|
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army veteran Sgt. Sean Hook is thrilled to be
a competitor at the first ever U.S. Army Warrior Trials at the
United States Military Academy and hopes to make it to his third
Warrior Games in September.
|
U.S. Army Sgt. Sean Hook aims his bow during the 2014 U.S. Army
Warrior Trials at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., June
12, 2014. Hook is from Summerville, S.C. The Warrior Trials are held
annually as part of an adaptive reconditioning program for injured
service members. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bernardus J. Pol V)
|
More than 100 wounded, ill and injured service members
and Veterans from across the United States joined together
at West Point to train and compete in the Army Warrior
Trials, June 15-20, 2014.
The event is hosted by
Warrior Transition Command, and Army Warrior Trials include
athletes from the Army, Marines and Air Force who will face
off in archery, basketball, cycling, track and field,
swimming, shooting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair
basketball.
Participants in the trials include athletes with spinal
cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment,
serious illnesses and amputations.
“The first year I
participated in Warrior Games, all the athletes were focused
solely on the competition. Over the past two years, the
games have changed and taken on greater meaning. Having the
Warrior Trials this year at West Point has brought us [the
athletes] closer together since we are living in the dorms.
We get to share experiences, encourage the younger Soldiers
and give them pointers on their techniques,” said Hook as he
was getting his bow ready to shoot his first target for the
day. “West Point has an excellent training facility here
which has made this experience stress free and is very well
organized.”
Hook was injured in Iraq in 2009 from
traumatic brain injury and got into sports to help with his
balance, thinking and focus. “Sports gave me goals, helped
with my confidence and improved my focus. Sports alone
didn't help me in my recovery, but my family saw the
positive change and the progression it brought to me.”
“I have been training for three years in discus, sitting
volleyball, archery and shot put. I picked sports that I've
never done before that had top notch coaches. I've already
surpassed and set new goals for shot put and discus. I
couldn't have done it though without my wife who has
supported me through all the time I spent training and has
pushed me to keep training.”
Hook resides in South
Carolina with his wife, two sons, and daughter, who have all
played a huge role in his recovery and have traveled to
Warrior Games to see him in action. He plays on a
competitive softball league there and enjoys football,
baseball and hunting. In his free time, he likes to take his
wife and daughter to Bottles and Brushes, where professional
artists teach people how to paint step-by-step in a fun and
social environment.
Yet, Hook knows the journey is
not over. “My family also had to live through the struggles
I went though. I still have some good days and some bad
days.” Through sporting venues like the U.S. Army Warrior
Trials and the Warrior Games, Veterans like Hook can
continue to grow and find strength in each other while still
maintaining a competitive spirit.
By U.S. Army Becky Wardwell
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
Comment on this article
|
