FORT RILEY, Kan. (Oct. 24, 2014) -- Eleven medals clung around the necks of three Fort Riley athletes as they discussed their experience at the Warrior Games, which was Sept. 28 to Oct. 4 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
"It was definitely one of the coolest life experiences I've ever had, especially being a wounded warrior," said Sgt. Scotty Hasting, Warrior Transition Battalion.
The Warrior Games is an annual competition for wounded warriors across all branches of the military.
This year, the Army claimed victory with 71 medals.
Hasting won two medals. He competed in several events, but said archery was his favorite.
"It was probably the most intense archery competition I've ever seen," he said.
Sgt. Erin Stewart, WTB, said the experience was better than expected, but it was also a little humbling.
Just before competing in the Warrior Games, Stewart competed at the Invictus Games for Team USA in London.
The Invictus Games was the first international competition, hosted by the United Kingdom for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.
Athletes from 13 nations competed in the Invictus Games.
Stewart won two medals at the Invictus Games and five at the Warrior Games.
She said participating in both competitions was unique because she went from being teammates with American military athletes in London to competing against them in Colorado.
Retired Staff Sgt. Jesse White competed in the Invictus Games and served as an Army archery coach at the Warrior Games.
He brought home two medals from the Invictus Games.
Both Stewart and White said the treatment of wounded warriors at the Invictus Games made them feel like royalty.
Dinner at the U.S. Ambassador's house was a highlight, both competitors said.
Stewart remarked at the common thread each wounded warrior had at the international competition.
"It was pretty cool because we all basically fought in the same war," she said. "We already had that in common, and we were all injured in some way. There was still that friendly competition there though."
White said he noticed some differences among the other nation's athletes, which gave him some perspective on how fortunate he is to be a wounded warrior in America.
"The U.S. isn't the only country with Soldiers dealing with injuries," he said. "We think about what some of our Soldiers have dealt with, and we see athletes from the other teams that live way outside the comforts we enjoy as wounded Soldiers in the U.S. To go over there and see that, I don't feel so bad about some of the stuff we go through."
Each athlete commented about the effectiveness of their resiliency performance training with master resilience trainers from the Fort Riley Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness program.
"I try to employ the skills I learned with CSF2 as I would in any competition," Hasting said. "It helps me calm down. The visualization, the breathing, everything -- because in the end, everything that they've taught us comes into play. It's not just what you choose, it's everything you've learned."
Two coaches from Fort Riley's CSF2 program traveled to the Warrior Games to assist the Army athletes with their performance. They found the resiliency skills also applied to themselves.
"For me, it was really about focus because there were a lot of people and a lot of things clamoring for my attention," said Susan Goodman, master resilience trainer-performance expert, G-1 personnel and administration. "So it was about keeping my eye on the prize, which was to help my team and then any other athletes as needed."
It was Goodman's first trip to the games, and she said the experience was exciting and fun, but it also was a lot of work.
Joel Druvenga, master resilience trainer-performance expert, G-1 personnel and administration, returned to the games for a second time as a swimming coach. He coached track in 2013.
Druvenga said confidence was key for him.
"It's knowing that I've got the skills to do my job to the best of my ability and help the athletes perform to the best of their ability," he said.
After several months of preparation, the Fort Riley team agreed they had become like family.
"This group came together because everyone wanted to train and was willing to put in the extra effort to train daily," White said. "We have literally become a small family because we are together every day."
White, a first-time coach of the Warrior Games, is also a five-time competitor with at least 15 medals. He reflected on how well Stewart and Hasting performed.
"For them to go from no formal coaching or training to making the team and winning medals at the games is a testament to what can happen if you get off your butt," he said. "Regardless of what their injuries were, they motivated themselves to do something and succeed."
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