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Disabled Veterans Push Physical And Mental Boundaries At Winter Sports Clinic

Christin Kay
/
Aspen Public Radio

Two white buses carrying nearly fifty veterans come to a stop at a ranch in the midvalley.  

They're here for the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, which brings nearly 400 servicemen and -women to the Roaring Fork Valley for five days of skiing, rock-climbing, even curling and sled hockey.

The event, sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Disabled American Veterans, aims to improve attendees’ physical and mental health and help them adjust to life with a disability.  

 

As the veterans step off the bus, some take the hands of volunteers for support. A few are lowered down in wheelchairs.  Two sweep white canes in front of them as they walk. Others have scars that aren’t visible- traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.

A group of ROTC students from Glenwood Springs High School salutes them.

 

These veterans were all injured, or became sick, during active military service. Vicki Cuthbertson, here from Long Beach, is quiet, and her eyes are serious. She was in Iraq when her truck hit an explosive. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. Civilian life is tough for her.  

"It’s too...I don’t know, busy, crowded," she said.

Cuthbertson was spending most of her time isolated in her apartment a few years ago. Concerned friends brought her to the winter sports clinic. She likes fishing because of the peace and quiet.

"It’s not too..I always say people-ly," she said.

Tom Skutley, president of the Roaring Fork Valley Flyfishing Club, which is volunteering here today,  says lots of people fish as a form of stress relief.

"You’re not thinking, 'Oh, I've got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, I've got therapy, I've got this or that,'" he said.

First-timers learn how to cast with volunteers.  They fling yards of fishing line out in front of them with quick flicks of their wrists, aiming for colorful hoops spread out on a grassy lawn.

The more experienced fishers grab rods and head to a nearby pond, stocked with trout. The shore is lined with volunteers, ready to help.

Evangeline Douglas from Virginia is one of the first to catch a fish. Douglas, a middle-aged woman with stylish dark sunglasses, was in a motorcycle accident on her army base. She almost lost her legs and was in a coma. She’s still doesn’t remember some things from her past.  

She says she thanks God that she’s come as far as she has, and she’s thankful for today, too.

"This clinic is a blessing to let us know that we can still have an active and normal life," she said.

Runar Polluson, from Florida, fishes from his wheelchair in the shade of a willow tree today.

"In the military we fought to provide freedom for our country, but these programs have provided freedom for us," he said.

Polluson has multiple sclerosis, which causes the brain and nervous system to deteriorate. His symptoms started when he was a medic in the Marines, and for the SEAL team, in the 80s.  

He says he was seriously depressed when he first came to the winter sports clinic seven years ago. One of the sports he tried was rock-climbing.

"It was like, 'I can’t do that,' but I did. I was so excited and enjoyed it so much that, when I got home, I joined the rock climbing gym," he said.

After that first clinic, he went to his local VA to ask what other sports he could do.  They got him a hand-cycle, a reclining bicycle that you can power with your upper body. He’s been in seven marathons since then.  

But he’s dedicated himself to more than just sports.

He volunteers and advocates for other disabled veterans. He says vets have an instinct to serve that doesn’t go away.

"A lot of us joined the military to be of value, to provide a service to community or country," he said.

Polluson now brings other disabled vets to the clinic, so they can experience things that they may not think are possible: fishing and skiing, yes, but also finding a new sense of strength and identity.  

 

 

 

Contributor Christin Kay is passionate about the rich variety of arts, cultural experiences and stories in the Roaring Fork Valley. She has been a devotee of public radio her whole life. Christin is a veteran of Aspen Public Radio, serving as producer, reporter and interim news director.