People with disabilities have been learning to ski with the help of the National Ability Center at the Park City Ski Area.
Among those skiers were Romek Schmidt and Tomas Tasiemski, who recently arrived from Poznan, Poland, to spend a month with the center. They were "interns" learning to teach people with disabilities to ski. When they returned to Poland last week, they were to begin to share their new skills during winter ski camps. They learned of the Park City program through the February 1994 issue of Skiing Magazine.Tasiemski, 29, is a quadriplegic as a result of a diving accident four years ago. Before that, he was a competitive skier and a ski instructor. Last year, in the Winter Olympics, he skied with the Polish Disabled Ski Team in Lillehammer, Norway - the only quadriplegic to ski in the Winter Olympics.
During their visit to Utah, they learned about the various types of adapted ski equipment and technology, adapted skiing techniques, nonprofit operating procedures and program coordination.
Their visit was made possible by sponsorships from the National Ability Center, LOT Polish Airlines, Danfoss-Poland and Fundacja Rozwoju Kultury Fizycznej.
The National Ability Center helps people with disabilities stay active - or become active - in sports using adaptive techniques and equipment. For information, call 649-3991.