The NSCD was founded in 1970 by Hal O'Leary, who was then a salaried ski instructor at Winter Park Resort.[4] O'Leary taught one lesson to 23 children with amputations, which spearheaded the National Sports Center for the Disabled. For the first three years of the program, O'Leary operated out of a broom closet at Winter Park Resort.[5] Since then, he has been named one of the "best 100 things to happen to skiing" by Ski Magazine.[4] has established programs for disabled athletes on four continents and coached two Paralympic teams.[5] O'Leary was also awarded the prestigious honor of Order of Canada, Canada's highest honor of merit given to individuals recognized for lifetime achievement.[6] Today, the NSCD facilitates a variety of both winter and summer programs, including alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, rock climbing, kayaking, Sports Ability Clinics and therapeutic horseback riding.[2] The NSCD offers recreational opportunities as well as competitive ski race training through a renowned Competition Center. The NSCD is proud to be recognized as a Paralympic Sport Club through the U.S. Paralympic Sport Club Network.[7]
Mission
The stated mission of the NSCD: "The National Sports Center for the Disabled enables the human spirit through therapeutic sports and recreation."[2]
The Competition Center is a program designed for beginner through elite-level racers. Edging, balance drills, speed progression and gate training are all emphasized for Alpine Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing and Snowboarding competitions.[2] The Competition Center is a smaller faction of the NSCD but provides substantial name recognition and reputation growth due to the caliber of athletes that train there,[8] in the 2010 Winter Paralympics, the NSCD athletes accounted for more than half of the total alpine medals collected by Team USA.[9]
Steven J. Ricci Award
Steven J. Ricci (1968–1999) was an NSCD athlete who died following critical head injuries during a training run at Winter Park Resort.[10] This award was created to award athletes who exemplify team leadership and sportsmanship.
The Leadership Team of the NSCD is composed of six members of the organization: President/CEO, marketing director, Operations Director, Human Resources Director, Competition Center Director and Financial Director. There are 27 community members that sit on the board of trustees.[2]
