WINDHAM, N.Y. – After four days of skiing, snowboarding, and sharing stories, the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion®(WIM) Winter Sports Weekend concluded on Sunday afternoon.
“The Adaptive Sports Foundation put together yet another great ski weekend for disabled veterans and their families,” veteran Jeffrey Adams said. “Having our families here makes it so much better because they really are our support group. Having an organization that brings not only us veterans, but also our families to share that with us, it’s great for the family and the soul. It helps rebuild lives and keeps us moving forward.”
14 wounded veterans and their families made the trip to Windham to enjoy a weekend together, learning how to ski, how to snowboard, to see old friends and to meet new ones as well. They arrived on Thursday evening to get fitted for their equipment. The participants received their skis, snowboards and any of the proper adaptive equipment needed for a fun-filled weekend on the slopes. Dinner, which was provided by Jesse’s Harvest House, was served at 6 p.m., and the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center was alive with stories and laughs.
The participants hit the snow for the first time on Friday morning, as they met the volunteer instructors they would be working with for the next three days. After the morning on the mountain, the ASF and Windham Mountain held a special lunch in Seasons to honor the veterans and to pay tribute to the late Bob Stubbs and his family. The festivities began with retired Senior Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force Dodie Libby singing the National Anthem and was followed by the Windham-Ashland-Jewitt Elementary School chorus and 2nd grade class singing patriotic songs for the veterans.
New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey was a special guest for the ceremony and said a few words about her appreciation for U.S. servicemen and women, her passion for supporting the military and how organizations like the Adaptive Sports Foundation really helps disabled veterans return home and become whole again. Windham Town Supervisor Thomas Hoyt was also in attendance for the ceremony.
After lunch was served, the tribute to honor Bob Stubbs began with Adams making a speech alongside the Stubbs family. Adams was invited to Windham during the first Warriors in Motion Winter Sports Weekend back in 2005, and he is deemed as one of the “original nine.” Since his first trip skiing with the ASF, he and the Stubbs family kept in touch with each other. So much so, that he called Bob, his wife Rosie and their children his “second family.”
“When I came in 2005, it was three months after I got injured, so I still had stitches,” Adams explained. “Everybody here was so welcoming with open arms and at the forefront was Mr. Bob Stubbs. He would tell us ‘Whatever you need, just let me know’ and he would take time to go ski with us. He was always smiling and he was constantly moving.
“Bob was such an amazing individual, and it wasn’t just Bob, but his wife Rosie was there all along the way. The whole Stubbs family, down to their daughter Charity, their son Grant and son-in-law Lee, I just love them all and what they contributed and what they still contribute, and it all started in 2005.”
Adams presented challenge coins to the Stubbs family that the ASF had made. The coin had Bob Stubbs’ face engraved in the coin and it was presented in a plaque.
Bob Stubbs, a former Chairman of the ASF Board of Trustees, who passed away in 2020. Stubbs, a U.S. Army veteran himself, was one of the first ASF donors to ensure that wounded warriors had everything they needed for a weekend of fun and empowerment on the slopes. He and his wife Rosie would attend many of the WIM events the ASF held, and often the couple would build friendships with the participants. Beginning in 2021 after his passing the ASF renamed its Warriors in Motion Winter Sports Weekend in honor of him.
After the moving ceremony, the warriors and their families hit the slopes again for their afternoon lessons. Once those ended, the participants were able to go back to their hotels and get ready for another special meal. This time it was dinner at the Windham VFW Post 1545, catered by Main Street Market. It was there where Post Quartermaster Marc Farmilette and the rest of the members of the VFW honored the warriors with presentations and presented the ASF with a donation for $1,000.
Saturday was more like a typical lesson day for the ASF, as it hosted the participants for a full day of lessons with lunch in the ASF Lodge in between. The Warriors in Motion team hit the town again that night, as dinner was held at The Chicken Run.
Sunday morning the veterans arrived at the ASF Lodge for breakfast and their morning lessons. Not all participants skied or snowboarded that morning, but they did remain active, as they opted to snowshoe up the mountain instead. After another lunch at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center, served by the kitchen volunteers who served breakfasts and lunches all weekend, the warriors and their families departed.
“ASF as a program does a lot for me, it’s therapeutic to be out here,” warrior David Snypes said. “I have chronic nerve pain and when I’m active, I don’t feel it. Especially with a high-adrenaline sport like skiing, it keeps me not thinking about the pain.”
The Warriors in Motion (WIM) program provides participating injured United States servicemen and women with a basic knowledge and practice of wellness and the importance of lifelong healthy living. All Warriors in Motion programs are goal-oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness.
If you’d like to donate to the Adaptive Sports Foundation and its many programs, click here.
Hear from some of our Warriors in Motion Participants as they share their experiences from this past weekend!