Bobsledding is one of those amazing sports, which has languished behind the high-profile winter sports sure to draw a large crowd on snowy slopes: Skiing and snowboarding. David Nicholls of Park City, Utah is aiming to change this and what’s more he’s doing it for sports enthusiasts who have lost mobility.
The businessman created the U.S. Adaptive Bobsled and Skeleton Association. The organization provides sports enthusiasts a means of practicing their beloved sport, despite the setbacks of life. Nicholls envisions his efforts eventually leading to the creation of a new Paralympic event. The development is timely as The National Ability Center recently discontinued its adaptive bobsled program.
The sport of adaptive bobsledding is on the increase. Nicholls has formed four schools in Canada, Australia Latvia and Park City.
It’s a dream come true for Nicholls and the goal is to put both experienced drivers and newbies at the controls of bobsleds adapted to the needs of paraplegics, incomplete quadriplegics and amputees. He told The Park Record he was thrilled to see the sport gaining traction.
Adaptive bobsled and skeleton racing had its beginnings in Park City and offers participants an exciting and inspiring new take on the world of winter sports, Nicholls says.
There are significant challenges adaptive athletes must surmount. However, Nicholls says the effort is worth it, because any thought of being disabled flies by in a blur, when a paraplegic athlete whizzes around a track at 80 miles per hour.