Bill Jennings: Ski program provides recreation and confidence boost for those with special needs
Going outside to play is essential for our biological and psychological well being. Throughout our lives, regular recreation helps us develop social and cognitive skills, promotes our good health, relieves our stress and adds to our joy of living.
This is the mission of Spokane Powderhounds, a Spokane Parks and Recreation program for children and adults with special needs. The group meets every Saturday through January and February at Mount Spokane. From their home base in Lodge One, members of the program spend a day skiing and snowboarding with a team of volunteers.
“We have 41 students this season ranging from age six to 60,” said Roger Schramm, 61, a Spokane licensed home inspector who devotes a lot of his personal time to the Powderhounds. “It’s a partnership between City Parks, Mount Spokane, the Lions Club and the Spokane Ski Racing Association. We all work together to make it happen.”
The grand finale of their season is the Special Olympics Washington 2017 Winter Games held in Wenatchee and north central Washington this weekend. The Powderhounds are sending 23 athletes to the alpine events at Mission Ridge.
People with special needs are often defined by what they can’t do. This assumption forces them to avoid activities and be denied experiences. As a result, they have a lot of time on their hands.
Most people with spare time simply do what comes natural. People who like to cycle will get on a bike. People who like to ski will head to the mountain. But for people lacking certain motor, memory, language or social skills, recreation that promotes self-esteem and confidence can be as hard as trying to go to school or fill a job.
Parks and Recreation’s Therapeutic Recreation Services (TRS) offers Spokane Powderhounds to provide an experience that helps people with special needs participate more fully and independently in life and the community. Schramm said he’s seen people who gain confidence in skiing gain confidence in everything.
“There’s one individual I thought would never be able to ski,” he said. “He started on a leash, but after eight years in the program he can ski by himself anywhere on the mountain. His mother told me he’s improved dramatically in his interaction with people and he’s a better person than before.”
Participants in Spokane Powderhounds must pay their own way and give back to the mountain. Each season they have a “field day” to give Lodge One a thorough cleaning and put on a potluck party for Mount Spokane Staff. On top of donating their time, the volunteers also pay a fee that helps cover operational expenses.
“The program benefits the instructors just as much as the students,” Schramm said. “It gives you compassion for people in need and connects you to the outdoors in a meaningful way. It’s given me personally a renewed interest in skiing and that’s a wonderful thing.”
For the Powderhounds, the main benefit of the Special Olympics may be the social experience of making the trip. The events on the mountain are exciting, but Schramm said traveling to Wenatchee together as a group and celebrating at the traditional Saturday evening victory dance is just as important.
His season with the Powderhounds won’t end with the Special Olympics. He’s working the community for more scholarship donations. He also needs to solve the enviable problem created by more volunteers this season than the Powderhounds have ever had.
“Last year we did so well recruiting instructors that now we have to go out and hit the area hard for more students,” he said. “A lot of people who could benefit from the program may not be participating because they think they can’t afford it. We need to let them know scholarships are available.”
Schramm told me he wouldn’t be involved in skiing if it weren’t for Spokane Powderhounds. His commitment to the sport helps me understand how important an activity I often take for granted really is to my well being. It’s also gratifying to learn about how effective skiing can be for helping others.