FRANCONIA – Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country will host 38-year-old Lancaster business owner Peter Rizzo in his second attempt to join an elite group of wheelchair users who have pushed themselves up the 7.6 mile Auto Road unassisted.
It’s part of their 8th Annual Bank of New Hampshire Sunrise Ascent on Mount Washington, a fundraiser, to be held in the pre-dawn hours on Sunday, Aug. 6. It’s part of the year-round sport, recreation, and wellness program,
Rizzo, a Lancaster resident, is the owner of RizFit Training Studio. Other (known) wheelchair users to complete the climb unassisted in their everyday chairs include Erik Kondo of Lexington, Mass., Sean O’Neill of Brownfield, Maine, Cameron Shaw-Doran of Easton, NH, Laurie Stephens of Wenham, Mass., and Tyler Walker of Franconia, NH.
Rizzo and his team of volunteers are participating as a way to help raise both money for ASPNC and awareness of disability issues.
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Peter Rizzo of Lancaster and his team on his 2015 attempt. Photo Courtesy of Kris Dobbins Photography
“Since being struck by a tree and having my spinal cord severed, I have continued to challenge myself. I am dedicated to helping others get healthy no matter where they are starting from,” Rizzo said.
“Adaptive Sports Partners is doing the same through their year-round sport, recreation, and wellness programs. I look forward to challenging myself on my unassisted summit climb while helping to support ASPNC, their participants, and mission.”
ASPNC Executive Director Sandy Olney confirms that this annual event is one to challenge athletes of all abilities. “This year we will have 15 athletes making summit attempts, some assisted and others unassisted. We are growing each year as more and more athletes seek to maximize their abilities,” Olney said.
Bank of New Hampshire has returned for their 4th consecutive year as a major sponsor of this unique event. As a community bank with 24 offices through New Hampshire, the bank is a proud supporter of people of all abilities in the communities they serve and share the mission of Adaptive Sports Partners to assist in enriching the lives of its residents.
Other event sponsors include The Noyle Johnson Insurance Group, Paramount Electric, and Turtle Ridge Foundation. For more info about the Sunrise Ascent, go to www.SunriseAscent.org. To contact ASPNC, email info@adaptivesportspartners.org, call 603-823-5232 or visit the ASPNC website: www.AdaptiveSportsPartners.org.