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By Annette Coward
U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – The crowd could barely be contained inside the Lejeune Field Tent (LFT) as Team Army prepared for the early morning archery competition.
Hundreds stood on their feet as the moose whistle blew to begin round one.
The goal is to score two rounds of 300 points.
Army Spc. Chasity "Chaz" Kuczer has a powerful legacy going into this year’s competition.
Her family traveled from Wisconsin to see her compete.
"I literally taught her at the age of 4," said Jill Vande Hei, Chasity’s mother.
"By that following year, she was shooting on target. She's a natural," she added.
As Kuczer got older, she started shooting competitively and made an appearance at nationals for archery, trap, skeet and sporting clays.
In 2012, the Seymour, Wisconsin, native’s life changed. She suffered a bilateral tear in her hips, resulting in two major surgeries on her left hip, which then led to back problems, nerve damage and frequent debilitating pain.
"It’s a struggle to walk a lot, and I am in a great deal of pain,” said Kuczer. “It’s difficult to watch others walk, knowing I have trouble doing the same thing."
The 23-year-old locomotive mechanic and Army Reserve Soldier says that she doesn’t focus on the pain and hasn’t allowed it to dampen her zest for life.
She credits the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Knox, Kentucky, for her physical recovery and in keeping up her sense of spirit as she began this year’s competition
“The Warrior Transition Unit, with its focus on adaptive sports, has opened doors for me. It is a trust that I can’t explain’” said Kuczer. “I step up to the line, focus and shoot. This helps me keep my mental health and my healing process strong."
A total of six compounds, four recurve and two alternate shooters make up this year’s team.
Team Army Head Coach retired Staff Sgt. Jessie White commented that he's looking for a repeat win of the 2014 Warrior Games.
"It's still early, but we're shooting well and we're optimistic. I want to recapture the magic and gold from 2014," he said.
| Date Taken: | 06.22.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2015 19:07 |
| Story ID: | 168001 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA, US |
| Hometown: | SEYMOUR, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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