By Jimmer Hayes, ASF Assistant Program Director
The 2017 Ralph Hartman Tribute Race may not have lived up to its theme of “Spring Fling” due to Mother Nature not getting the message, but what a success it was! On March 11th over 60 racers started and completed the course which was set by Russ–our awesome ASF race coach.
This picture exemplifies everything which is good about the Hartman Race–an actively involved student with a little assistance from her instructor, navigating their way around a gate while dad is taking video to no doubt share later with family and friends.
The day started early with a special “race prep” lesson from 9-11 followed by an early lunch in our ASF lodge. Thank you to our amazing lunch crew for getting a lodge full of racers and family members fed and back on the hill in time for the start of the race!
Our ASF race team kicked off the festivities with a ceremonial flag bearing run through the course. A wide range of racers, from stand-up to sit-down, joined in the fun on the cold day. One mono skier in particular comes to mind as he successfully, independently skied through the course. This gentleman has gone from being assisted by an instructor to independently skiing his own mono ski in just two short seasons–way to go Jose!
The awards ceremony was held in front of a packed ASF lodge with the racers eager to see how they did. While not everyone made the podium, each and every racer was a winner that day as they met the challenge of the race course by successfully completing it.
After the cold day on the mountain, a hot dinner at the Windham Country Club was enjoyed by many of the racers and their family members, ASF staff and many volunteers. We were lucky to have a photo booth donated by David Nazario of A Perfect Blend Entertainment and what a huge hit it was! The good energy of the day went into the late evening with the dance floor being the place to be!
A special thank you to Windham Mountain, Windham Ski Patrol, all of our Hartman sponsors (Price Chopper, Party City, Windham Mountain, Stewart’s & Select Equity), A Perfect Blend Entertainment, our awesome ASF volunteers (of which there are too many to name) and most importantly the racers for braving the cold day and making the 2017 Ralph Hartman Tribute Race a great success!
On behalf of the Adaptive Sports Foundation, thank you everyone for a great day!
See you next year.