Steve Hodges Memorial Fund
January 13, 2017
Steve Hodges Feb 2, 1970 – Jan 5, 2017
The recent passing of GoHawkeye co-founder Steve Hodges has left us in shock and deeply saddened. Steve was a guiding force in the formation of the GoHawkeye Foundation and in developing our mission and philosophy. The idea of our organization was hatched in his home which also served as our offiice and clubhouse for many years.I met Steve at a Telluride Adaptive Sports Program (TASP) ski camp in 2007 and when he said his goal was to ski double black terrain, I offered to be his coach. It wasn’t long before Steve became a volunteer with TASP and when Craig Stein moved to town, in addition to teaching adaptive skiing, we began making promotional and ski camp videos for TASP. We would mount cameras on Steve or his sit ski, sometimes on elaborate homemade frames, then expected him to ski and get the shot. On top of that we found out he had video editing skills which we put to use right away. We had great fun and soon started making off road hand cycle videos in the summer. Steve and I started making adaptive films with Craig as director. First “Load Bearing” and then “Off The Hook”, both played at Mountainfilm festival in Telluride. In OTH, Steve played hand cycle bike builder Jake O’Connor’s double for indoor and riding sequences. Even the ever present Roba had a part in the film. During this time we often camped out in the surrounding mountains, Steve loved to be outdoors.

Steve Hodges was the stunt rider and model for this production artwork during filming of “Off The Hook”. Illustration by Craig Stein.
For our next film project, we decided to hold an essay contest to award one of Jake’s custom built off road hand cycles to the winner, provide an outdoor experience of their choosing and create a short film about their story. This is when the seeds of GoHawkeye began to germinate.
We had friends willing to support this effort and it became apparent that creating a non-profit would be the best way to help everyone. First, we needed some board of directors so Tracy Holiday, Scott Stewart, Rube Felicelli and Jan Newell joined the crew. Tracy, Scott and I wrote the articles, Rube suggested the name and Steve expanded and defined our mission.

“Off The Hook” premiere poster from MountainFilm In Telluride. Steve Hodges was the model. Illustration by Craig Stein
Steve never complained about anything, he had a smile for everyone that always lit up the room when he entered. His mission was to experience as much life as possible and he was good at it! He was modest about his accomplishments and cared a lot about others so naturally, he had a very cool dog, Roba. She would nonchalantly occupy a bar stool during our many brainstorm sessions and was treated by patrons like a regular.
Steve loved to cook and host dinner gatherings and he always called Steven Norman to help him. They would whip up delicious seafood, gumbo or even a turducken. We had many great parties at Steve’s house.
We want to always remember Steve Hodges and the lessons on how to live life that we learned by just being around him. We have set up a memorial fund in his name Steve Hodges that is dedicated to helping spinal cord injury athletes attend adaptive ski, bike and water sport camps.
Steve would be proud of the outpouring of support through this fund of the GoHawkeye Foundation for adaptive athletes. The first to benefit will be Wendy Ong who sustained severe injuries in a climbing accident that left her a T-10 Incomplete Spinal Cord injury. Defying doctors expectations, Wendy has fought through physical and emotional barriers to regain her former active outdoor lifestyle. Since then, she has become a two-time Paraclimbing Nationals champion and represented the USA at the 2014 and 2016 International Federation of Sports Climbing World Championships. GoHawkeye is proud to fund Wendy’s participation in the 2017 Chile All-Mountain Freeride Ski Camp organized by TASP. This unique experience is the only adaptive ski camp taking place at an international resort and we are confident that attending this camp and the subsequent cultural exchange will help continue to fuel her passion for the benefits of outdoor recreation.
Steve Hodges will be missed by all whose lives he touched. Through the Steve Hodges Memorial Fund he will continue to touch lives of those he has never met.
Steve Hodges Memorial Clip from Craig Stein on Vimeo.

See you at Tracks next Thursday,
Hawkeye