WINDHAM, N.Y. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation (ASF), in conjunction with Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), will host the 22nd annual Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion® (WIM) Winter Sports Weekend from Thursday, Feb. 5, through Sunday, Feb. 8.
WWP has selected 12 U.S. military veterans and their guests to travel to Windham to ski and snowboard, some for the first time since their injuries and others for the first time in their lives. WWP will cover travel expenses, while the ASF, thanks to generous grants and donations, will provide lodging and meals, making the weekend free for all participants.
Retired Army Staff Sgt. Shawn Leitner will make the trip from Lynchburg, Va., and is excited to return to the slopes for the first time since 2010 and for the first time since suffering his injury.
“The hardest thing I think for vets, at least for me, is you come from a place of being very capable. In the service, you have to be capable,” Leitner said. “But then you get hurt and you go from being able to do so much to being able to do so little, it’s very frustrating. I never thought I’d ski again, but thanks to this program I’m really excited for just the possibility of doing it again.”
One of the aspects that makes the Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion Winter Sports Weekend special is the opportunity for veterans to bring a family member or friend to support them and also learn to ski or snowboard. Leitner will bring his 15-year-old son, Gabriel, giving the pair a chance to bond and create lasting memories.
“I’m really looking forward to bringing Gabriel with me. With my disabilities, I haven’t really been able to be as active as I wanted to be with him,” Leitner said. “This weekend is a chance to make a good memory of doing something together. I’m so happy he’s coming because Gabriel was four years old when I got injured, so he doesn’t have a lot of experience of me really serving at my fullest. He also doesn’t have experience being with other vets who have suffered, so this is a chance for him to see the cost of serving our country, and I’m hoping it opens his eyes a little as well.”
The veterans and their guests will arrive at the ASF’s Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center on Thursday evening, where they will be fitted for gear and any adaptive equipment needed for the weekend. After preparations, participants will gather for dinner and get to know one another.
Participants will receive three days of lessons on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Each morning will begin with mobility sessions designed to help stretch and loosen muscles before skiing or snowboarding. The ASF Kitchen Crew, a group of volunteers, will provide breakfast daily.
At 9 a.m., after morning preparations, participants will meet with instructors and begin lessons at 9:30 a.m.
On Friday, the ASF will hold a special honorary luncheon for the veterans at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center. Invited guests include Glenn Merry, chief executive officer of Move United, a national nonprofit leader in adaptive sports and the umbrella organization for the ASF.
Windham-Ashland-Jewett Central School’s second grade and elementary chorus will also attend and perform patriotic songs during the event. Following the luncheon, veterans, guests, volunteers and staff will take a group photo before afternoon lessons begin.
Afternoon lessons will run from 1 to 3 p.m. Afterward, participants will return to their hotels for post-ski mobility sessions and rest before dinner at the ASF lodge.
On Saturday, the veterans and their guests will once again participate in a full day of lessons, with morning sessions beginning at 9:30 a.m. and afternoon lessons resuming at 1:30 p.m. following lunch provided by the ASF Kitchen Crew.
Dinner will be held later that evening at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center, where instructors and special guests from the community will join participants. Local quilters from The Patchwork Co. in Windham will present handmade quilts to each veteran, continuing a tradition held annually.
On Sunday, the final day of the weekend, participants will enjoy breakfast and a morning lesson before departing after lunch.
“Programs like the ASF and WWP are very important, not just for physical health, but for mental health as well,” Leitner said. “There’s a sense of hopelessness that comes with a lot of injuries that you’ll never be the same. These programs are a really good attempt to get to not what your normal was, but a new normal that’s higher than you were. These events are life-changing, they’re very helpful and do a lot for our morale and our sanity on a lot of levels. I’m grateful that they’re around and I get to be a part of them.”
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About the ASF’s Warriors in Motion Program
The Warriors in Motion (WIM) program provides injured U.S. service members with education and hands-on experience focused on wellness and lifelong healthy living. All WIM programs are goal-oriented and empower participants to take charge of their fitness and well-being.
Beginning in 2021, the ASF renamed its Warriors in Motion Learn to Ski and Ride event the Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion Winter Sports Weekend in honor of Bob Stubbs, a former chairman of the ASF Board of Trustees who passed away in 2020. Stubbs, a U.S. Army veteran, was one of the first the ASF donors to ensure wounded veterans had everything needed for a weekend of empowerment on the slopes. He and his wife, Rosie, frequently attended WIM events and formed lasting friendships with participants.
About Wounded Warrior Project
Wounded Warrior Project is the nation’s leading veteran services organization focused on the total well-being of post-9/11 wounded, ill or injured veterans. Its programs, advocacy and awareness efforts help warriors thrive, support families and caregivers, and prevent veteran suicide. Learn more at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.