Fort Bragg, N.C. –
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA. – U.S. Army Recovery Care Program, host of the U.S. Army Trials, will introduce the Adaptive Sports Camp, 28 March - 06 April, taking place at Fort Bragg, N.C. Wounded, ill and injured Soldiers will compete for the opportunity to attend the 2023 Warrior Games Challenge hosted by the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command in June 2023 at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, Calif.
“Like Army Trials, the Adaptive Sports Camp will provide the opportunity to address all six areas of the ARCP Comprehensive Recovery Plan: physical, emotional, family, resolve, career and social,” said Col. Myron McDaniels, Director, Army Recovery Care Program. “The Adaptive Sports Camp provides Army athletes an opportunity to train, compete and accomplish goals together.”
The Adaptive Sports Camp will celebrate wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers’ ability to recover and overcome. In March 2023, Army athletes will compete in adaptive sporting events such as wheelchair basketball, cycling, indoor rowing, and sitting volleyball among others.
"Adaptive sports are a critical part of SRU programming and the Soldier recovery process. It optimizes wellness by providing an avenue for progressive physical and mental growth and enables Soldiers to reach and even exceed their goals. Besides the physical aspect of participating, the social, emotional, and spiritual aspects of these adaptive reconditioning activities are beneficial and contribute to healing the whole Soldier. Throughout the process, Soldiers learn and practice skills that require commitment, discipline, focus, effort, grit, and a will to adapt and overcome. These skills are applicable not only to the activities themselves, but to life in general, and set Soldiers up for success as they recover and transition." said Krista Argiolas, the behavioral health consultant for the Army Recovery Care Program.
ARCP invites Army athletes to participate in the 2023 Adaptive Sports Camp, Soldiers who are assigned to a Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU) are encouraged to complete an application in coordination with their SRU leadership. Participation in the Adaptive Sports Camp represents the culmination of wounded, ill and injured Soldiers involvement in the Army’s adaptive sports program and demonstrates the incredible potential of wounded warriors through competitive sports.
Capt. Tung Tran, nurse case manager at the Fort Stewart SRU notes the integral role played by this element of adaptive reconditioning: "The Adaptive Sports program here at Ft Stewart SRU, that Dr. Larochelle (SRU Physical Therapist) has put together, has definitely played a vital role for our wounded Soldiers. We receive U.S. Service Members from all over the world with life-altering injuries that negatively impact their day to day mental, physical, emotional, and/or spiritual well-being. With Adaptive Sports these Service Members are able to re-engage with society, adjust their thought processes, and have a different view of what lies ahead of them versus dwelling on their injuries or what they perceive as their inabilities. [Adaptive Sports] allows them to engage with one another and work as a team, it gives them more confidence, and overall, it improves their health emotionally, mentally, and physiologically.”
For more information on the U.S. Army Recovery Care Program, visit arcp.army.mil. More information about the 2023 DoD Warrior Games Challenge can be found at DoDWarriorGames.com.