Teamwork and Cooperation Key to Success at Adventure Team Challenge at Frost Valley
Claryville, New York (PRWEB) September 19, 2013 -- World T.E.A.M. Sports is partnering with The Center for Discovery, American Portfolios Financial Services and the Frost Valley YMCA in New York’s Catskill Mountains for a four stage, two day team outdoor event September 20-22. During the weekend event, 18 developmentally disabled athletes will bicycle, canoe and climb mountains in a supportive, inclusive environment.
Each participating team includes three to four disabled athletes ages 16 to 49, paired with able-bodied coaches who provide guidance and assistance throughout each stage. Team coaches this year include Bob Clayton and Larry Gunter, who rode in World T.E.A.M. Sports’ Sea to Shining Sea cross-country bicycle ride with disabled veterans in the summer of 2012.
Participating disabled athletes are active in outdoor activities, including horseback riding, football, hand cycling, hiking, skiing, swimming, running and baseball. Many participants also enjoy gardening, dance, music, arts and crafts and cooking. For many of the athletes, this is their first Challenge.
Following opening ceremonies Thursday afternoon at the Discovery Health Center in Harris, athletes begin competition on Friday afternoon at the Frost Valley YMCA. Three stages of the Challenge are scheduled for Saturday, including the strenuous ascent of Slide Mountain, the Catskill’s highest mountain at 4,190 feet. Through close cooperation and teamwork, the athletes and their coaches will successfully complete each stage.
The Frost Valley Challenge is directed by American Portfolios Financial Services CEO and President Lon Dolber, a director of World T.E.A.M. Sports, and the Center for Discovery’s Development Officer, Richard Humleker. Numerous volunteers from American Portfolios and the Center for Discovery provide assistance throughout the weekend.
In its fourth year, the Challenge at Frost Valley was inspired by World T.E.A.M. Sports’ popular Adventure TEAM Challenge in western Colorado. The 2013 Frost Valley event was postponed until September from early June, owing to Tropical Storm Andrea that dropped significant rain in the Catskills. Forecasts for this weekend indicate scattered rain showers are a possibility.
The 2013 Adventure Team Challenge at Frost Valley is sponsored by American Portfolios Financial Services Inc., a Holbrook, New York independent brokerage and financial service corporation founded in 2001 and The Center for Discovery, a non-profit Harris, New York organization that has provided educational, health, residential and family support for children and adults with severe disabilities for more than 60 years.
World T.E.A.M. Sports is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization chartered in North Carolina and headquartered in Holbrook, New York. Celebrating 20 years in 2013, World T.E.A.M. Sports organizes athletic events for disabled and able bodied citizens – mountain climbing, white water rafting, bicycling, and more. In all our events we include both disabled and able-bodied participants with all participants working as a team to overcome challenges. Our events encourage disabled participants to build self-confidence and physical fitness while providing a role model for other disabled citizens. World T.E.A.M. Sports events also encourage the disabled to take up physical activities and become a moving inspiration to other participants, as well as spectators who see that the disabled can meet challenges beyond anyone’s imagination. We change lives through sports.
Richard Rhinehart, World T.E.A.M. Sports, http://worldteamsports.org/, 855-987-8326 Ext: 4, [email protected]
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