Friday, January 16, 2009

Wounded Heroes camp underway


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

David Ketchum American Legion Post 115 members Bill Stratton and Brack Davis welcome Sgt. Conrad Caldron after he and other vets de-board a private plane Wednesday at Freidman Memorial Airport in Hailey. Photo by David N. Seelig

The Wood River Ability Program and the Texas-based Operation Comfort program flew about 12 people, including several wounded vets, into Hailey on Thursday to begin a Wounded Heroes alpine and snowboard camp on Dollar and Bald Mountains.

The wounded vets came from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio in two private planes, landing on a spectacular Sun Valley bluebird day. The vets include four burn victims and at least three amputees. As well as training, they will be fêted at dinner parties, and wined and dined at Ketchum restaurants Rico's and East Avenue Bistro. They will be in town skiing until Monday Jan. 18.

In early February the Wood River Ability Program will host the biggest disabled cross-country camp in the country, executive director Marc Mast said. The organization will train at the Quigley Nordic Winter Park in Hailey. On Feb. 2, capable cross-country skiers who would like to coach are invited to Quigley for an instructors' clinic. Mast will handle the clinic for instructors of the visually impaired, and recently retired U.S. Disabled Cross Country Head Coach John Kreamelmeyer will lead the other clinics.

The camp will host a combination of adaptive athletes including vets, elite athletes in the general population and promising youngsters with adaptive needs.

For more information call Mast at 720-7254, or marc@woodriverabilityprogram.org.




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