If you’ve spent any amount of time around Maine Adaptive, you’ve likely heard the laughter of Alex Pierce long before you see her. Alex skis the way she approaches life, full of sound effects, joy, and a contagious “Woohoo!” that echoes down the slopes at Sunday River.
And beside her, always, is her mom, Rachael. Their story spans more than three decades of courage, community, and the simple but profound belief that every individual deserves the chance to experience freedom outdoors.
This winter, their journey comes to life in Together Again, a short film honoring their long partnership with Maine Adaptive.
But before the film debuts, we want to share more of the story behind the smiles.
A Spark of Hope When It Was Needed Most
Alex was just five months old when a traumatic brain injury changed the course of her life. Doctors offered little hope. At her hospital bedside, Rachael was told that Alex would never walk, never talk, and never live an active life. Some even urged her to place Alex in an institution.
But one day, as she sat in the hospital—exhausted, grieving, and searching for a reason to believe in possibility, a commercial for Maine Adaptive (then Maine Handicapped Skiing) flickered across the TV screen.
“It inspired hope at a time when I was offered none,” Rachael remembers. “I didn’t ski, but I decided that Alex would, and I would find other things she could do.”
That moment set them on a path that neither could have imagined.
The Making of a Skier—and a Community
Over the years, Alex has developed her own joyful soundtrack for the mountain.
On the chairlift: “Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh!”
On the slopes: “Woohoo!” And when she and Rachael discovered whalebacks, the rolling humps of terrain that lift your stomach just enough to make you giggle, Alex added a new one: “Wee-ooo-ah!”
Those sounds are more than inside jokes. They’re memories, hundreds of them, built with volunteers, instructors, fellow participants, and friends who have become like family.
Rachael loves to tell the stories:
Learning Together
When Alex was eight, volunteer Linda Leo taught Rachael how to tether, skiing backward down the hill with a hockey stick attached to Alex’s ski bra so she could help her turn. When both Linda and Alex fell, Rachael skidded to a snowplow stop just inches from them.
The “Blind Leading the Blind”
On a bitterly cold, windy day years ago, volunteers Kathy and Glenn Kroll helped guide Alex down a sheet of ice. With both Glenn and Alex having visual impairments, Glenn quipped, “This really is the blind leading the blind!”, a moment they still laugh about today.
Motivation in Checkered Gloves
When Alex was a young skier sometimes she simply sat down mid-run and refused to get up. Volunteer Sherm Bryant would ski over, wave his checkered racing gloves, and challenge her to a contest: if she got up, she’d earn a lifesaver candy and a race to the bottom.
These memories are stitched into the fabric of the Pierce family’s life. They are living proof of how people, kind, patient, dedicated people, shape the Maine Adaptive experience.
“It Changed the Trajectory of Our Lives.”
She tells friends, neighbors, store clerks, and complete strangers: “I’m going skiing at Sunday River.”
For Rachael, Maine Adaptive opened doors she never imagined. It inspired her work in disability law, introduced her to volunteers who became lifelong friends, and later brought Brian, her partner, into her life.
Most importantly, it created a world where Alex is celebrated, not in spite of who she is, but because of who she is.
“Maine Adaptive gave Alex a season of accomplishment, fun, and freedom every single year,” Rachael says. “And it gave me a place where she was safe and welcomed. That is freedom for me.”
Why Programs Like Maine Adaptive Matter
“When the world tells you what you can’t do,” Rachael says, “you need someone to remind you of what you can do.” For many families like the Pierces, access is everything. Disability often comes with additional costs, time, care, adaptive gear, transportation, and lower earning capacity. Free programs aren’t just appreciated; they’re essential.
“Maine Adaptive is part of the village,” Rachael says. “Making programs financially accessible is what makes it possible for so many of us to participate.”
A Story Made Possible by You
Alex and Rachael’s story is one of thousands shaped by the generosity of donors, volunteers, and supporters who believe in expanding possibility.
This year, Maine Adaptive is striving to raise $150,000 by December 31 so we can continue providing cost-free adaptive recreation across Maine, from ski mountains to bike trails, from climbing gyms to lakes and rivers.
💫 Every gift builds confidence.
✨ Every lesson fuels independence.
🎶Every moment—every laugh, every sound effect, every “Woohoo!”—is a testament to what happens when a community believes in what’s possible.
👉 Make a year-end gift today and help ensure stories like Alex and Rachael’s continue for decades to come.
And don’t forget to watch the trailer for Together Again, the new short film celebrating their journey.
