NEWS

EMW Proud to Participate in the 2006 National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

Herndon, Virginia — EMW is proud to be a sponsor and participant in the 2006 National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, the largest annual disabled learn-to-ski clinic in the world. The event will be held April 2-6 at Snowmass Village, Colorado.

More than 350 disabled veterans from across the country, including 50 veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, will participate. Coming two months after the world's top athletes compete in the Winter Olympics, the clinic is an annual rehabilitation program open to all U.S. military veterans with spinal cord injuries or disease, visual impairments, certain neurological conditions, orthopedic amputations or other disabilities, who receive care at any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facility.

During the program, the veterans will learn adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing and be introduced to a variety of other adaptive activities and sports, such as rock climbing, scuba diving, trap-shooting and sled hockey. The U.S. Secret Service will also teach a course on self-defense for people with disabilities.

About EMW

EMW was founded in 1995 by engineers and managers who formerly held senior positions in well known telecommunications and information technology companies to pursue their vision for this new company.

Our core business is providing information and communication technology services in the areas of planning, engineering and implementation; project and program management; systems integration; operations and maintenance; and training. Our competencies range over all aspects of inside and outside plant; feeder, access and inter-office networks; switching, transmission, multiplexing and data communications equipment; network management, operations support, and asset management systems; information assurance; web enabling; applications software; and beyond. While staying abreast of today’s technologies, we keep a watchful eye on technology trends, and are very serious about future-proofing our solutions.

We play in the global marketplace, and are proud to serve a wide spectrum of distinguished clients from defense and government agencies, as well as commercial enterprise. Our watchwords are competency, innovation, integrity, and—above all—respect and care for the customer.

About The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic

The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic evolved from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) pioneering efforts in rehabilitation and adaptive sports. The Clinic provides disabled veterans with opportunities for self-development and challenge through sports and leisure activities, which they may have felt were no longer available to them because of their disabilities. At the Clinic, participants have a chance to develop winter sports skills and take part in a variety of adaptive work-shops, which demonstrate that having a disability need not be an obstacle to an active, rewarding life.

The first Winter Sports Clinic was held in 1987 at Powderhorn Resort on the Grand Mesa outside of Grand Junction. During this first year, 20 staff members gave 87 disabled veterans the opportunity to learn to ski using adaptive ski equipment and helped them participate in a variety of adaptive activities and workshops. It became apparent over the next few years that because of the popularity and therapeutic benefits of the Clinic, more support was needed. In 1991, the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) became a co-sponsor of the event.

Over the past 20 years, the Clinic has grown tremendously. In 2005, more than 320 participants attended from across the country, along with 150 certified ski instructors for the disabled and several members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. Several participants who learned to ski at the Clinic are now members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. Other Colorado sites to host the Clinic have included Crested Butte Mountain Resort, and currently Snowmass Resort near Aspen.

Participation is open to U.S. military service veterans with spinal cord injuries, orthopedic amputations, visual impairments, certain neurological problems and other disabilities. The adaptive ski equipment has been modified and updated each year, and the event now integrates skiing with exploratory activities. Veterans learn Alpine and Nordic skiing and are introduced to other activities and sports such as rock climbing, scuba diving, trap shooting, horseback riding, snowmobiling and sled hockey. The U.S. Secret Service teaches a self-defense course to participants who are in wheelchairs or are visually impaired. In 2006, a race training and development program was started to help veterans develop their skiing skills to an elite level.

For additional information, please contact:

Trey Jones
EMW, Incorporated
13873 Park Center Road
Suite 225
Herndon, VA 20171

tjones@emw.com
Tel:  +1 (703) 273-5801