By Dale Rodebaugh As competitors in the 31st Iditarod Trail race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, started their quest Saturday, some Four Corners people were mushing for fun at Lemon Reservoir. It was the eighth annual Fun Day for people with disabilities sponsored by the San Juan Sledders Snowmobile Club. Councilors and coaches from the Adaptive Sports Association, Community Connections and the Special Olympics turned out with some of their charges to ride dog sleds and snowmobiles steered by volunteers. "We couldn't afford to offer dog sledding," Tim Cruz, director of Adaptive Sports Association, said this week. "The generosity of the snowmobile club is a way we can share the sports we love with people with disabilities." The organization, one of the oldest of its kind in the country, serves about 400 people a year who have learning disabilities or a variety of physical problems. Greg Dubit, who operates Durango Dog Ranch, arrived with 18 Alaskan and Siberian huskies and two sleds. Ashton Richardson, 12, a sixth-grader at Miller Middle School, was smitten with the dog teams. "I absolutely love dog sledding, and it's a smoother ride than the snowmobile," said Ashton as she waited her turn with her father, Gene Richardson. "I came back this year because I'm a dog person." Doug Baxter was back, too, in spite of having moved to Colorado Springs last summer. He was a member of the San Juan Sledders while he lived locally. He brought his snowmobile with him Saturday. "I put a smile on their faces, but they put a bigger smile on mine," Baxter said. "It's as much a big deal for me as it is for them." The dog teams also were the first choice of 7-year-old Emma Cameron, who had just arrived. "I want to do the dogs," said Emma, a client at Community Connections where her mother, Rachel Cameron, is an early intervention resource coordinator. The agency serves adults and children with special needs in Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan and Dolores counties. Maxine and Jim Carton, with the Cortez Chili Peppers, were attending their third Fun Day. They provide recreational activities such as camping, bowling, swimming and snowshoeing for children and adults with varieties of disabilities. "We were in Special Olympics for several years, but it was too competitive," Maxine Carton said. "We wanted to be more recreational." |