Disabled Sports USA Hosts The Hartford Ski Spectacular 2006 - Nation's Premier Winter Sports Event for the Physically Disabled

Disabled Sports USA (DS/USA) today announced that it will host the 19th annual The Hartford Ski Spectacular, the nation’s largest winter sports festival for individuals with physical disabilities. The event, which will attract more than 600 participants this year ranging in ability from beginning skiers to members of the U.S. Disabled Ski Team (USDST), provides ski and race programs, youth mentorship, competitions and training to volunteer instructors. Held at the Beaver Run Resort and on the slopes of Breckenridge Ski Resort from December 3-10, the event is sponsored by The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:HIG), the founding sponsor of U.S. Paralympics. This year, The Hartford Ski Spectacular will also serve as a training camp and competition to prepare the U.S. Disabled Ski Team for the 2008 World Championships and will feature a Special Guest program, providing rehabilitation sports instruction to U.S. and British Wounded Warriors disabled while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Special event programs include: Special Guests: In partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), 60 American and British Wounded Warriors and their families will be participating in the Learn to Ski and Learn to Race programs. For more than two years, WWP and DS/USA have coordinated adaptive sporting events for Wounded Warriors across the country. Members of U.S. Paralympic teams sponsored by The Hartford will be racing, as well as coaching and lending support to the Wounded Warriors. They include Paul Martin, Ron Williams, Sandy Dukat, Chris Devlin-Young, Allison Jones, Brad Johnson, Kelly Crowley and Allison Ahlfeldt. Learn to Ski and Learn to Race: Individuals with physical disabilities who want to learn to ski will be provided instruction. There will also be training camps for promising young racers and Wounded Warriors. Ski Competitions: Top racers will join members of the USDST to compete in two elite level races to begin the nationwide qualifying race series, SkiTour, for the U.S. Disabled Ski Championships. A Corporate Challenge Race for novice racers and corporate sponsor representatives will also be held. PSIA Instructor Academy: Instructors and volunteers from local disabled skiing programs throughout the nation attend classes on the latest techniques in adaptive skiing methods. The only program of its kind, the Instructor Academy is sanctioned by the Professional Ski Instructors of America. A complete schedule of events and registration information can be found on the Web at: http://www.dsusa.org/programs-winter-hartford.html "Now in its 19th year, The Hartford Ski Spectacular is our flagship winter sports event that provides hundreds of disabled athletes the opportunity to learn to ski and race,” said Kirk Bauer, executive director of DS/USA. Bauer knows firsthand what it is like to face the challenges of disability. As a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Bauer lost a leg from a hand grenade during an ambush while serving in the Ninth Combat Infantry Division in Vietnam. "These young warriors and other participating athletes have lost something physical – to regain their sense of confidence they have to do something physical – like ski down a mountain. When someone with a disability gets on the mountain, they are freed beyond the limitations of disability. It helps people realize how much they can accomplish in athletics and in their everyday lives.” "The Wounded Warrior Project and Disabled Sports USA adaptive sports programs exist to provide the severely wounded opportunities for psychological and physical rehabilitation and growth," stated John Melia, executive director and founder of Wounded Warrior Project. "We are honored to provide that same opportunity to the British Wounded Warriors who fought alongside our American troops.” A leading group disability insurer, The Hartford has been the title sponsor of Ski Spectacular for 13 consecutive years. For nearly 15 years, The Hartford has sponsored sporting events, organizations and individuals in order to positively shape attitudes toward disability and to raise awareness of what individuals with a disability can achieve in sports, at work and in all aspects of life. "Every day The Hartford helps workers recuperate from a disability and return to the workplace," said Dick Mucci, executive vice president of The Hartford’s Group Benefits Division. "We are honored to leverage our experience, expertise and knowledge in support of the men and women who have bravely served our country. We hope the soldiers’return to active, productive lives begins on the slopes at The Hartford Ski Spectacular and continues when they are at home. We also hope they will be inspired by the U.S. Paralympic athletes and consider representing their country in future Paralympic Games.” "As a military man, I really liked exerting myself, sweating, feeling tired and joking around with my buddies about how sore we'd all feel the next day,” said Joseph Worley, a disabled veteran who is making his second trip to The Hartford Ski Spectacular to participate in the Youth Sports Mentoring Training and the Learn to Race program. "Being disabled I've really missed that, but the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project ski programs have brought those feelings back for me. It's given me a new lease on life.” The Hartford Ski Spectacular is sponsored by The Hartford. Additional sponsors include Non Commissioned Officers Association, Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, Professional Ski Instructors of America, Genatt Associates and Defending Freedom, Quorum Prosthetics, DS/USA host chapter Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center and Schwartz Communications. About Disabled Sports USA Founded in 1967 by disabled Vietnam veterans, Disabled Sports USA provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to gain confidence and dignity through sports, recreation and educational programs. The organization is the nation’s largest multi-sport, multi-disability organization, with 87 chapters in 35 states and serves more than 60,000 people nationwide. A member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, DS/USA conducts regional, national and international training camps and competitions to prepare athletes for the Paralympic Games—the international Olympic-sanctioned competitions for athletes with physical disabilities. More information is available at www.dsusa.org. About The Hartford The Hartford, a Fortune 100 company, is one of the nation's largest financial services and insurance companies, with 2005 revenues of $27.1 billion. The Hartford is a leading provider of investment products, life insurance and group benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business property and casualty insurance. International operations are located in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The Hartford's Internet address is www.thehartford.com. About Wounded Warrior Project The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is a non-profit organization aimed at assisting those men and women of the United States armed forces who have been severely injured during the war on terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan and other hot spots around the world. Beginning at the bedside of the severely wounded, WWP provides programs and services designated to ease the burdens of these heroes and their families, aid in the recovery process and smooth the transition back to civilian life. We provide comfort items and necessities, counseling and support for families. We help to speed rehabilitation and recovery through adaptive sports and recreation programs, raising patients' morale, and exposing them to the endless possibilities of life after an injury. Finally, we provide a support mechanism for those who have returned home by providing outreach and advocacy on issues like debt and disability payments that will affect their families' future. To find out more please visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org, or call 1-877-TEAM-WWP.