Area resident raced in Paralympics, biked across United States
By Lynn Burton
Staff Writer
There aren't many people who realize their lifelong dreams in just two years, but Nancy Stevens did just that.
First, she competed in the 998 Nagano Paralympics after thinking her ski racing career was over. In 2000, she followed up the Paralympics by bicycling across the United States as part of Outward Bound's "Girls on the Move" tour.
"We went from Portland to New York City said Stevens, who has been blind since birth.
The tour included nightly stops where the participants get involved with Outward Bound. In three cities, Stevens performed on guitar and vocals.
"It was exciting;" said Stevens in the living room of her Glenwood Springs home. "My other dream had been to bike across country, so it was two dreams in two years." Don't be surprised if Stevens mentions dreams when she presents the talk "From Awkwardness to Awareness: Relating to People 'Different' From Us" at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glenwood Springs" Sunday morning.
It's easy to jumpstart a conversation with the 41-year-old Stevens. When this reporter called Tuesday morning, she had John Denver playing in the stereo. After returning from turning down the music, and prompted by a John Denver question, she said, "He's the reason I play guitar. I was 13 when I started."
Stevens already knew how to play piano. Her brother plays guitar, and one day she said to herself, "I want to play that instrument...it's portable."
A highlight in Stevens' musical career came when she recorded a CD titles "And I'll Sing Every Day of My Life," which included songs by Dar Williams, John Denver, Si Kahn and others. On two songs, she was backed by Summit County elementary school students.
In many ways, Stevens' road to Colorado is similar to thousands of others. After earning a degree in music in her hometown of Kalamazoo, Mich., and student teaching in grades K-8 with 36 kids in each class, she came to Winter Park to be a ski bum.
"I was trying to figure out what to do. Winter Park had a disabled skier program. I was on the disk crew at the West Portal. I did the whole thing." Actually, Stevens took the ski bum thing a big step farther. For four years, she was an alternate on the U.S. disabled ski team in slolam, giant slalom, and downhill. She retired for a spell, then in 1986 moved to Avon to ski for Vail's team for three years.
She then moved to Denver for a year, working at an independent living center. "People with disabilities are often on public assistance, so it was neat to make a decent salary, and get to go to concerts."
She also got satisfaction from helping living center residents. "There's a sense of independence you get when you have a job and contribute to society."
In 1991, a nonprofit group hired Stevens to start a regional program for the disabled in Summit COunty, and she lived in Frisco. One thing she liked about Frisco was its proximity to skiing, hiking, running and other activities. "It was practically outside the back door."
Stevens said the job was "really neat," and it included everything from working with the tourism community on accessibility issues, to talking with school students and assisting the disabled.
The nonprofit's goal was to work with 10 clients by the end of the first year, but Stevens found 36.
"They said,'Where are you finding these people?' I just got with CMC and other groups and said 'Send them my way' and they did"
It was in Frisco, in 1993, that Stevens focused on Nordic skiing, and started training with the U.S. team. After winning U.S. trial gold medals in 5K classic, 5K skating and 15K classic, she was named to the 1998 Para-Olympic team.
Achieving her Olympic dream came after tries at speed skating (an event that was eliminated) and track. "I even bicycle raced a season."
Her high finishes at Nagano were a 7th and 15th, but she sounds as disappointed as any competitive athlete not to have medaled. "That was probably the hardest skiing I've eve done. There wasn't much snow."
Through the years, Stevens earned money as a motivational speaker, and clients included Lucent Technologies and Marriatt Hotels, but it wasn't enough money to live on exclusively. After Nagano, she ended up in Denver asking, "What now?"
By then, positions she used to hold now require a masters degree in human services. She laughs and said, "I went back to rehabilitation and said 'I have no marketable skills'."
After she realized her computer skills were "from the Dark Ages," one of her first steps was to learn the Windows software program. Back in Summit County, she did contract work with the federal Social Security agency, conducting disability awareness training in 10 Colorado communities.
When a Social Security regional director first offered her a permanent job, Stevens' reaction was "I'm a speaker," and she turned it down. Through the years though, Stevens has written in her journal that she wanted a job that offered more security than the ones the non-profits provide, but that she still wanted to help people.
After more thought, she called the Social Security regional director back and said she'd take the job, which she could have done in Glenwood Springs, Durango or Grand Junction. Part of her position is to help people with disabilities from a wide area on the Western Slope.
Glenwood Springs is proving to be a good fit. "The community has been wonderful, super friendly. The people have been really welcoming."
Stevens particularly likes the town's infrastructure. "There are lots of sidewalks, so it's easy to get around. There's the tunnel under Grand, and the chirping stop lights."
Stevens' seeing-eye dog is a 6-year-old golden retriever named Matt. "He loves it here."
Sunday's talk will feature a question-and-answer session, and the topic of seeing-eye dogs may come up. Stevens jokes that one of the funniest things that happens to her is when strangers come up to her and Matt and without saying anything else, the ask Matt what his name is. "I them them the dog can't talk" she says with one of her frequent laughs.
Stevens said people sometimes don't know what to say to the disabled when they first meet. Her advice? "Focus on what you have in common.... It could be watching the Olympics -- anything.
Sunday's talk takes place at the Glenwood Springs Community Center at 9:45 a.m. Coffee is served at 9:30 a.m., and a potluck lunch follows.
For more information, call 928-8721.