High Fives Provides me with My Access- Trevor Kennison

Access To My” is a 5 part video-series that allows High Fives to show donors and partners the direct impact and life-changing value that their support has on the High Fives Athletes and their families

High Fives Provides me, Trevor Kennison, Access to my dreams

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Always smiling..

HIGH FIVES IS PROUD TO BE THERE TO WITNESS AND PROVIDE THE HELP AND SUPPORT FOR OUR ATHLETES TO DO THINGS THAT THEY MAY HAVE NOT THOUGHT WERE EVER POSSIBLE. 

SEEING AN ATHLETE GO THROUGH A LIFE-CHANGING INJURY AND HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT WHETHER THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS AND DREAMS IS TOUGH BUT SEEING THEM COME UP WITH IDEAS AND CREATE GOALS THAT GO TOWARDS A BIGGER PICTURE OF LIFELONG DREAMS IS ALWAYS INCREDIBLE.

THIS IS HOW HIGH FIVES HAS HELPED OUR GREAT FRIEND AND ATHLETE TREVOR KENNISON ACHIEVE ACCESS TO HIS DREAMS. BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT TREVOR HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE PAST HANDFUL OF YEARS HAS BEEN NOTHING LESS THAN AMAZING – FROM SEEING TREVOR GETTING ON A SIT-SKI FOR THE FIRST TIME ALL THE WAY TO SEEING HIM FLYING THROUGH THE AIR OVER MASSIVE PARK GAPS OR STOMPING MASSIVE CLIFFS.

IT HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN SKI TRIPS AND MEETINGS WITH SPONSORS FOR TREVOR THOUGH…

ALTHOUGH HE WASN’T A PROFESSIONAL, TREVOR WAS ALWAYS A GOOD SNOWBOARDER WHO WAS REALLY INVOLVED IN THE SCENE IN COLORADO. HE WOULD SPEND HIS WEEKDAYS WORKING AS A PLUMBER AND HIS WEEKENDS SNOWBOARDING. TREVOR WOULD GET THROUGH HIS WORKDAYS DREAMING ABOUT MAKING IT AS A PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDER. AS SOON AS THE WEEKEND CAME AROUND IT WAS ALL ABOUT TIME IN THE BACKCOUNTRY AND IN THE PARK, WORKING ON NEW SKILLS AND LEARNING NEW TRICKS.

UNFORTUNATELY, ON ONE OF THESE TRIPS TO THE BACKCOUNTRY, TREVOR TOOK A BAD FALL WHILE RIDING A JUMP HE AND HIS BUDDIES HAD BUILT.

IMMEDIATELY, TREVOR AND EVERYONE AROUND HIM KNEW THAT THINGS WERE NOT GOOD. HE HAD FALLEN HARD AND WASN’T ABLE TO MOVE HIS LEGS. THE CREW GATHERED AND TRIED TO KEEP HIM AS WARM AS POSSIBLE WHILE THEY GOT IN CONTACT WITH HELP WHO COULD GET TREVOR OUT OF THE BACKCOUNTRY. IT TOOK MANY COLD HOURS, BUT EVENTUALLY, TREVOR WAS PICKED UP BY A HELICOPTER AND BROUGHT TO CRAIG HOSPITAL

FAST FORWARD THROUGH MONTHS OF MANY INTENSE HOURS OF REHABILITATION, TREVOR FOUND HIS INDEPENDENCE AGAIN. THE DESIRE TO GET ON THE SNOW WAS STILL THERE, SO TREVOR DECIDED HE WAS READY TO TRY SIT-SKIING AND CAME TO A HIGH FIVES SKI CAMP TO GIVE IT A GO.

It was incredibly hard at first, but each run Trev was falling less and getting slightly better. It only took one good turn to keep his interest. 

A young Trevor, just days after his spinal cord injury

ONCE HE BEGAN TO GET THE HANG OF IT, THE BALL WAS ROLLING. IT SEEMED TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT BUT TREVOR BECAME AN AMAZING SIT-SKIER. FROM MAKING IT DOWN ONE RUN WITHOUT FALLING, TO NOT FALLING ALL DAY, TO SPENDING ALL DAY SHREDDING THE GNARLIEST TERRAIN ON THE MOUNTAIN, TREVOR DID IT ALL.

BEING A GREAT SKIER WASN’T GOOD ENOUGH FOR TREV – HE WANTED TO BE THE BEST. HE WAS PUSHING HIS BOUNDARIES ALL OVER NORTH AMERICA, RIDING THE BIGGEST PARKS AND STEEPEST BACKCOUNTRY TERRAIN. HE MADE SOME PHONE CALLS AND GOT AN INVITE TO DROP INTO THE INFAMOUS CORBET’S COULOIR AT THE KING’S AND QUEEN’S CONTEST AT JACKSON HOLE RESORT. 

WITH THE HELP OF TRAVIS RICE AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS, TREVOR DROPPED INTO THE MASSIVE CLIFF.

MONTHS AFTER THE VIDEO OF THIS FEAT WENT VIRAL, TREVOR FOUND HIMSELF AT DIFFERENT SKI SHOWS AND HILLS SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS AND TAKING PICTURES WITH FANS. TREVOR HASN’T SLOWED DOWN AT ALL SINCE THEN. HE IS NOW BRINGING BACKFLIPS INTO THE PARK, STOMPING THEM OVER BIG PARK GAPS. WE ALL KNOW TREV WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF BOTH HIMSELF AND THE SPORT.

IT HAS BEEN SO AMAZING FOR HIGH FIVES TO SEE HOW BRINGING A NEWLY INJURED ATHLETE TO A SKI CAMP SNOWBALLED INTO WATCHING ONE OF OUR BEST FRIENDS PROGRESS A SPORT WAY PAST WHAT ANYONE THOUGHT POSSIBLE. WE ARE SO PROUD TO SEE HOW, ALTHOUGH DIFFERENT THAN HE ENVISIONED, TREVOR BECAME A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. THIS IS HOW TREVOR FOUND ACCESS TO HIS DREAMS.