The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that began in 1970 providing ski lessons for children with amputations. Today, the NSCD is one of the largest therapeutic recreation organizations in the world, serving more than 3,000 children and adults with disabilities. The NSCD is based out of Winter Park Resort in Winter Park, Colorado, and NSCD Front Range Adaptive Program Center located at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Golden, Colorado.
History
The NSCD was founded in 1970 by Hal O'Leary, who was then a salaried ski instructor at Winter Park Resort. O'Leary taught one lesson to 23 children with amputations, which spearheaded the National Sports Center for the Disabled. For the first three years of the program, O'Leary operated out of a broom closet at Winter Park Resort. Since then, he has been named one of the "best 100 things to happen to skiing" by Ski Magazine. has established programs for disabled athletes on four continents and coached two Paralympic teams. O'Leary was also awarded the prestigious honor of Order of Canada, Canada's highest honor of merit given to individuals recognized for lifetime achievement. Today, the NSCD facilitates a variety of both winter and summer programs, including alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, kayaking, Sports Ability Clinics and therapeutic horseback riding. The NSCD offers recreational opportunities as well as competitive ski race training through a renowned Competition Center. The NSCD is proud to be recognized as a Paralympic Sport Club through the U.S. Paralympic Sport Club Network.
Mission
The stated mission of the NSCD: "The National Sports Center for the Disabled enables the human spirit through therapeutic sports and recreation."
Competition Center
The Competition Center is a program designed for beginner through elite-level racers. Edging, balance drills, speed progression and gate training are all emphasized for Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing and Snowboarding competitions. The Competition Center is a smaller faction of the NSCD but provides substantial name recognition and reputation growth due to the caliber of athletes that train there, in the 2010 Winter Paralympics, the NSCD athletes accounted for more than half of the total alpine medals collected by Team USA.
Steven J. Ricci Award
Steven J. Ricci (1968–1999) was an NSCD athlete who died following critical head injuries during a training run at Winter Park Resort. This award was created to award athletes who exemplify team leadership and sportsmanship.
Year Recipient 2000 Sandy Dukat 2001 Bruce Warner 2002 Ronny Persson 2003 Ian Jansing 2004 Brad Washburn 2005 Danny Pufpaff 2006 Allison Jones 2007 Adam Hall 2008 Stephen Peters 2009 James Church 2010 Luba Lowery 2011 Danelle Umstead 2012 Jill Wilkinson 2013 Sarah Holm
2012/13 Competition Program Accomplishments (Alpine) Source:
Copper DSUSA NOR AM Dec 2012 2SG 2GS 2SL 35 medals out of 108 possible awarded to NSCD athletes Winter Park NOR AM Jan 2013 1 SG 1GS 1SL 25 out of 54 possible medals awarded to NSCD athletes Kimberley, Can NOR AM Jan 2013 2DH 2SG 17 out of 64 possible medals awarded to NSCD athletes US Nationals 22 out of 54 possible medals awarded to NSCD athletes 11 out of 18 National Champions titled to NSCD athletes Retained Cup for 2nd year World Cup Highlights Allison Jones - 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze Alana Nichols - 1 Silver, 3 Bronze Danelle and Rob Umstead - 1 Gold World Championship Highlights Stephen Lawler - Silver DH Adam Hall - Bronze SL
2012/13 Competition Program Accomplishments (Snowboard) Source:
World Cup Highlights Mike Shea - Gold Copper NOR AM Mike Shea - Gold Sochi Test Event Mike Shea - Silver
2012/13 Competition Program Accomplishments (Nordic/Biathlon)
World Cup Highlights Dan Cnossesn - 2 Silver, 2 Bronze 3 top 10 international finishes US Nationals Dan Cnossen - 2x National Champion Beth Requist - 2x National Champion
Organizational Leadership
The Leadership Team of the NSCD is composed of six members of the organization: President/CEO, Finance & Human Resources Director, Operations and Communications Director, Development & Marketing Director, Competition Center Director and Recreational Program Director. There are 12 community members that sit on the board of trustees.
See also Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship United States Ski and Snowboard Association
References
External links NSCD website NSCD YouTube Channel