Local Veterans Participate in National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

David Burns, 64, a U.S. Navy Veteran from Gainesville.

Larry Jones, 41, a U.S. Army and Navy Veteran from Tallahassee.

Braian de Jesus Del Valle, 26, a U.S. Army Veteran from Jacksonville.

Douglas Ingram, 64, a U.S. Navy Veteran from Tallahassee.

Our NF/SG VHS Veterans will take part in Alpine skiing, sled hockey, and several other adaptive sports activities alongside approximately 400 fellow disabled Veterans, supported by approximately 600 volunteers and 200 sponsors. 

The first Winter Sports Clinic was held in 1987 and hosted 90 disabled Veterans. For nearly four decades, the NDVWSC has helped Veterans who live with physical disabilities, as well as wounds unseen, overcome obstacles and challenge their perceived limitations. World-class instructors and recreation therapists work closely with Veterans to help them experience the full potential of adaptive sports and recreation therapy as a tool for improved health and well-being. 

The five-day event, affectionally dubbed Miracles on a Mountainside, offers participants adaptive sports therapy opportunities, to include Alpine and Nordic skiing, sled hockey, scuba diving, snowmobiling, rock climbing, and a myriad of workshops and activities. 

The Winter Sports Clinic is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and DAV (Disabled American Veterans), with financial assistance from corporate sponsors and individual donors.

To view content from the event, follow @Sports4Vets and @DAVHQ on X and Instagram, Sports4Vets and DAV on Facebook, search #wintersportclinic or visit About | ndvwsc (wintersportsclinic.org). Photos and video will be available during the event at https://www.wintersportsclinic.org/media. 

For more information or to request an interview contact wintersportsclinic@va.gov or call 303-619-1145.