The Sisters in Sports Foundation was founded by four-time Paralympian and Park City resident Danelle Umstead. Diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition at age 13, Umstead lost all usable vision by 27, forcing her to leave her job. But it was then that she discovered a new path—driven by the transformative power of sport.
She went on to compete in four Paralympic Winter Games, racing in all four alpine skiing disciplines with her husband Rob serving as her sighted guide.
“Through my mission, my journey, I felt supported by my community, but beyond that, I didn't feel the support of other women and girls and other athletes, and I wanted to create this movement where we are all supported in all different ways,” Umstead explained on KPCW’s “Local News Hour,” Thursday. “And having all the Olympians and Paralympians today showing up and supporting this movement is a beautiful thing.”
Determined to provide that support herself, Umstead started the foundation to uplift women and girls with disabilities through sport. The organization offers a variety of resources.
“We’ve hired a professional sports psychology team that can provide them with the tools to succeed as an athlete, succeed as a woman in sport and be a strong individual,” she said. “We put a lot of funding into that. And then we also take the funding so they can get involved in the sports they love or support them financially in the ways they need it.”
One of the athletes supported by the foundation is Miranda Ritter, who lives with a genetic disease and uses a wheelchair. She now skis using a sit-ski and rides a mountain hand bike. Ritter says the encouragement and sense of community among other female athletes has been invaluable.
“I'm definitely at the beginning of my athletic journey, so I'm a lot less advanced than a lot of the other members of Sisters in Sports,” Ritter said. “I practice with the race team and hope to eventually ski in a race.”
This year’s “Belle Notte” gala will be held Saturday, Aug. 30 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley. Umstead hopes to raise $200,000 to continue expanding the foundation’s reach.
Tickets and more information can be found online at kpcw.org.
