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Who We Are
Formed in Fall 2023, Missoula Adaptive Recreation & Sports (MARS for short) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing recreational opportunities to individuals with disabilities, and to promote inclusivity in our community.
Our purpose is to create an adaptive and accessible environment where everyone can enjoy the amazing recreation opportunities in Missoula. We are committed to offering a range of activities that cater to the diverse needs and interests of our community. Our team is passionate about creating a positive impact and empowering individuals with disabilities, and we are excited to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
We'll offer programs in & around the Missoula community - there is no residency requirement to participate with us! MARS' programs are starting small while we get our bearings. We currently offer programs like sled hockey, cross-country skiing, rafting, and cycling programs. We have partnered with other organizations and are expanding into downhill skiing, fishing, wheelchair sports, water sports, yoga, and fitness, veterans-specific programs, and more. All people with disabilities, regardless of type, are welcome to participate in our programs. Let us know what you'd like to see!
Meet the Board
President: Anna Bruning
Anna became involved with adaptive recreation while earning a B.S. Recreation Management from the University of New Hampshire, and then continued to pursue an M.S. degree in Kinesiology & Adapted Physical Activity from Oregon State University. She ran adaptive intramurals and volunteered with adaptive fitness at OSU, with Northeast Passage at UNH, and with the Colorado & Oregon Special Olympics. She loves the benefits that recreation brings to people’s lives, and wants to help expand access to those recreational opportunities to her community members with disabilities.
Program she's most excited about? Sled Hockey!
Secretary: Erika Nuetzel
Erika first became involved in adaptive recreation as a volunteer ski instructor for Oregon Adaptive Sports in Bend, OR. Having just graduated with a degree in Fine Art, she was having fun guiding outdoor rec tours and teaching yoga, though her experience with OAS ignited a passion for adaptive rec and advocacy that pushed her to make a career change. Upon landing in Missoula for her Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Public Health programs at the U, Erika was surprised by the lack of adaptive programming in town. Volunteering with DREAM in Whitefish, TRAILs in Salt Lake, Empower SCI, and working in the UMPT and New Directions clinics introduced her to some incredible folks with a shared vision for starting Missoula Adaptive Rec. She’s grateful to have joined an energetic team to get MARs off the ground and improve access and inclusivity in this wonderful community!
Program she’s most excited about? Adaptive cycling! And skiing. And paddling. It’s hard to choose just one!”
Treasurer: Sherene Ricci
Hi, I'm Sherene and lots of people know me as Lefty! Born and raised in Missoula, I was destined to love the outdoors. So when I lost my leg at the hip joint due to cancer in 2001, my first happy thought was that I could learn to ski again on one leg. I didn't even know what that was called at the time but thankfully I was supported by an adaptive sports org in Bozeman. There they taught me the basics of standup skiing with outriggers, and its called three-track skiing by the way. I was up and skiing just before my 1st "ampuversary". Shortly after gaining my confidence through skiing, I discovered handcycling and realized that adaptive biking could open up the world to me again. My adaptive bike could take me places that my crutches couldn't. After that it was kayaking and all the beauty that paddling and water sports brings into the soul. Next came sled hockey, which reminded me of team work and fast paced competitive fun that I hadn't experienced since I was a kiddo. I am so grateful for the influence that adaptive sports has had on me, for all the adventures I've had, for all the friends I've made along the way, and for all the places I've had the chance to see! These opportunities have filled my life with joy and resilience! My goal is to now pay it forward in my own community through Missoula Adaptive Rec and Sports! I predict we will see more local adaptive athletes with opportunities for recreation, attract disabled visitors to our town to recreate (along with their tourist dollars), and expand the accessibility of Missoula's vast network of Paths/Trails/River Access Points/Open Spaces/Etc. to include EVERYONE!#leftylovesyou
At-Large: Brenden Dalin
Brenden still needs to send us his picture and bio!
At-Large: Mike Manhardt
Mike is located in missoula and moved here in 2009 in search of recreation and a masters degree. Originally from central Wisconsin, he received a bachelors of mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison back in 2003. After finishing his masters of business administration from the University of Montana in 2011 he decided he never wanted to leave.After an unfortunate tree felling accident, Mike became an adaptive athlete in September 2018 due to a spinal cord injury. Since his accident, adaptive recreation has become a passion of Mike’s as he wanted to get back to doing the things he loved in and around the mountains of Montana. Mike has become a successful elk hunter, advanced mountain biker, skier, fly fisherman, kayaker and most recently a painter. He still works as a mechanical engineer for hire, designing recreational vehicles as well as designing his own adaptations for living with limited hand function. He is also the vice chair of the Montana Statewide Independant Living Council at present.You can typically find Mike with his partner Maggie and their trusted canine companion Bodhi on the trails around town!
At Large: Mike DeGrosky
Mike’s first experience with adaptive recreation was volunteering for MARS Winter
Nordic Skiing after hearing about MARS at a Missoula Nordic Ski Club meeting. Having
seen the benefit that recreation brings to participants’ lives and getting to know the
incredible MARS participants and volunteers, he was hooked. Despite having minimal
experience in the adaptive recreation community, Mike has served as a volunteer and
board member for a wide variety of not-for-profit organizations and worked as an
organizational consultant and strategic advisor. He wants to use his experience to help
MARS grow and expand access to recreational opportunities for community members
with disabilities. He and his wife Tami are both alums of the University of Montana and
choose to live in Missoula, in part, because of the community’s great access to outdoor
recreation, and Mike is committed to the MARS mission of creating an adaptive and
accessible environment where everyone can enjoy those opportunities. He’s a mostly
retired guy who still dabbles in human and organizational consulting for the fire service,
his career field for more than 40 years.
Program he's most excited about? Well, it was Nordic skiing that brought him here but
cycling is a big interest as well and sled hockey sounds fun
At-Large: Lara Youngquist
Lara is originally from Minnesota, where she has been involved in the Twin Cities adaptive sports and recreation community in various capacities since she was a kid. Lara spent many years volunteering with adaptive downhill skiing and water skiing. Later she transitioned into a job in the field as a Volunteer Coordinator and Program Coordinator for Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. She helped with programs ranging from adaptive tennis and lacrosse to rock climbing, skiing, and bowling. Since moving to Missoula in 2023, Lara has been keen to become part of another adaptive sports and recreation community because she has seen firsthand the positive outcomes and friendships that adaptive sports and recreation can bring to people of all abilities. She is passionate about getting people of all abilities outside and moving, and most importantly, having fun!
At-Large: Parker Christiansen
Parker is the kind of communicator who shows up with a camera, a plan, and a real respect for people who keep choosing adventure and community. Volunteering has always been a throughline in Parker’s life, supporting organizations like the American Red Cross, RAMP and GOAL in Utah, and the Mirror Foundation in Thailand. One of the moments that truly pulled him toward adaptive recreation was covering Camp Bullwheel in Ennis for NBC Montana, where seeing the grit, joy, and possibility in that space helped spark a connection that eventually led him to MARS. His media background helps him tell the story, but what drives him is simpler than that. He wants people doing meaningful work in this community to be seen, celebrated, and supported, and he’s proud to help MARS keep building a place where more people feel invited to try.
The program Parker is most excited about: biking and eventually... Fly fishing!
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