A few nerves and falls onto the snow covered ground didn't stop the fun during the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Ski Day hosted by Shriners Children's - Twin Cities in Bloomington on Saturday.
The event brought Shriners Children's patients of all diagnoses to Hyland Hills to learn the ins-and-outs of cross-country skiing from U.S. Paralympic Nordic Ski Team coach BethAnn Chamberlain and John Oman, who competed in the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi.
"The first step is just trying. Getting out there and just doing it," Oman said. "The cool thing is the numbers and seeing all these kids that are out here. Cross country is a small sport anyway and obviously people with limb deficiencies, that's a small population, too. To see those two intersect and see all these people out here is so cool."
Oman, who was a Shriners patient for over two decades, didn't start cross country skiing until he was 29.
"My story is a bit different. I grew up as an athlete," Oman said. "I was born without my right hand and I grew up doing all kinds of sports like baseball and hockey. I met some people and was asked whether I'd be interested in the Paralympics some day. It's just people along the way and Shrine Clinic, what they did for me for 21 years, I can't say enough about how awesome they were for me."
Some of the kids and their families traveled hundreds of miles solely for Saturday's event.
"Sometimes the kids don't feel confident enough to go out and try it with their school friends and their gym class because they might need some adaptations," said Maureen Johnston, a recreational therapist at Shriners Children's.
Johnston said while some kids were a little nervous at the beginning, those nerves quickly went away.
"There were a couple who were very, very afraid and they're out here just moving along the snow like they've already been doing it forever. So it's really fun to see, even in the first few minutes."
Saturday was also part of the year-long return of the Shriners Children's camp program, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These kids are very excited to see each other," Johnston said. "We serve a seven-state area and sometimes these kids are the only ones in their school district or town that have a limb deficiency or an orthopedic condition that no one can relate to. But we get them together, they can relate to each other, and they build friendships that last a lifetime."