SPORTS 'N SPOKES

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To the Next Level

The National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic introduces people with disabilities to sport and recreation and points them in the direction of Paralympic participation.

Aubrey Youngs first tried archery three years ago at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic. She bought her own bow and equipment a week after she returned home and has been training ever since. Her efforts and accelerated results grabbed the attention of the Paralympic committee, and now the pressure is on for her to deliver on her promise.

"I got the call in December," says Youngs, a 27-year-old Iraqi Freedom veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard. "I had just moved to Chicago, and the Paralympics wanted to help me keep training. They have connected me with mentors and given me tips on where I can train.

"I have to get on it," Youngs says. "I've hooked up with an experimental fitness program at a local gym, so I am strength training three times a week. I'm looking forward to shooting three times a week again, and I want to take my shot at sled hockey, skiing, basketball, and table tennis."

Since November 2005, veterans have been able to use the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic and the National Veterans Wheelchair Games to qualify for the U.S. Paralympic team.

In October 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Paralympics strengthened their resolve to help veterans speed their recovery and therapy through sports competition. The Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 authorized VA to award $8 million in annual grant support to the U.S. Paralympics to plan, develop, manage, and implement an integrated adaptive-sports program for disabled veterans and disabled members of the U.S. armed forces.

Now, VA and U.S. Paralympics expand rehabilitative support at the community level by providing potential Paralympic athletes with better access to training, equipment, Paralympic mentors, and ongoing sports programming in communities across the country.

Aim High

The annual Winter Sports Clinic, sponsored by VA and Disabled American Veterans (DAV), took place March 28-April 2 in Snowmass, Colo. The event has proven fertile ground for Paralympic potential. Of nine current veteran Paralympians, four were introduced to their sports at the Winter Sports Clinic, and at least two others are targeted recruits working with U.S. Paralympics to take their games to the next level.

Check out the complete article in the May 2010 S'NS.

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