Athletes Compete at 2017 Warrior Games track event
By Mass Communication Seaman Jonathan Word
CHICAGO - The indomitable spirit of the athletes of the 2017 Warrior Games shined through during the track competition July 2 at Lane Tech College Prep. The meet was kicked off with a win by Army veteran Ryan Major in a men's 100 meter wheelchair race. Team Army coach Rodney Carson had big expectations for his team.
“We’re going to do outstanding,” said Carson, the head coach of Team Army. “Overall we’re doing really good, the athletes are staying motivated and staying injury free, so we’re going to do well throughout the whole competition.”
More than 170 athletes competed in sunny hot conditions at the track. Medical staff stood by to assist and coaches and teammates encouraged their athletes. Spectators cheered and clapped for the athletes regardless of military branch. Team Army athlete Ryan Major described the crowd as “intense and motivating” after he won the silver medal in the men's 800 meter category 2.0 race.
Although Team Army took that initial victory, Team SOCOM fired back with a new Warrior Games record in the Women’s open division 100 meter run set by Sergeant First Class Dawn Page in her first ever Warrior Games. She said being in the Warrior Games gives her a sense of camaraderie and a venue in which she can test her mettle.
“People are the asset,” said Page. “We want to give ourselves a fighting chance to get past our injury, to get past our illness, to get past our whatever, to feel better as the person who enlisted or rose our right hand to serve in the military and find a way to come back and compete. This wounded warrior program offers you that possibility, to be the best that you can be and to know that you are not out there alone competing.”
Thriving on competition is also a way to describe athlete Christy Gardner, a member of Team Army, whose persistent commitment to training has shattered barriers that were originally put in front of her by healthcare providers. She excelled during the track meet and plans to compete in the field, sitting volleyball, swimming.
”When she first got injured,” recalls Norna Heidrich-Crowell, Gardner’s mother. “She came home with a list of all the things she would never do, and she’s proven them all wrong. To see her out there running is mind-blowing and to see all the other athletes is such an amazing feeling.”
Warrior Games track events include races in both standing and wheelchair competitions which are divided into categories based on the athletes individual functional abilities. The races include distances of 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1500 meters and a mixed classification 4x100-meter relay.
The Warrior Games continue through July 8 and are an annual event allowing wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans to compete in Paralympic-style sports including archery, cycling, field, shooting, sitting-volleyball, swimming, track and wheelchair basketball.
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2017 00:10 |
| Story ID: | 239973 |
| Location: | CHICAGO, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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