KETCHUM, Idaho — The Challenged Athletes Foundation presented two children with surprise grants during the Boulder Mountain Tour in Sun Valley.
Eight-year-old Vivian Elison and seven-year-old Eliza Werth were presented with brand new sit skis to make it easier for these kids born with Spina Bifida to participate in Nordic skiing.
"Eliza didn’t even know that was her bucket," said Amanda Werth, Eliza's mother. "She was so excited and she said 'now we can go to Bogus whenever we want', and that is so special for us."
Idaho CAF builds community for adaptive athletes through the power of sports. They host clinics throughout the year to help people with disabilities try new activities.
"Vivian fell in love with Nordic skiing and it is so funny because it was something she didn’t even want to try," said Briana Elison, Vivian's mother.
Prosthetic limbs and equipment have come a long way for adults, but that hasn't necessarily been the case for children.
"It just doesn’t exist," said Wilson Dippo, the para-Nordic ski coach for Idaho CAF. "When we go out and ski with kids we have about four inches of foam on either side of their hips and it is not conducive to having fun in the sport."
So Dippo spent a year designing sit skis for these two children and another who's family wasn't able to make it up to Sun Valley this weekend.
Dippo received help from a friend who runs a CNC machine shop and they built these sit skis from the ground up using carbon fiber to mold the seat.
"Adaptive sport is so much about independence," said Dippo. "They get to go skiing by themselves, so yeah, it is a huge gift for me to be able to give this to them."
It's also not the first time Idaho CAF has innovated equipment for children. Two years ago we were in Sun Valley when they presented a boy named Teddy with the first-ever off-road wheelchair designed specifically for children.
Later that summer, the Challenged Athletes Foundation presented three more children with GRIT wheelchairs.
Next year Vivian hopes to participate in the Boulder Mountain Tour. This provides another example of how the Challenged Athletes Foundation is making a difference for kids in Idaho and their families.
"Oh my goodness, we love them," said Elison. "We have been involved with them for about two and a half years now. It has changed our life and it has opened so many doors for our entire family."
