Annual clinic is a world leader in adaptive winter sports instruction for injured Veterans. It’s therapy that gives freedom to heroes who fought for our freedom. Includes Nordic skiing and sled hockey.
Orlando Perez speaks about wheelchair basketball and how adaptive sports eventually took him to the slopes of Aspen for the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic.
Navy Veteran Gabriel George came to the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic this year filled with energy and excitement. George’s says his first time at the clinic was life-changing.
The first day at the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic […]
Chosen from the 611 super athletes at the wheelchair games, Keith Thompson was given the Spirit of the Games award for his “athletic achievement, leadership and support of his fellow Veterans.”
His go-to sports at the Wheelchair Games are softball, basketball and slalom – a grueling, timed obstacle course that puts athletes through a series of challenges, including greased, uneven surfaces and narrow passages.
“He’s been a great addition to the crew because he is such a role model in the wheelchair basketball community. We brought him on to provide great competition, but to also help with the education and links our Veterans need when they go home."
The National Veterans Wheelchair Games and other adaptive sports programs help Veterans integrate into the community through sports like wheelchair basketball, rugby, downhill skiing, surfing and more, but it also introduces Veterans to another world outside the walls of a VA medical center.
The Wheelchair Games are an annual event co-hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Favre was a special guest speaker at the opening ceremonies before an exhibition basketball game between paralyzed Veterans and celebrity players.
The National Veterans Wheelchair Games is co-presented by VA and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). The games serve Veterans with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, amputations and other central neurological impairments with the goal to increase their independence, healthy activity and quality of life through wheelchair sports and recreation.
Dan Cnossen talked about everything from his time in the Navy to accepting that his injury meant leaving the service to becoming a gold medalist.