Join us in the STAMINA2SKI challenge 1-31 Dec 23 - a Squat Challenge ahead of the Visually Impaired Veterans Ski Trip to Canazei, Italy, Jan 24.

This challenge will aid our Visually Impaired Veterans build leg strength ahead of the ski trip and also aims to raise both awareness of amazing activities such as this and much needed funds to ensure the guides can be provisioned for the trip. Of note, the Visually Impaired Veterans fund their own trip, however require support for the provision of a sighted ski guide. The funding previously provided is no longer available so we are aiming to keep this Veteran Ski Community alive.

The VIV I have partnered up with for this challenge is Kelly Ganfield:

Hi, I am Kelly Ganfield, 43; a wife, mother and Army Veteran who is visually impaired. I joined the AGC at the age of 18 with dreams of completing a full career. After 5 years of service and the development of a promising career, mostly serving in NI, at the age of 23 I suffered my first stroke and my life would forever be altered.

I was previously phys obsessed, loved playing football and represented both the AGC & British Army sides & enjoyed playing squash, sailing, canoeing & hill walking all while while serving. At the point I lost my sight and discovered a whole host of other physical ailments (rare blood disorder, short term memory loss, balance & left side weakness & epilepsy,….to name a few) I was still that same person that wanted to explore the world and experience everything life had to offer but now had, what most would consider to be, a pretty huge hurdle of sight loss to overcome every day.

Organisations such as the Visually Impaired Veterans Ski Club and the talented volunteer guides (I may have been forced to say that ;@)) I have encountered thus far have facilitated me being that same hopeful, phys obsessed, adventurous person and helped me retain my unconquerable soul. If when I first lost my sight, you had told me I would to learn ski with hardly any vision (tunnel vision) I would have laughed in your face. VIVSC and the volunteer guides make what could be considered as unachievable…. a reality.

So what am I asking you to consider? Can you help me raise the ‘cost of a guide’?

Through this challenge I am being supported by Becky Pogson-Hughes-Emanuel (Poggy) who is still serving in the REME. She has guided Visually Impaired Veterans on 7 ski trips and also acts as a running/mountaineering guide on long distance endurance events. Our volunteer guides give up their time off to support us make our dreams a reality.

Poggy and I will complete 100 squats (while trying to make fools of ourselves) a day and we would like you to join us in whatever way you like to spread the word and raise funds.

Poggy will be adding a little festive gift to her 100 squats each day....she will accumulate the value of each day and add it to the daily total e.g. 1st Dec = 101 squats, 14th Dec = 205 squats, 25th Dec = 425 squats & NYE = 596 squats!

Fancy joining us virtually or physically? then let us know. You could pledge £10 to join us even only for a day. We will try to make this fun and have some themes/additional challenges. You are most welcome to complete the challenge with us for the whole month and send us pictures or videos of your efforts and we will share them. If we can get 100 friends and family members to e.g. pledge £10 and participate we can fund a Visually Impaired Veterans week on the slopes.