In spite of a wide range of weather that included temperatures of near zero wind chills and four hours of snow, more than 500 skaters turned out for the ninth annual UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s.
The 24-hour skating event, which concluded this past weekend at the UNMC Ice Rink, marked the fifth consecutive year that the event topped 500 skaters. The fundraiser is held in memory of event founder Colleen Wuebben, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005 at the age of 52 and died in 2013 at the age of 60.
See a photo album from the event.
Jenny Knutson, daughter of Ted and Colleen Wuebben and one of the event coordinators, said preliminary estimates are that the event will once again top the $20,000 mark. She said online proceeds, pledges for skaters, and corporate sponsorships are yet to be processed.
With this year’s total, the UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s has now netted more than $210,000 in proceeds during its nine years at the UNMC Ice Rink.With this year’s total, the UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s has now netted more than $210,000 in proceeds during its nine years at the UNMC Ice Rink. Prior to coming to the UNMC Ice Rink in 2011, the Wuebben family held the skate-a-thon in their back yard the first three years of the event.
Proceeds go toward clinical and basic science Parkinson’s research at UNMC as well as Parkinson’s Nebraska, an organization started by the Wuebben family to provide affordable exercise, education and services to improve quality of life for persons with Parkinson’s.
The snow arrived around 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 26 and lasted for about four hours, Knutson said. The skaters who had committed to skating all 24 hours continued throughout the snow. They helped broom the snow off the ice along with members of an adult hockey team known as Menace 2 Sobriety.
“It was just crazy,” Knutson said. “The snow was beautiful at first, then it got rather annoying. It just kept coming. It was grueling for all the skaters.”
Five skaters — Chris Rush, Oscar Knutson, Ryan Cary, Tyler Cary and Jenny Knutson — skated all 24 hours. This marked the fifth consecutive year that Rush has skated all 24 hours and the second straight year for Oscar Knutson and Ryan Cary. In skating all 24 hours, it is estimated that each of the marathon skaters logged nearly 70 miles.
The leading fundraising team was LTi Technology Solutions (headed by Ryan Cary). The team raised more than $4,200 in donations.
The Creighton Prep High School hockey team, the Omaha Junior Lancers and several adult hockey club teams also participated in this year’s skate-a-thon.
A huge throng of skaters was on the ice for the closing hour as temperatures crept into the 30s to provide skaters with some relief from the roller coaster weather experienced over the 24 hours.
UNMC physicians — John Bertoni, M.D., Ph.D., and Howard Gendelman, M.D. — spoke at the opening ceremonies, while Diego Torres-Russotto, M.D., participated in the closing ceremonies. Longtime UNMC faculty member, Jeff Baldwin, Pharm.D., who just retired this month after a 45-year career in the UNMC College of Pharmacy, was recognized at the opening ceremonies. He has been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2013.
Damian Montez, co-host of the weekday morning show on KGOR-FM (99.9), was the emcee for the opening ceremonies. He was joined by his partner, Shari Stone, for the closing ceremonies on the afternoon of Jan. 26. Montez and Shari are on the air from 5:30 to 10 a.m. Montez is a member of the Parkinson’s Nebraska board.
Sponsors this year included: Anderson Convenience Market; Project Advocates; Masimore, Magnuson, & Associates, PC; Acadia Pharmaceuticals; Heritage Communities; LTi Technology Solutions; and Lundbeck Pharmaceutical Company.
Thank you to everyone at UNMC Public Relations for all you do to make this event succeed!