Newry man takes adaptive skiing to another level with a grant from the High Fives Foundation
THIS IS THE FIRST EMPOWERMENT FUND GRANT AWARDED TO Kenny Young FROM THE HIGH FIVES FOUNDATION
(Truckee, California, November 3, 2016) — California’s High Fives Foundation is awarding Newry resident Kenny Young an Empowerment Grant for high-performance equipment to enable him to progress in adaptive skiing. Young is in recovery from a life-altering injury he received in 2006.
Before his injury, Young had aspirations of becoming a professional snowmobile racer. In the winter season of 2006, Young had a race in Valcourt, Quebec, which is the largest race in the East Coast circuit.
Conditions were less than perfect, and it had rained the night before. The temperature dropped quickly overnight, causing the track to ice over. During the race, Young got caught in a groove around the first corner, tipping over his slde and sending into the ice-covered hay bales. The impact left him with a spinal cord injury.
“I have now been mono-skiing for 9 years, and it is one of my biggest passions,” said Young. “I have also become a hand-cyclist, a water-skier, kayaker, and just an active outdoor person in general.”
For the past two years Young has volunteered at Maine Adaptive Sports at Sunday River where he has been teaching others to ski. His goal is to become a certified instructor so he can teach others more effectively. He would like to run mono-ski clinics through Maine Adaptive once he becomes certified.
“I’ve known Kenny since we were both at the same rehab facility in New Hampshire,” said Roy Tuscany, executive director of the High Fives Foundation. Tuscany was injured in a ski accident in 2006. His recovery process catalyzed the creation of the High Fives Foundation. “It’s very cool to reunite and come full-circle. Kenny has been doing extraordinary things since his injury.”
