The Sweet Briar Outdoor Program — better known as SWEBOP — has joined efforts with Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing to develop an adaptive kayaking program for people with disabilities.

WAS is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to teach the joys of alpine skiing to individuals with a disability. The organization will likely be renamed the Wintergreen Adaptive Sports Foundation in the future with the expansion of its offerings.

How did this collaboration begin? It started with Molly Brown, the 15-year-old daughter of John Gregory Brown, director of the College’s creative writing program, and his wife, Carrie, writing specialist at the academic resource center.

Molly has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that permanently affects body movement and muscle coordination. She can walk a little, though only with difficulty and not for long distances, and she has gross and fine motor problems that made sports seem out of the question … until she met the folks at WAS.

Molly Brown carves up the slopes at Wintergreen.
Within two seasons she became independent in a mono-ski — the sit-down ski used by people who cannot stand — and was zooming down the black diamond slopes at Wintergreen.

Skiing is only a cold weather sport, however, and she was eager to find an athletic experience she could pursue in the summer. Molly approached Shannon Cotulla, avid kayaker and instructor for SWEBOP, and Laura Staman, director of outdoor programs, for help.

They were enthusiastic, and over the 2005-06 school year Cotulla worked with Molly nearly every week in the Sweet Briar pool teaching her to kayak. It took a long time to find a boat that Molly could fit in and comfortably paddle, but Molly’s determination and positive spirit made it all possible.

“I have never seen a more tenacious and strong-willed paddler,” Staman said. “It is inspiring to work with Molly. I also witnessed how Molly’s dedication to learning influenced Shannon.

“He genuinely wanted to find the right adaptive situation, adjusting the boat and strokes, for Molly to be able to enjoy and excel in kayaking. He met Molly’s determination with his own commitment to finding a way to make the sport of kayaking truly accessible.”

Cotulla elaborated, “I love paddling, and I really enjoy teaching and bringing new people into the sport. Paddlers are always working on their boats, adjusting them to make them more comfortable or to perform better. Molly and the other adaptive paddlers just need a few different adjustments.

“I am honored to help anyone who is motivated to learn the sport and Molly and the other adaptive paddlers work so hard that they inspire me to be a better paddler and instructor. Working with them has been a pleasure and a very rewarding experience for me.”

For Molly and her parents, Staman and Cotulla’s kindness and enthusiasm was like opening a door. “Their support of Molly made a huge difference in her life,” Carrie Brown said.

“Having a disability can mean that you face a lot of closed doors — places you can’t go, things you can’t do because they’re just too hard or too complicated logistically to make happen — but Laura and Shannon opened a door for Molly.

“We’re so grateful to them for their help with Molly and for the partnership they’re embarking on with Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing.”

In July 2006, when Carrie Brown mentioned that Wintergreen was hosting a workshop led by Team River Runners — a group of paddlers who teach kayaking to wounded veterans of the war in Iraq — Cotulla, Staman and Melanie Stine ’06 decided to attend.

In November, SWEBOP began providing kayaking instruction for Wintergreen staff during Tuesday night pool clinics. SWEBOP also will loan boats to Wintergreen for future workshops.

This collaboration is already benefiting Sweet Briar students, not only by offering opportunities to paddle with others outside of SWEBOP but exposing students to potential internships and volunteer opportunities with WAS.

“The world of adaptive sport is exploding across the country, and I think the possibilities for the Sweet Briar students are wonderful,” Carrie Brown said. “The staff at Wintergreen Adaptive Skiing is tremendously skilled and dedicated, and a partnership with Laura and Shannon and the resources of the SWEBOP program seems like a perfect marriage.”

Staman, Cotulla and Stine plan to teach people with disabilities to kayak next summer during two weekend events with WAS: the Wounded Warrior Weekend, offered to wounded veterans of the Iraq war, and a second event for other adaptive paddlers.

WAS Executive Director Michael Zuckerman said, “WAS has been giving the gift of snowboarding and skiing to people with every conceivable disability for twelve years now. Molly Brown’s perseverance and determination have been an inspiration to all of us.

“We are very excited about collaborating with the Sweet Briar program to continue to offer recreational opportunities to people with disabilities on a year-round basis.”

– From staff reports