Meet Our Fly Fishers

Utah Fly Fishing Challenge & Festival
to benefit the National Ability Center - September 24 & 25, 2010

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As part of the Utah Fly Fishing Challenge, there will be a small competition for a select group of novice fly fishers. These participants have been selected by the planning committee to learn how to fly fish, hone and experience the beautiful Wasatch Mountian Range.

On Saturday, October 3, 6 teams of two will be taken to a local stocked fish pond. There, they will compete against each other to pull in the biggest fish. The team with the biggest team total for two fish (one from each fisherman) will be deemed the winner.

In addition, teams will be collecting pledges, by the inch, from members of the community. The team which raises the most money will honored at the awards ceremony in the evening.

Below are the stories of our Fly Fishers. Each has a unique and touching story. We encourage you to sponsor one of our Fly Fishers today!!!

**Pledges will be based on a maximum team toal of 60 inches of fish.

Meet Matthew

Matthew Viole' is an 11 year old with Spina Bifida. Matthew loves to do whatever his older three brothers do especially if it means being with them. Unfortunately he is unable to participate with his brothers who enjoy soccer, baseball and football.

At home he swims in the family pool, rides through the neighborhood on his hand cycle and shoot hoops with his brothers. Matthew also loves to saddle up and ride. More recently, Matthew took up snow skiing. He has mono skied at Big Bear, Mammoth Mountain, but his favorite mountain is at Park City, Utah where he is assisted by the amazing team at the National Ability Center. Matthew's first experience with learning to ski was at Park City Mountain Resort through the NAC ski program and now he is able to get on and off the chair with little or no assistance. He has definetely mastered the beginner runs if not even a few intermediate ones. Monoskiing is Matthew's favorite sport because it enables him to share the mountain with his family!

To pledge inches for Team Mattew, click here.

Meet Grant

Grant Dewey, age 13, will be an 8^th grader at Mariners Christian School in Newport Beach this fall. Grant was born with a mild form of Spina Bifida known as tethered cord syndrome. He has endured 2 major back surgeries and more than a dozen orthopedic procedures on his right leg, which does not have nerve sensation. Despite his physical challenges, Grant has been a consistent A student, and is passionate about any adaptive sports he can pursue. Grant has skiing in a mono-ski for the past 4 years with adaptive programs at Mammoth Mountain, Park City, Deer Valley, Heavenly Valley, Alpine Meadows and Breckenridge. When he was 11, he was awarded a scholarship to go to the Ski Spectacular at Breckenridge. Grant participated in his first downhill ski race and won a gold medal for being the youngest mono-skier to finish the race. Grant has waterskiied and handcycled. He loves rock climbing and even surfing. He is passionate about any sport that allows him to go fast. He has even lobbied for additional funding for spina bifida research programs on Capitol Hill with his dad.

Grant has had a great experience with the NAC in Park City as they introduced him to handcycling and waterskiing last summer. He enjoys fishing because he used to do with his granddad before he passed ways 2 years ago. Grant lives with his mom, Rebecca, Dad, John and his younger brother, David in Newport Beach. His go-for-it attitude has served him well in life and adaptive sports have shown him what he can do with his abilities.

To pledge inches for Team Grant, click here.

Meet Amanda
Amanda Baldwin is an 18 year old who resides in Heber City, Utah. She was born on Long Island in New York and lived there until she was 12. She lived in Las Vegas for 3 years and then moved to Heber. Amanda is a super senior at Wasatch High School. Amanda has Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that is estimated to occur in 1 out of 7500 births. Amanda has a 24 year old sister named Nicole and a 16 year old brother named Robert. Amanda is like every other person with WS: very social and lovable. She loves to go on the computer, read, and talk on the phone. Amanda enjoys going to dances and plays. Amanda has participated in programs and camp with the NAC. She went with her High School to try skiing with the NAC one year and went horseback riding another year. Amanda loves movies and bowling.
Robert has been a very good brother all these years. He was a peer tutor in the special ed class at the junior and senior high schools. Ocassionally, he goes on the trampoline with her, goes bowling, to the pool or to the movies, or goes fishing with her. She does not like to bait the hook so he jumps in and comes to her rescue.

To pledge inches for Team Amanda, click here.

USA Veterans
Two Veterans will be selected through the Salt Lake Veterans Administration to fish with us.

To pledge inches for Team USA, click here.