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A labor of love: Lead organizer opens up about hosting Regional Trials at Fort Benning
By Whitney Delbridge Nichels, Warrior Care and Transition
FORT BENNING, Ga. – If you ask Jarnetta Fowler just what goes into hosting an event like the 2017 Atlantic Regional Trials, she can identify a list of key tasks without hesitation.
“Securing venues, lodging, transportation...even the smallest things down to the pellets for the air guns.”
That is because the Supervising Occupational Therapist has been at the helm of Trials preparation each time Fort Benning has been selected to host.
“I think Fort Benning was initially chosen because we probably had the most experience with this,” Fowler said.
Before Warrior Games and Trials came about, Fowler says Fort Benning was on the forefront of adaptive sports competition. Soldiers went head to head with athletes from nearby Fort Stewart, Fort Gordon and Fort Campbell.
“I think someone just said, ‘Since you know how to do this, it just makes sense for you to take this first one’,” Fowler said.
Three years later, Fort Benning is still the backdrop for more than 100 Soldiers and veterans competing in archery, shooting, swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, track and field, with hopes to advance to Army Trials.
“We start planning as early as possible, and there are a lot of logistics involved,” Fowler said. “But when you see the athletes flourishing and see them happy, it’s so fulfilling.”
Those who know her say Fowler’s passion and commitment to Wounded Warriors at Fort Benning extends far beyond her Trials prep duties. It’s something Staff Sgt. Javier Apgar has experienced first hand.
Apgar is one of the many Soldiers that have worked behind the scenes to make sure this year’s events run smoothly. But at one point, he was in the same boat as most of the Wounded Warriors participating.
Apgar arrived at the Fort Benning Warrior Transition Battalion after a collision with a drunk driver left him with a broken neck.
During his recovery, he found himself fighting the same feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty that many Soldiers in transition face…until Fowler stepped in.
She introduced the Georgia native to adaptive sports and helped him get through some of the dark days of the healing process.
“She showed me there’s something else besides feeling sorry for yourself,“ Apgar said.
After recovering, Apgar transitioned to cadre at the Fort Benning WTB and has become an adaptive sports mentor, describing his work with Army athletes as “an opportunity to give back.”
Trials may be coming to a close, but for those who strive to uplift wounded, ill and injured athletes, the mission does not end here.
“So many start off saying, ‘I can’t do it, I can’t play like I used to,’” Fowler said. “But you get to see the athletes realize they can do it and then they find out they’re good at it! I love watching that growth. Words can’t express how it feels.”
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 12.12.2017 13:10 |
| Story ID: | 258439 |
| Location: | FORT BENNING, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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