National Ability Center To Record Annual Huntsman Cup, Increasing Visibility For Adaptive Sports
To continue to increase visibility for adaptive sports during its 40th year, the National Ability Center (NAC) will be recording the 37th Annual Huntsman Cup and sharing it on the NAC's YouTube channel. The free alpine ski racing event sanctioned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) will be held from Feb. 3 to Feb. 6 at Park City Mountain.
"In adaptive athletics, income shouldn't depend solely on the Paralympics. We train as hard as able-bodied athletes and compete multiple times a year, yet aren't paid as full-time athletes. One small step towards equal pay is sharing our competitions online," said Matthew Brewer, U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team member and High-Performance Team alum. "When sponsors see how we race and notice the visibility we can get, they're more likely to invest in us. For adaptive athletes, that support can be the difference between competing or not."
"One small step towards equal pay is sharing our competitions online. When sponsors see how we race and notice the visibility we can get, they're more likely to invest in us," said Matthew Brewer, U.S. Para Alpine Ski Team member and High-Performance Team alum.
Sponsored by Vail EpicPromise, Park City Mountain and the Huntsman Foundation, the Huntsman Cup is a four-day alpine skiing competition that builds technical racing skills and serves as the season's first local event. The event highlights athletes from across the globe, including its own High-Performance Team. This year's team members are listed below, with asterisks denoting Paralympians.
- Aidan O'Shea, alpine ski
- Annika Hutsler, alpine ski
- Blake Eaton, alpine ski
- Gilbert Camacho, alpine ski
- Hailey Griffin, alpine ski
- Jonathan Leonard, alpine ski
- Logan Knowles, alpine ski
- Zach Williams, U.S. Ski Team
- Matthew Brewer, U.S. Ski Team*
- Andrew Haragehy, U.S. Ski Team*
- Orlando Perez, alpine ski*
- Paige VanArsdale, alpine ski
- Saylor O'Brien, alpine ski
- Shelby Estocado, alpine ski
- Tyler McKenzie, alpine ski
- Danelle Umstead, alpine ski*
- Miranda Ritter, alpine ski
- Brenden Doyle, alpine ski
- Takehisa Matsuda, alpine ski
- Robert Enigl, alpine ski*
- Sammy Lugo, alpine ski
- Michael O'Hearn, alpine ski
- Nathan Delemos, alpine ski
- Connor Roemen, alpine ski
- Jordan Nadel, alpine sk
- IIzy Hicks, snowboard
- Nicole Raab, snowboard
- Jamie Blanek, snowboard
To learn more about the competition teams or the ways to sponsor a team, visit https://discovernac.org/partnership-inquiry/. The Huntsman Cup team is looking for volunteers with race experience to get involved in the Huntsman Cup by volunteering as timers, course slippers or gate keepers. Additional volunteer opportunities are available on the volunteer portal. Those interested are also welcome to email volunteer@discovernac.org. For more information on the Huntsman Cup, visit discovernac.org/huntsman-cup. For additional information about the National Ability Center, visit discovernac.org.
The National Ability Center (NAC) provides world-class adaptive recreation and outdoor adventures for individuals, families and groups with varying physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities. For over 40 years, the NAC has been a cornerstone for adaptive recreation in Park City, UT, and has served over 300,000 participants from all 50 states and across the globe. The nonprofit hosts over 32,000 experiences annually, including alpine and Nordic skiing, horseback riding, cycling, swimming, rafting and more in Park City, Moab and other destinations across Utah. Located on Park City Mountain, the McGrath Mountain Center serves the adaptive ski and snowboard programs, made possible by a historic 50-year land lease donated by Vail Resorts. With Vail's EpicPromise as the NAC's largest annual community partner, the NAC is globally recognized as a leader in adaptive sports serving competitive athletes, children, active-duty, veterans and more.
