WINDHAM, N.Y. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion® program will host its second kayaking/paddling event of the summer next week from August 9-11.
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.
Robert Campagnone, a veteran who served in the United States Air Force, has been with the Warriors in Motion program for several years. “I’ve been very fortunate to go through different aspects of the program,” he said. “I think kayaking and being on water has a certain calming effect. I think between the landscape, the calm water and the beauty of the mountains around you, it has a certain therapeutic feel.
“Kayaking is more mental therapy for me than the physical part,” Campagnone said looking forward to next week’s event. “The challenge is to sort out some clarity on certain things or to gain some relaxation therapy that is much needed that you don’t always get in your everyday life.”
The upcoming paddling event will be nearly identical to the previous one the ASF hosted a few weeks ago, as eight veterans and five volunteers are scheduled to arrive at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning for a meet and greet and a lunch before the group heads over to nearby Camp Oh-Ne-Tah. The ASF stores its kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and more at the camp’s lake, giving the participants a chance to choose their vessel and easily access the water for the first day of the event. After a few hours of paddling, the veterans will make their way to the hotel before returning to the ASF lodge for a dinner.
Day two starts at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when the ASF shuttle bus will pick the warriors up from the hotel. From there, the group will go to North-South Lake, located in Haines Falls, where the veterans will paddle from around 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with lunch on the shore in the middle. The group will then return to the hotel to get ready for another dinner at ASF.
The final day of the event will feature a trip to Colgate Lake in East Jewett on Thursday morning. The warriors will paddle there for a few hours before they head back to the Adaptive Sports Center for a group lunch. Then everyone will say their goodbyes.
Campagnone has participated in a number of different events with the WIM program and there’s always one commonality. “The difference between each event is that you have different perspectives with each one. Different clientele enjoy different activities, so you have different conversations with various people and various personalities, different views, different likes and dislikes, so I think there are ingredients within each program that makes a difference, but the camaraderie is the major similarity.
“Because I’ve been fortunate to have been around for some time now, I’ve got to experience the diversity of not just the veterans, but the staff as well,” Campagnone said about his time with the ASF. “I appreciate the different staff and what they present to the organization, to teach therapeutic skills and bond-building. I really like it.”
Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the ASF will be able to provide water bottles, all meals, hotel rooms, snacks, water, sports drinks, sunscreen, bug spray, ponchos (if necessary) and maps, both digital and paper copies. If you’d like to donate to the Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion program, or any of the other programs the ASF has to offer, click here.