WINTER PARK, Colo. — On a cold winter morning at Winter Park Resort, a ski instructor and his student carve their way down the mountain, working through turns and technique. At first glance, it looks like a typical ski lesson. But a closer look tells a different story.
Both instructor Ri Armstrong and his student, Daytona Andrews, are three-track skiers, using one ski and two outriggers for balance and control. Three-track skiing is designed for people who have lost a limb. For both Armstrong and Andrews, the sport represents far more than recreation.
Armstrong’s journey to the slopes began after a devastating childhood tragedy. His father was a soldier working with American forces stationed in Vietnam. When Armstrong was 7 years old, Viet Cong forces attacked the military base where his family was living. Armstrong survived but lost his family and his leg in the attack.
“Before I know it, the reinforcement came, and they put me on the helicopter and flew me to an American military base,” Armstrong said. “I met a medic. His name was Ken Armstrong. Through an interpreter, he found out that everybody in my family was killed.”
He was later adopted by the parents of an American medic, Ken Armstrong, who helped care for him and was brought to the United States shortly after. By the time he was 10 years old, Armstrong was introduced to skiing through the National Sports Center for the Disabled, or NSCD, based at Winter Park.
Armstrong progressed through the nonprofit’s recreational program and later competed internationally, representing the United States as a Paralympic skier in 1980. After his competitive career, he returned to the organization that helped shape his life — this time as a volunteer instructor.
Julie Taulman, president and CEO of the National Sports Center for the Disabled, said Armstrong embodies what the organization stands for.
“We nominated Ri because he really is the epitome of volunteering and giving back,” Taulman said. “It's not just what he's teaching on the hill, but it's also living and getting through the challenges of living life with a disability.”
Armstrong has volunteered with NSCD for nearly four decades, teaching adaptive skiing to children and adults with disabilities. Taulman said his impact goes beyond technical instruction.
“There’s a difference between someone who has a disability and truly understands what the person they’re teaching is going through,” she said. “Ri has the expertise, the empathy and the lived experience.”
One of Armstrong’s current students is 16-year-old Daytona Andrews, a three-track skier who began skiing after surviving lung cancer as a young child. Her family moved to Colorado so she could receive treatment at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and she later lost a limb as part of her medical journey.
“I just wanted to do something,” Andrews said. “I was scared. I didn't know if I was going to be good at it.”
Andrews said she was nervous when she first tried skiing. After working with Armstrong for several years, she’s considering competing.
“He definitely pushes me, which is good,” Andrews said. “I’ve learned a lot from him.”
The National Sports Center for the Disabled has been based at Winter Park for 55 years and is considered a pioneer in adaptive skiing. The organization customizes equipment and provides specialized instruction to remove barriers for people with physical and cognitive disabilities.
“We don’t give a handout. We give a leg up,” Taulman said.
Armstrong said adaptive sports play a critical role in helping people with disabilities find confidence and independence.
“Every disabled person, kids or adults need to do something,” Armstrong said. “We need to get out there and do something exciting. And to me, learning the ski is one of them.”
For his decades of service and quiet impact on countless lives, Armstrong was surprised at Winter Park with recognition as a Denver7 Everyday Hero.
Armstrong said he never volunteers for recognition. He does it because he loves skiing and because he loves teaching.
“The reason I like to volunteer is because I like the sport, and I like skiing, and I like to be around these kids,” Armstrong said. “I like to joke around with them, and I like to teach them.”
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.