WINDHAM, N.Y. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF) wrapped up its 41st winter of teaching adaptive ski and snowboard lessons and providing life-changing experiences on the slopes of Windham Mountain Club on Saturday, March 8 with its annual Ralph Hartman Tribute Cup.
The Ralph Hartman Tribute Cup is a fun race down Windham Mountain Club’s “Whiteway” trail and is open for all ASF participants who have taken either seasonal or daily lessons with the organization. It’s a celebration of the accomplishments and the athletic abilities of all the ASF’s adaptive athletes.
The day began at 9 a.m. in a heavy snow squall, when all the participants went through a typical two-hour morning lesson and had a chance to take some practice runs through the racecourse. The racers came into the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center for an hour lunch before the 12:30 p.m. race. The festivities began with a beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, performed by ASF student and Hartman racer Anna Lazare. The traditional parade of flags followed her performance, which is a magnificent sight that features members of the ASF Race Team and Sliders ski down the racecourse proudly carrying the flags of different nations as well as an Adaptive Sports Foundation flag.
When the first racer, Silvie Jan, crossed the starting gate and began her descent down the slope, the fun began. In total, 41 adaptive athletes took two runs down the course while family, friends and spectators cheered them on from the finish line.
Highlights of the race included Chase Sadowski becoming the first Hartman racer ever to navigate the Tessier Snow’Kart down the course, Tim Kelly, who has just 10 days of monoskiing under his belt, zooming across the finish line in under 25 seconds and the several ASF students sliding into the finish area to end their fun race runs.
The full results of the Ralph Hartman Tribute Cup fun race can be found HERE.
After the race concluded, the racers and their fans were welcomed back into the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center to take part in some trivia, listen to a couple of speeches and receive their awards.
The awards ceremony began when volunteer service awards were given out to those ASF volunteers who were celebrating milestone seasons. Race awards were given out shortly after to those racers who finished on the podium in their respective classes. The ASF then gave out special season-long awards to students and volunteers who demonstrated dedication and a love of snow sports all winter long. The first award to be given was the Robert “Buff” Donnelly award, which is awarded to the student who shows exceptional courage, determination and a love for life. This year’s winner was snowboarder Braeden Treharne. The next student award was the Stu Smith “Magic Man” award, which is presented to the student(s) who best exemplifies enthusiasm, good cheer and love of snow sports. The two recipients of this award were Isabella Negrette and Jack Kinahan.
Thomas Breheny earned this year’s Volunteer Rookie of the Year awards for his amazing performance and helpfulness in his first year with the ASF. The Ralph Hartman Volunteer of the Year awards were given to Matthew Boyle, Monica Nazario and the husband-and-wife duo of Pete and Karen Carroll. Each of these volunteers went above and beyond this winter on and off the snow by showing an exemplary commitment to the ASF and its students. The All-Around Volunteer of the Year award is given to the volunteer who spends their time making significant contributions through volunteering for both the ASF’s summer and winter programs. This prestigious award was given to Bill Hoffman.
The final award the ASF handed out was the ASF Volunteer Committee Impact Award. This award, which is given by the ASF Volunteer Committee, is given to an individual from the Windham community who has made a significant impact on the Adaptive Sports Foundation through advocacy, community engagement and support of the ASF’s mission to empower lives through adaptive sports. This year’s winner was Johnny O’Connor, the owner of Jimmy O’Connor’s Windham Mountain Inn and local professional skateboarder and snowboarder. O’Connor is very supportive of the ASF all year round and serves as the head coach at the ASF’s skateboard camps during the summer. He is also a member of the leadership group for On Board Initiative, a community group that is trying to get kids in the community interested in the sport of skateboarding and raising funds to build a skatepark in Windham.
Later in the evening, the ASF hosted the Ralph Hartman Tribute Cup Dinner Dance at Seasons at the Windham Mountain Club base lodge. This party has a different theme each year, and this year’s theme was western. The 125-guest hoedown featured a DJ, dancing, food and fun, complete with old west decorations and the guests donned in their finest western wear.
The ASF would like to thank every student, parent, volunteer, donor and every other contributor that made the 2024/2025 winter season successful. The ASF’s summer program schedule will be released in the coming weeks.
About the Ralph Hartman Tribute Cup
Since 1990, the ASF has held an end-of-season race that gives its adaptive skiers and snowboarders the opportunity to show off the skills they learned during the season in an actual race. Ralph Hartman, the man who the race was eventually named after, was a lifelong skier that lost part of his left leg due to a heart condition. One day a discouraged Hartman met ASF founder Gwen Allard, who introduced him to adaptive skiing and revitalized his passion for snow sports. Hartman became a student and ultimately a certified adaptive instructor who also helped gain funding from politicians and sponsors for the ASF.