In June 1997, I attended an off-road, wheelchair camp sponsored by JAY Xtreme/Team Phoenix and hosted by ITT Hartford. The camp offered a great opportunity for physically challenged people to try out the sport of mountain biking. I loved it. The team had six off-road chairs for people to try. They worked very hard maintaining the equipment and teaching us how to ride the special chairs.

I made it up to the camp on the second day late the night before, where we had booked a room at "The Inn at Mount Snow." It was the only wheelchair accessible place we could find, and it was great. The next morning we arrived at the Hartford trailer, where there was a group of off-road chairs all lined up with some team members around them. I just knew this was going to be a great experience. The morning was booked up with riders, so I took some pics and talked to a lot of great people.

In the afternoon, it was my turn to ride. I was pointed to a chair and transferred into it. Sarah Will was on the team and coached me on the do's and don'ts of body position and riding down the mountain. She was very helpful and very professional. The whole team was great, and I felt very comfortable with the group.

After getting strapped in, we received a briefing on how to be safe. Then we were on our way to the lift. The Phoenix Mountain Chair seems heavy, but it's not at all. It was pretty easy to push around. The load onto the chair lift was a snap. When your turn comes, you unbelt from the lift line, roll up to the lift, and transfer onto the chair lift. The attendants put the off-road chair on the lift seat in-front of you, and away you go. They stopped the lift for our transfer. At the top it was the same. The lift stopped, they brought your chair to you, you jumped in, and got out of the way so they could start the lift again. We buckled up and waited for the rest of the group.

Once we were all accounted for, we were off...off-road that is! From the top of the hill, it was just a matter of letting gravity do its thing. Before we knew it, we were rolling down the hill. The rule of the day was not to pass the leaderjust keep the pace and have a good time. We were not there to race, just experience the thrill and see if this was a sport we would like to pursue.

For the first five minutes of my first run, I was a little scared. There were many big rocks and I was riding over them. I rolled down the hill shaking and bouncing all the way. For a moment I thoughtthis is brutal, I don't think I like it. Then I hit the brakes. Your right hand controls the back brake, and your left the front. I hit the back brake first and it slowed me down to about half my speed in seconds. Then the front brake, STOP...WOW, that was cool! The Phoenix mountain chair has four times the stopping power of an ordinary bicycle. With hydraulic, four-wheel disc brakes, I felt very secure from that point on. But, you still had to be careful - pick up speed too quickly and the smallest water rut would launch you into the air. Not a bad feeling, but don't get sideways in the air; the landing from a sideways approach is NOT COOL!

Halfway down the two plus mile trail, I was hooked on this sport. Six of us, girls and guys, were biking down a mountain with smiles from ear to ear, hooting and laughing. It was a non-stop thrill. The Phoenix handled as if it was on rails. The slightest turn and SNAP, you're there! Just about at the end of the run, one of the riders got too cocky and hit a water rut with too much speed. He shifted sideways in the air and flipped over. This happened right in front of me, and it was not a pretty sight. You must respect this machine.

The rider was a little shaken up, but was okay. On the other hand, the team was one chair down. We went back to the trailer for a safety check. One thing Team Phoenix was very conscious of was safety. After the check, we went up for another run. The second run was great. I was familiar with the terrain, and felt more confident in my ability to control the Phoenix. I was able to play a little more; fishtailing in some turns, a little air here and there. I really felt good in this chair. I wanted one!

The next day we arrived at the trailer, Sarah was checking out the equipment. Chris Wadell, another hero of mine, was there to give the off-road chair a run. I got to meet and speak with him for a while, which was a thrill for me. John Davis, another mono-ski champ I admire and a pioneer in the sport of off-road wheelchair racing, was also on hand. Actually, John was the first mono-skier I ever saw, and I knew that the sport was for me.

After some pleasant conversation, it was time to get back in the Phoenix. Five of us headed for the lift. I wanted to ride with Chris, but at the lift, we were split up into two groups. This was done so we would not hold up the lift for the bikers. It worked out great; two of us in chairs and three bikers. We had a great first run, but close to the bottom, my partner got a flat. We went back to the trailer, changed the flat, did a safety check, and went back to the lift all in about twenty minutes. On the second run my partner got another flat, but this time we were up near the top of the mountain. Michael Whiting, the team leader and designer of the Phoenix, pulled a tube from his backpack and changed the flat right on the side of the trail in about ten minutes. "This" was mountain biking. Repairs on the trail...Arr, Arr, Ar

Before long, we were on our way. I was having a great run. My buddy Scott Wilson was cruising the Grove Off-Road Wheelchair (a very cool machine), and we met on the trail. He was practicing for the race, so he passed me and went on his way. I started back down the trail. As I came to a water rut, I braked to slow down and went over the rut. It felt like the back right wheel was gone. The chair dipped back to the right. The next thing I knew, I was on my head and then on my side in the grass. No pain, nothing. I didn't know what happened. It's a good thing I was not on a rocky part of the trail.

There was a problem with the swing arm, and it needed to be repaired. Not a big deal, but I had to get a ride down in a pickup. I was bummed out. I wanted to Finnish the run, obviously, and did not want to see another chair down...especially the one I was using. As the team leader Michael came to me, his first concern was my health. The crash looked worse then it was. That was nice; I did not want him to think I trashed his chair. He was cool about the whole thing. He checked me out to make sure I was okay, then looked over the Phoenix. He called for help, and a few moments later a pickup came to take me down the mountain. Back at the Hartford trailer, everyone was concerned. As I said, safety is first priority with this team. It would take some work, but the chair would be ready for the next camp.

To say I had a great time would be an understatement. To get a chance to try such an extreme sport and DO IT the first time out was unreal. Skiing is awesome and my all time favorite, but it takes time and practice. This sport was instant success.

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