BEYOND LIMITS
brings adaptive winter rec opportunities to The County
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — By putting trust in others and having confidence in oneself, people can push themselves beyond their limits.
Dr. Jacqui Lowman knows that firsthand.
The founder and president of BEYOND LIMITS, a local non-profit organization that seeks to help people overcome challenges, recently went skiing for the first time at the Nordic Heritage Center.
“I never dreamed that I would ski, but as we’ve been doing the training I said, ‘I can participate and give the Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation people and the volunteers someone to work with,’” said Lowman, a paraplegic. “I was surprised that I was able to do it. Today was great because the snow was fast.
“Disabilities are very isolating, so to be able to get out with people and interact is a thrill,” she said. “I’m not anticipating joining a Nordic ski team ever, but it’s fun. It’s a great feeling, and I want to show people that if a mature person can get out there and do it, anybody can.”
BEYOND LIMITS is bringing adaptive winter recreation opportunities to people in the area with physical disabilities. The organization launched the Nordic ski and snowshoe program earlier this year. Free lessons are offered to participants on Friday afternoons now through March. Afterward, they gather for a meal in the main lodge where they can connect on a more social level. Participants can be anyone with a physical disability, ages 4 and up.
“I didn’t start BEYOND LIMITS so I could learn to ski; I started it two years ago. I was teaching an advocacy class at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and we needed a project, so we took on the Nordic Heritage Center,” said Lowman. “One of the things we learned was that while the Nordic Heritage Center is a wonderful venue, it was inaccessible and people with disabilities didn’t have the opportunity to take advantage of it.
“Along the way we found out that there are really hundreds and hundreds of people in our greater area — between Aroostook County and contiguous parts of Canada — who could benefit from having adaptive winter recreation opportunities here,” she said. “So we set out to raise money for the adaptive equipment and training. The community, along with various businesses and organizations, were very generous, and we were able to launch the program in January.”
Barbara Fiore, Nordic skiing program coordinator for Maine Adaptive, conducted the initial training for the BEYOND LIMITS volunteers Jan. 6-7.
“I’ve been training them to be volunteer instructors for the participants who come to participate in Nordic sports whether it’s stand-up Nordic skiing, sit-down Nordic skiing, or snowshoeing,” she said. “I’m training them to use the adaptive equipment, and we also did a blind and visually impaired clinic, so if we have people who are blind or visually impaired, they can still ski with somebody.”
Fiore said this winter everyone is busy helping to establish the program.
“It’s very clear that the enthusiasm is there, and it’s also clear — although we don’t see it in numbers yet — that there’s a need and a desire for people who have disabilities who want to come and engage in winter sports,” she said. “The Nordic Heritage Center is an incredible, generous co-collaborator. They want to make it really clear that the Center isn’t just for people in Lycra doing biathlons; it’s for anybody who wants to participate.”
Fiore said things have been going well so far in Presque Isle.
“We’re getting more participants,” she said, “and the volunteers are doing really well. I’m very happy, and we’re thrilled to be in The County.”
Maine Adaptive brings more than 30 years of experience to the table. It uses such equipment as a snow slider, sit-ski and walker slider to allow people with disabilities to enjoy the great outdoors.
Lowman said the long-term plan is to expand the recreational programming.
“We hope to one day provide downhill skiing and snowboarding opportunities, and during the warmer months we’d like to offer cycling and canoeing,” she said. “We hope to expand to additional locations, as well.”
She said BEYOND LIMITS is not about physical disability, it’s about ability.
“It’s also about overcoming challenges,” said Lowman. “Everyone’s got challenges. Mine are very obvious, but everybody’s got them. It’s about saying, ‘Why not?’ instead of asking, ‘Why?’”
Lowman attributes her determination to her late father.
“He always had faith in me, so when all the teachers were saying, ‘Can’t, can’t, can’t,’ my dad always said, ‘You can do whatever you set your mind to.’ That’s why we’re doing this,” she said. “We want people to realize that there’s no such thing as ‘can’t.’ We hear that way too early in our lives and then we internalize it. It doesn’t mean you have to do things the way everybody else does it, as long as you do it.”
BEYOND LIMITS is looking for more participants and volunteers.
“With new participants you need two volunteers to assist them in the early going,” said Lowman, “so the more participants we have, obviously the more volunteers we need. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to get outside and enjoy the winter opportunities Aroostook County provides.”
For more information, contact Lowman at jacquelyn.lowman@umpi.edu or 768-9745.
