“I had to know if it was possible,” says Jothy Rosenberg, explaining the reason he went snow skiing just two months after losing his right leg to bone cancer when he was 16.
“I would turn, fall, get up, turn, and fall again and again,” he says. “My parents were freaking out. They assumed that the day was a disaster, but I was hopeful and saw it as something I simply had to work really hard at.”
Even with the difficulties he experienced, Rosenberg realized that he was able to do much more than he—and others—thought he could.
“After a while, I got really good at [skiing], and that was the most important part of my recovery,” says Rosenberg, who is now 59. “I truly believe that sports are a magic thing for many people to use to regain their equilibrium after some sort of setback…. The magic comes from the satisfaction we gain from getting good at something. And once we get good at it, our self-confidence starts to rise and with it our self-esteem. If we can regain our self-esteem doing a sport, it’s back, and it’s with us for everything else we do.”
Jothy Rosenberg is the founder of the Who Says I Can’t Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps amputees regain their self-esteem through sports. For more information, visit www.whosaysicant.org.
Don’t Let the Ice and Snow Freeze You Out of Sports
Are you letting winter stop you from participating in outdoor activities? If so, you could be missing out on many opportunities for competing, socializing, and having fun. For people who want to try skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, hockey, and mountain climbing, the ice and snow are ideal ingredients for a great time.
If you’re interested in getting started, the following resources may be helpful.
- Adaptive Action Sports
adacs.org - Adaptive Adventures
adaptiveadventures.org - Adaptive Athletic Specialists
teamaas.org - Adaptive Sports Association
asadurango.org - Adaptive Sports Center
adaptivesports.org - Adventures Without Limits
awloutdoors.com - Alberta Amputee Sports and Recreation Association
aasra.ab.ca - American SkiBike Association
americanskibike.org
ski-bike.org - Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center
boec.org - Challenge Aspen
challengeaspen.org - Challenged Athletes Foundation
challengedathletes.org - Disabled Sports USA
disabledsportsusa.org - iSkibike
iskibike.com - Jackson Hole Adaptive Ski Program
jacksonhole.com/lessons-guides/adaptive.html - King Pine Ski Resort
kingpine.com - Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation
maineadaptive.org - National Ability Center
discovernac.org - National Sports Center for the Disabled
nscd.org - New England Disabled Sports Program
loonmtn.com/info/winter/adaptive.aspx - No Barriers USA
nobarriersusa.org - Paradox Sports
paradoxsports.org - Paralympic Movement
paralympic.org - ParaSport Ontario
parasportontario.ca - P.L.A.Y. Foundation
playfoundation.net - Snowmass Village
snowmassvillage.com - Snowshoe Adaptive Sports Program
http://tinyurl.com/q9xv9yd - SPLORE
splore.org - Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports
steamboatstars.com - Steamboat Powdercats
steamboatpowdercats.com/adaptive-skiing-program - Stowe Mountain Resort
stowe.com/ski-ride/adaptive - Telluride Adaptive Sports Program
tellurideadaptivesports.org - USA Hockey
usahockey.com - U.S. Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association
powerhockey.com - U.S. Ski Team
usskiteam.com - Vail Adaptive Ski School
http://tinyurl.com/pvj7eaf - Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports
vermontadaptive.org - Waterville Valley Adaptive Snowsports Program
waterville.com/ski-ride/adaptive-sports-program.html - Who Says I Can’t Foundation
whosaysicant.org - Wintergreen Adaptive Sports
wintergreenadaptivesports.org - World T.E.A.M. Sports
worldteamsports.org
