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Navy Wounded Warrior has provided assistance to over 7,600 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members located throughout the country.

   

2022 Navy Team Trials

Navy Wounded Warriors Compete in 2022 Navy Team Trials 

June 15, 2022 | Story by Megan Trexler | Commander, Navy Installations Command

Roughly 50 wounded, ill and injured warriors from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard participated in the 2022 Navy Team Trials from May 15-27, 2022 at NAS North Island, outside of San Diego, California. 

During the two-week long event, athletes trained and competed across several sports for the opportunity to represent Team Navy during the 2022 Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games. The event featured eleven adaptive sports including archery, cycling, field, indoor rowing, powerlifting, track, shooting, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby.

The Navy Team Trials are part of the Navy Wounded Warrior’s adaptive sports program designed to promote the mental and physical well-being of wounded, ill and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen. Adaptive sports are athletic activities modified to meet the abilities for the individuals to enhance their recovery. The goal of the program is to help wounded warriors build strength and endurance, while also drawing inspiration from their teammates.

Senior Chief (Ret.) Richard Fernandez, 2022 Navy Team Trials competitor, expressed, “It’s through camaraderie that I find healing. I know that everyone here has a story…it makes me comfortable knowing that people understand what I am going through.”

The DoD Warrior Games are a Paralympic-style competition among more than 200 wounded, ill and injured service members from all branches of the U.S. military, as well as from international armed forces. The 2022 DoD Games will be hosted at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida from August 16-29, 2022. The invitation-only event will feature twelve sports: archery, cycling, field, golf, indoor rowing, powerlifting, shooting (precision air), sitting volleyball, swimming, track, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby. 

Navy Wounded Warrior is the Navy’s sole organization for coordinating the non-medical care of seriously wounded, ill and injured Sailors and Coast Guardsmen and providing resources and support to their families.

All wounded warriors enrolled in Navy Wounded Warrior are encouraged to include adaptive athletics in their recovery plans to build strength and endurance. Sports also helps build self-esteem, lowers stress levels and prevents secondary medical conditions from developing.

 

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ABOUT THE NAVY WOUNDED WARRIOR'S ADAPTIVE ATHLETICS PROGRAM

Fitness and teamwork are a way of life in the military. Serious illness or injury can profoundly impact that way of life, often confining a service member to a hospital bed and significantly altering their physical capabilities.

Adaptive athletics are sports that have been modified to meet the abilities of injured or ill individuals. They help wounded warriors build strength and endurance, while also drawing inspiration from their teammates.

All wounded warriors enrolled in Navy Wounded Warrior are encouraged to include adaptive athletics in their recovery plans to build strength and endurance. Sports also helps build self-esteem, lowers stress levels and prevents secondary medical conditions from developing.

Warrior Games
The Warrior Games are a Paralympic-style competition among more than 200 wounded, ill and injured service members from all branches of the U.S. military, as well as from international armed forces. The invitation-only event includes competitions in archery, cycling, seated volleyball, shooting, swimming, track and field, and wheelchair basketball. The wounded warrior athletes have upper-body, lower-body and spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairments, serious illnesses, and/or post-traumatic stress.

The Warrior Games are presented by the Department of Defense and hosted by individual services on an annual rotational schedule.

The goal of the Warrior Games isn't necessarily to identify the most skilled athletes, but rather to demonstrate the incredible potential of wounded warriors through competitive sports.

Getting Involved
Connect with the Navy Wounded Warrior adaptive sports coordinator via the call center at 855-NAVY WWP/855-628-9997 or via email at navywoundedwarrior@navy.mil to determine which activities are right for you. Navy Wounded Warrior hosts a series of adaptive athletic reconditioning camps at naval bases throughout the country that focus on strength training, nutrition and a variety of sports. Athletes of all ability levels are welcome. The program also involves enrollees in camps hosted by partner organizations and international competitions, such as the Invictus Games.

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