Contact: Beth Potier
WMASS Volunteer Coach
bethpotier@hotmail.com
603-397-7505 (cell)

For immediate release                       

White Mt. Adaptive Snowsports School at Loon Mountain
Hosts Kostick Kup Fundraising Event March 10

Lincoln, N.H. -- White Mountain Adaptive Snowsports School (WMASS), a non-profit program at Loon Mountain that provides ski and snowboard instruction to people with disabilities, hosts its 18th annual Kostick Kup fundraising event Saturday, March 10.  The crowning event of the winter season for the hundreds of students, families, and volunteer coaches who participate in WMASS, the Kostick Kup is open to all.

Festivities begin with the Kostick Kup Race at 10 a.m. on Coolidge Street at Loon, in Lincoln. Teams of five - each with at least one racer with a disability - enjoy friendly competition against the clock and each other.  Awards go not only to the fastest racers and teams, but also to the most creative helmets, most stylish descent of the course, most unique finish, and to the "agony of defeat."

The fun continues Saturday evening, indoors at the Beacon Resort in Lincoln.  Bidding on unique and valuable silent auction items begins at 5 p.m., followed by dinner, awards, and presentations at 6 p.m. A live auction follows the awards and presentations.  Among the items for auction this year are waterfront vacation rentals, premium Patriots tickets, Loon Mountain passes, and personalized boat trips.

The Kostick Kup is WMASS's largest annual fundraiser, typically bringing in up to $70,000. Money raised goes to scholarships and discounted tickets for students and to a wide range of adaptive ski equipment that helps students with any disability enjoy a day on the slopes.

"My daughter, Alex, had a great experience skiing down Kissin' Cousin alone!  I never thought I would see the day," said Elizabeth Lopes, mother of WMASS student Alexandra.  "You were all so great and accommodating. It's people like you that make a difference in the world."

The Kostick Kup event began in 1989 as a memorial fund to honor Lorey Kostick, and avid skier and racer.  Barabara Kostick-Smith, Lorey's wife, has supported WMASS for 18 years and continues to be the driving force behind the Kostick Kup event, which now hosts over 400 racers and dinner attendees, an increase of 23% from 2005.  Corporate sponsors for this year's Kostick Kup include Century 21 Mountainside Realty, Eastern Bank, AbacusTravel, North Suburban Orthopedics, Loon Mountain and the Mountain Club at Loon.  For more information on corporate sponsorship, e-mail kari_christiansen@yahoo.com.

Tickets to the Kostick Kup are $45 for dinner ($20 for children 5 - 11), $120 for dinner and the race, $150 for Patron Sponsorship (includes two dinner tickets and reserved seating), or $600 for Team Sponsorship (includes five dinner tickets).  For information on tickets, call 603-745-6281, ext. 5663; e-mail wmass@dsusa-ne.org or write WMASS Kostick Kup, P.O. Box 26, Lincoln, NH 03251-0026.

Chartered in 1992, WMASS is one of the region's premier snowsports instruction programs for people with disabilities.  Each year, 150 volunteer coaches teach more than 1,000 lessons to approximately 220 children, teens and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities.  Past students have gone on to become medalists in the Paralympic Games and have been invited to become members of the National Disabled Ski Team.

To learn more about the WMASS at Loon Mountain, please visit www.dsusa-ne.org or call 603-745-6281 x5663. 

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