By Jessica Miller
The Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program (LASP) is once again putting the “fun” and “racing” into “fundraising”. The organization’s annual Penguin Paddle hits the slopes of Holiday Valley on Saturday, February 25. The fun starts around 11am on the slope side of the Yodeler Lodge and promises to be another one for the books.
… And they don’t call it the Penguin Paddle for nothing. Every February hundreds of Penguin Paddlers of all ages flock to Holiday Valley for the Penguin Paddle Races. These slippery sliders throw caution and dignity to the wind and don helmets and large black garbage bags to ‘make like penguins’ and slide down the lower part of the Yodeler ski slope on their bellies to support the Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program.
In addition to the Penguin Paddle Races, the day’s festivities include a buffet cook-out lunch, silent auction, and a raffle. The silent auction features over 150 items including beautiful gift baskets, ski and outdoor gear, home decor and gift cards from many of Ellicottville’s fine local restaurants and businesses. The raffle drawing begins at 2:30 and this year LASP is raffling of a 2023/24 Holiday Valley season pass, a pair of skies from the City Garage and a $400 gift certificate from Villaggio in Ellicottville.
LASP is an all-volunteer program that offers lessons to persons with virtually all disabilities, both physical and cognitive. The LASP motto is de-EMPHASIZE the dis-ABILITY. If someone wants to ski, the enthusiastic Lounsbury instructors will find a way to get them out on the slopes. The focus is always on what a student can do, not on what they can’t. A single lesson usually involves two instructors and sometimes three depending on the severity of the student’s disability and the type of adaptive ski equipment required. Results vary but many students become skiers and virtually all of them experience a sense of achievement, excitement and freedom that helps them to gain new confidence to tackle other activities.
Most of the students who participate in LASP require specially designed adaptive ski equipment which is very expensive. The proceeds from Penguin Paddle help to purchase and maintain this equipment and to fund ongoing adaptive training programs for the 40 volunteer instructors as well as a scholarship program to support any skier regardless of their ability to pay. LASP is a 501C nonprofit organization.
The dedication of LASP’s volunteer instructors is essential to the continuing success of this program and new recruits are always welcome. Please visit the LASP website at www.lounsburyadaptive.org for more general information about volunteering, donating, scheduling adaptive ski lessons and of course, the Penguin Paddle. Hope to see you all on February 25th!
For more information on the program please visit: lounsburyadaptive.org