Randi Hobson: Warrior Athlete -Warrior Mom

Courtesy Photo | Family members cheer retired Staff Sgt Randi Hobson on during the sitting volleyball ball tournament at the Ryerson’s Mattamye Athletic Centre in Toronto. (Photo Courtesy Annette P. Gomes)  

TORONTO, ON, CANADA

09.27.2017

Courtesy Story

Army Recovery Care Program

By Annette P. Gomes, Warrior Care and Transition

TORONTO -- A swimming pool is where Retired Staff Sgt. Randi Hobson is most comfortable- understandably, she's making waves and causing quite a stir in Toronto at the 2017 Invictus Games.

The water is where I find peace, it's very calming. It's as if you’re the only one in the world and it's a beautiful feeling,” she said. “I also won a bronze medal last year in the 50 meter breast stroke,” she added while talking about her happy place in the pool.

Hobson is one of 550 competitors from 17 nations participating in the Games. The sporting event is not the only event making headlines, the Colorado native is almost five months pregnant with her first child.

“I’m a stepmom to the coolest six year-old I know, and then this little girl kicking around right now. She's a fighter for sure," she laughed.

Hobson’s husband Richard and her brother Kyle are here in Toronto to cheer her on. She recently announced to friends and family that she was expecting and that her desire to participate in the games was cleared by her doctors.

"I took on less individual events this time, because I'm considered high-risk. I wanted to take it a little easy and I have to keep my heart rate under 180 as much as possible. As soon as we had the first appointment, one of my first questions was if I could still come to Canada or not? “Hobson laughed. “Being a mom is definitely the event that I have looked forward to the most in my life, that's for sure! It was never supposed to be a possibility for me for more reasons than one. She already has an incredible fighter's spirit."

And it's that fighting spirit that Hobson will take back home.

"It's never been about the medals for me, if I go home without hardware that's alright with me. It's about my own personal legacy to leave behind for my daughters, and it's about the people you meet who begin as strangers and end as family. I love watching the success and determination of my own teammates and watching the incredible grit of the athletes from other countries. Medals are nice, but pictures are what go up on the walls in our home."

This year, Hobson participated in track, sitting volleyball, rowing, and swimming. This is her second appearance at the games and to date, she has won a bronze medal with the sitting volleyball team.

• Date Taken: 09.27.2017
• Date Posted: 09.29.2017 18:49
• Story ID: 250166
• Location: TORONTO, ON, CA