Snow bound

A 20-YEAR association between Disabled Winter Sports Australia and the ADF Alpine Snowsports Association (AASA) has been bonded by the presentation of a framed photo marking this strategic snowsport alliance.

Disabled Winter Sports Australia holds its annual championships as part of the ADF’s annual National Interservice Alpine Snowsports Championships, with the disabled athletes using the event as their final Australian selection trials for World Cup and Paralympic teams.

This year the Manugistics ADF Alpine Interservices Championships were held at Mt Buller from August 10-15.

The reason for combining with AASA is because the disabled association does not have the resources to conduct Federation Internationale de Ski standard races, and the ADF is one of the few organisations that conducts races at this level, providing a world class event for both ADF and disabled skiers and snowboarders.

Recently, Disabled Winter Sports Australia presented a framed photograph of the 2002 Paralympic team to thank AASA for its ongoing support. Vice-President of the AASA Lt-Col Bunny Carrigan said the association between the two organisations had been long and fruitful and many firm bonds and friendships had been made.

“It has been wonderful over the past 25 years for Defence skiers to participate in the same event as disabled skiers and in many cases to be beaten by them, and to then see those skiers go on to compete at an international level and win gold medals for Australia,” she said.

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