Adventure Team Challenge in Colorado
Author: World T.E.A.M. Sports
Published: 2014/08/25 - Updated: 2021/11/13
Category Topic: Disability Sports News - Academic Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Adventure Team Challenge 2014 Challenge three-stage outdoor event at Rancho del Rio resort northwest of Vail on September 12 to 14th. Athletes work together as teams to successfully complete various outdoor challenges, including white water rafting, off-road mountain biking, hiking and rope work.
Introduction
World T.E.A.M. Sports announced today that New York-based corporate compensation advisory company Pearl Meyer & Partners has committed to provide presenting sponsorship of the non-profit's September 12-14 Adventure Team Challenge in Colorado's high country.
Main Content
Pearl Meyer & Partners is participating in their second Adventure Team Challenge in three years. The 2014 Challenge will bring together teams of five athletes, two being disabled, and one being a wheelchair user, for a three-stage outdoor event at the rustic Rancho del Rio resort in the rugged Gore Mountains northwest of Vail.
"World T.E.A.M. Sports is proud to partner with Pearl Meyer to present the 2014 Adventure Team Challenge," said World T.E.A.M. Sports' CEO and President Van Brinson. "The Challenge brings the meaning of teamwork to the forefront like no other World T.E.A.M. Sports event and we welcome the Pearl Meyer partnership."
First held in 2007, the Challenge annually includes veterans and civilians with disabilities, corporate teams and active outdoor enthusiasts. Athletes work together as teams to successfully complete various outdoor challenges, including white water rafting, off-road mountain biking, hiking and rope work. Through the support of the teams, athletes have included persons with vision impairment and blindness, paralysis, post-traumatic stress and brain injuries.
"Building a team and the camaraderie involved in completing all tasks was amazing," reported Ben Duran, a Colorado Springs athlete about the September 2013 Challenge.
James Collins of Barberton, Ohio was impressed with "meeting new people and making new friends" at the 2013 Challenge west of Grand Junction.
"I enjoyed the competition and completing the Challenge with team work. It was one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life."
Considered by knowledgeable adventure athletes to be among the most difficult adventure race events in the United States, the Challenge is sanctioned by the US Adventure Racing Association and held under permit from the Bureau of Land Management on public lands along the Colorado River. Despite the difficulties of the Challenge, all teams complete the course.
In 2013, the Boulder, Colorado-based Benson Botsford Berserkers finished the Challenge in the shortest overall time and are returning to defend their championship. The 2014 Adventure Team Challenge Colorado is supported through sponsorships and partnerships from Pearl Meyer & Partners, Benson Botsford LLC, Devens Recycling Center, Front Street Re, The Independence Fund, INTEGRATED Healthcare Strategies, and Timberline Tours. Additional support is provided by James Benson and George Puskar.
World T.E.A.M. Sports is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization chartered in North Carolina and headquartered in Holbrook, New York. Since 1993, World T.E.A.M. Sports has organized athletic events for disabled and able bodied citizens - mountain climbing, white water rafting, biking, and more. Four things always happen at our events:
- (1) Disabled participants build self-confidence and physical fitness.
- (2) The disabled provide a role model for other disabled citizens, encouraging them to take up physical activities.
- (3) The disabled become a moving inspiration to other participants and to spectators when they see that disabled individuals can meet challenges beyond anyone's imagination.
- (4) The disabled and able-bodied participants learn to work as a team to overcome those challenges.
Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by World T.E.A.M. Sports and published on 2014/08/25, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.