The Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports/Sugarbush alpine race team competed at the 2015 Special Olympics Winter Games held March 7 and 8 at Suicide Six, South Pomfret, Vermont.
A team of 11 athletes competed in slalom, giant slalom and super G events: Grace Kirpan, Phillip Kellem and Christopher Riley from Moretown; Tommy Johnson of Warren, Melissa Lansky of Waterbury, Gabe Terran of Montpelier, Josh Bartold of East Montpelier, Bennett Townley and Justin McQuiston of Williston, Lelia Volmer of Craftsbury and new team member Nick Zecchinelli of Montpelier.
Competing in Advanced Division 1, Townley took fourth in slalom and fifth in GS and super G. In Advanced Division 3, Kellem won silver in all three events.
Competing on the Advanced Intermediate course in Division 5, Johnson won bronze in slalom and super G and silver in GS. In Division 6, Riley won bronze in slalom and took fourth in GS and super G. In Division 7, Kirpan won gold in all three events. Lansky won bronze in slalom and GS and silver in super G.
Competing on the Intermediate course in Division 9, McQuiston won silver in GS and took fourth in slalom and super G. Terran took sixth in slalom, won gold in GS and bronze in super G. Volmer took fifth in slalom and received a participation ribbon in GS and super G. Skiing in Division 10, Bartold won silver in all three events. New team member Zecchinelli competed on the novice course in Division 13. He won gold in slalom and silver in GS and super G.
The athletes and parents thanked head coach Henry Erickson, course coach Norm Staunton, Vermont Adaptive's Northern Program coordinator at Mt. Ellen, Heather Timins, intern Hannah, and the many Vermont Adaptive volunteers who along with athletes braved a brutally cold winter of training. They also thanked Mt. Ellen, home mountain to this race team for many years.
For more information about Vermont Adaptive and how to become involved, visit www.vermontadaptive.org, or call Heather Timins, Northern Program coordinator at (802) 343-1193.
