Contact Information:
Beth Potier
WMASS Volunteer Coach
bethpotier@hotmail.com
603-397-7505 (cell)
Editors and reporters: To connect with WMASS students or volunteer coaches from your area, contact Beth Potier at bethpotier@hotmail.com
or 603-397-7505.
White Mt. Adaptive Snowsports School at Loon Mountain Hosts Kostick Kup Fundraising Event March 8
Lincoln, N.H. Feb. 25, 2008 -- 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 19th annual Kostick Kup fundraising event Saturday, March 8. 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 Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the Kostick Kup Race on Coolidge Street at Loon. 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. Auction items typically include a range of items including vacation home rentals, tickets to sports events, hotel stays, and fine wines.
The event also recognizes the skill, dedication and passion of WMASS students and families with moving testimonials and the presentation of the annual Kostick Kup.
The Kostick Kup is WMASS’s largest annual fundraiser, typically bringing in up to $70,000. Money raised goes to general operating expenses as well as scholarships, discounted lift 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 son Kevin is here for his fourth year and has never enjoyed any sport other than your ski program," said Kimberly Blest, mother of WMASS student Kevin Scanlan. "Thank you for the gifts of smiles and fun we can see and all of the gifts we’ve yet to discover."
The Kostick Kup event began in 1989 as a memorial event to honor Lorey Kostick, an avid skier and racer. Barabara Kostick-Smith, Lorey’s wife, has supported WMASS for 19 years and continues to be a driving force behind the Kostick Kup event, which, in 2007, hosted over 400 racers and dinner attendees, an increase of 23% from 2006. Corporate sponsors include Eastern Bank, Century 21 Mountainside Realty, AbacusTravel, Loon Mountain, Mountain Club at Loon, and The Landing. For more information on corporate sponsorship, e-mail kari_christiansen@yahoo.com.
Tickets to the Kostick Kup are $45 for dinner ($55 the day of the event), $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, nearly 200 volunteer coaches teach more than 1,500 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. Learn more about WMASS at www.dsusa-ne.org.
