Adaptive Sports Association

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Adaptive Sports Association | ASA

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The Adaptive Sports Association (ASA) is a non-profit organization located at the foot of the beautiful San Juan Mountains in historic Durango, Colorado. Our mission is to provide outdoor, sport and recreational experiences for people with disabilities. These activities are provided regardless of individual financial limitations and create an atmosphere for learning and enhancing self-esteem.

Adaptive Sports Association’s programs help to enrich and transform the lives of people with disabilities through sports and recreation. By working with participants to overcome physical and cognitive challenges in a supportive environment, ASA helps participants explore possibilities.

Through sports and recreation, participants meet positive role models, increase socialization skills, improve physical fitness and combat depression. Personalities blossom and self-esteem soars as our students challenge themselves physically and emotionally and experience success.

Through the use of state-of-the-art adaptive sports equipment, ASA is able to offer its services to individuals with every type of disability. Over 50 ASA ski and snowboard instructors are nationally certified through Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI). ASA is also a member of Move United. Quality instruction and safety are primary concerns of ASA.

Each season, Adaptive Sports Association’s history has been marked by inspiration, perspiration, dedication and an enduring faith that each new year will bring new possibilities and continued success.

Dave Spencer, the driving force behind our adaptive sports foundation, lost a leg to cancer while in college in Wisconsin. He came to Purgatory through a ski magazine advertisement after returning to skiing as part of his rehabilitation program.

He secured a part-time position with the area’s ski school. With the strong encouragement of his first adaptive student who had an amputated leg and her husband, Spencer began dreaming of a full-fledged ski program for people with disabilities.

Dave joined forces with Joe Wilson, a veteran ski instructor in traditional ski school, who was managing a small program at Purgatory assisting blind skiers who came to the resort- a major turning point for our organization. Unfortunately in 1986, Spencer passed away and the old log cabin was named the Dave Spencer Center in his honor. As Spencer liked to say,

“Being handicapped is not a spectator sport.” He described it as the difference between “living life and just surviving a disability.”

As the years rolled by, Purgatory Ski Area became Durango Mountain Resort, then changed back to Purgatory Ski Area, and the Durango/Purgatory Handicapped Sports Association became the Adaptive Sports Association. The old log cabin is still in use, but has received a lot of upgrades including an expansion of the building. Rest assured, the warm family atmosphere has not and will not change.

In 1998, a summer program was added just as Spencer had hoped. Activities currently include: rafting, kayaking, rock climbing, canoeing, bicycling and overnight camping. After a quarter of a century, ASA continues to have alliances with numerous special groups offering scholarships and grant support. The immediate past has seen increased participation by veterans supported by the Wounded Warrior Project and generous individuals. ASA also provides sport and recreation activities for special education classes within the local school districts and continues to train Special Olympics athletes during the winter months.

Individual, small business, corporate and group support are remarkable for a community the size of Durango (pop. 18,500 as of 2016). See our sponsors here.

As Spencer once said, “Our goal is to get our clients out on the slopes with friends and family and personalize the instruction.”

The Adaptive Sports Association serves more than 450 individuals with the help of almost 280 active volunteers and state-of-the-art equipment.

Activities

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Camping

Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis. There are tons of disabled skiers flying down the slopes across the country. Experienced skiers make it look easy as they swoosh and cut their way through powdery (and sometimes not so powdery) snow. While it takes some practice to refine…

There is a lot to the sport – more than numbers on the scoreboard, the human side to this is a very powerful experience and I think all the para-athletes can appreciate that they are working to help each other. It brings countries and people together in a marvelous way.Jan Whitaker, President of Paralympic Sport…

Rain, sleet, snow, or hail … it seems that no matter the weather, you can always see a cyclist biking for pleasure, on an errand, or keeping fit. The love of bike riding is rapidly growing across nearly every demographic. Cycling has always been a great way to enjoy the outdoors, socialize with fellow bikers,…

Flyfishing made a real big difference in my recovery and helped flip that switch from thinking about negative things to positive things. There is a lot of peace and a lot of connecting with nature involved with fishing. – David Folkerts, Chief Operations Officer of Project Healing Waters Fishing 101 Photo Credits: Matt Romero,…

Take a Hike! Outdoor Adventure Awaits Everyone is concerned with fitness these days. Many people are also concerned with watching their personal budget, too. So what activity offers fun and fitness as well as being easy on the wallet? The answer is hiking, and almost everybody can do it, whether it’s simply utilizing community park…

About Adaptive Rafting Considered an extreme adventure sport, rafting, or white water rafting, is a popular recreational activity. With the help of a guide, you make your way down the river, maneuvering through rapids, and navigating around rocks. You can choose the experience you want, whether it be a relaxing ride down the river or…

One of the things I like about rock climbing is that it always gives you little triumphs. You can reach new levels, you are never out of challenges, and you can do it pretty much anywhere. – Jarem Frye, Climbing Enthusiast and K12 Prosthetics founder Becoming Familiar with Adaptive Climbing For a full body…

All About Snowboarding History Thank you to Lindsay Schultz for contributing information to this article. Pipelines, shredding, jibbers, and boardercross are all part of the colorful trappings of what’s attracting winter sports lovers to the country’s newest and most popular pursuit of things-that-go-bump-in-the-snow. Otherwise known as snowboarding….. Originally embraced by preteen and adolescent males who…

Water Skiing 101 Ride the Wake! There is nothing like spending a warm summer day by the water. But water-skiers will tell you that even better is a day spent water skiing along on the surface of the water with the wind in their hair. Don’t think because you have a disability that you can’t…