EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EXCURSIONS
By MARY GRACE PULOS PHOTOS BY MATHEW WOOTEN
ALASKA IS ONE BIG PLAYGROUND FOR EVERYONE, EVEN
PEOPLE WHO HAVE DISABILITIES,
NONPROFIT CHALLENGE ALASKA LEADS THE ACTION.
It's below zero at Nancy Lake Park in Wasilla in late Janu足 ary, but no one seems to notice. Friends, who are also members of Challenge Alaska, gather to ride snowmachines, snowshoe and ski cross-country. They seem to forget that they have dis足 abilities; they are just regular people who enjoy playing in the snow. Charlie Rogge, 5], is excited to try snowmachining for the firtst time. He can't wait to experience the feeling of flying into the fast and cold air that rushes against the snowmachine. Rogge just moved from Arizona last summer. He has been water skiing, kayaking, ocean swimming, ice-skating and cross-country skiing. Rogge has been blind since birth, but it hasn't stopped him from enjoying the outdoors. He relishes overcoming physi足 cal limitations and being adventurous. He goes with a group of people, uses his sense of hearing to guide himself and usually has a spotter to give him directions when needed.
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"1 don 'tgo out much but when I can, 1really enjoy it," Rogge says. Challenge Alaska is a nonprofit organization dedicated to offering sports and therapeutic recreational opportunities for those with disabilities. The organization promotes the idea that everyone should have an equal chance at these activities. In January the group put together a Family and Friends Fun Day in Wasilla. Challenge Alaska helps people who love being outdoors to do the things that they can't do independently. The organization also offers classes and programs that help people develop their skills to improve their quality of life. Challenge Alaska started 24 years ago with an adaptive ski school. One of the founding members had a disability and he enjoyed skiing so he started a program in Alaska. Staff members make sure that everyone is having fun and that they are all safe. Workers are required to have CPR and standard first-aid training. They check medical records and talk