 2011. She is a leader and supporter of many meaningful causes and efforts to raise awareness for people with physical disabilities. The 25 year old Portland, ME bundle of fire is a disability advocate public speaker and an adjunct professor of molecular biology.  Her positive outlook on life, competitive spirit to try everything and never give up sent a strong message and left few without a teary eye.  Monica suffered her injury alpine skiing 6 years ago and is in the process of getting back on the slopes.  “I am excited and nervous; I haven't even been on or near a ski resort since my accident...eek!  I will be trying the cross-country adaptive skiing and yup, the more I write about it the more anxious I get!”

Patrick Standen, is a tough one to slow down.  Self described as “the last man in the world without a cell phone,” he teaches philosophy at Saint Michael’s College and both medical and clinical Ethics at the University of Vermont.  He is the founder and board president of the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association (NDAA) and an accomplished multi-sport and wheelchair sport athlete.  He serves on the Governor’s Council for Physical Fitness and Health and the Burlington Bike Path task Force. Patrick has been instrumental to the effort of incorporating adaptive athletes to the Tour de Snow.  His experience and expertise, and willingness to share and educate Tour organizers was limitless.  His organization, the NDAA provided all the adaptive equipment for the Tour and he fitted, instructed and coached the Tour Adaptive athletes.  After skiing all day, Patrick rushed back to Cairns Arena in Burlington for his sled hockey practice where he plays as goalie.  We are already planning for 2013...

Erik Kondo thrilled the audience, especially the technology savvy skiers and storytellers.  Describing his personal experiences alpine sit skiing, the crashes, the challenges and risk loading on and off to the chairlift brought new meaning to spending a day at the hill for the abled body audience.  He came from the Boston area with his beautiful family, wife and three little kids who had their first ski day at Stowe on Saturday, and their first Nordic ski day at the Tour on Sunday.  While in Stowe, Erik also was treated to a ski lesson from Friends of Stowe Adaptive and long time friend instructor Laura Farrell. There are few sports that Erik has not tried, and he mastered the Nordic sit ski in a minute.

A very special thank you to our Stowe Tour de Snow guests, to all who came, to Susanna Catering, to the Vermont Ski Museum, to Stowe Mountain Resort, Shaws Grocery Store and to the Commodores Inn and the Golden Eagle Resort for donating accommodations for the holiday weekend.  No doubt everyone in attendance marched home with a little different perspective on life.  Ski, love, live to the fullest!