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| Gold medalist in the Rio Paralympic Games, Nicky Nieves played middle blocker for the US team. |
In the spirit of promoting adaptive sport and physical activity awareness, the Hampton Athletics Division sponsored an Adaptive Sports Day on Saturday at the Fort Monroe Community Center.
Co-sponsored by the Community Center and the Sitting Volleyball Warriors, Adaptive Sports Day served as a free event that allowed participants to enhance their own experiences with sports such as power soccer, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.
Linda Gomez, who along with Andy Pai, coach the Sitting Volleyball team and Special Operations Wounded Warrior teams, has been instrumental in bringing the movement to Hampton Roads. Gomez brings 28 years of volleyball coaching experience from youth to the college levels in her native Florida. Last year, she came to visit Ft. Monroe as a tourist and came to a life changing decision.
“I was teaching at a university (in Florida) and coaching men’s volleyball, I had been a coach with USA Volleyball for a while, and with the University I was traveling to the Warrior Games and I happened to come to this area last fall. (Fort Monroe) looked like a great place to bring our program. It’s now a national park. So I resigned in April as a professor and volleyball coach and started this program here.”
While the program has its foundations with the military, through research, she found ways to expand the program.
“Our objective was to bring awareness to the military, to the adaptive community as to what is available. It’s branching out to special populations and people with unique abilities.” Through her own efforts, she has merged with programs such as Power Soccer and Virginia Beach Adapted Water Sports, among others.
There is a constant, added Gomez.
“They start out in a team, and then got wounded, and then they weren’t part of the team, they felt.” Her service, she feels is “my way to serve my country in a different way.”
There were many shining personal examples of the program’s success in attendance on Saturday. Nicky Nieves, a gold medal athlete with the US Paralympic Volleyball team, was on hand to give demonstrations of sitting volleyball to the dozens of youths and adults on hand for the five-hour program. Her own introduction to the sport was unusual.
“I was playing (volleyball) at Queens College in New York, and there was a recruiter who came and talked to our (athletic director) and said I should try it. At first I was a little hesitant because I was scared, and it was completely brand new to me, but I stuck at it, and I’m glad I did.”
Nieves had her gold medal from Rio on display, and she spoke of her experience at the Games.
“We were there for 16 days, and played from the 7th through 17th.” The team’s schedule was rugged, with six games, starting with Iran, followed by Rwanda, Brazil and China before reaching the semifinals, and then the gold medal round. Nieves as thrilled that the Games were covered on a world stage through NBC Sports.
“It’s the world’s biggest stage; it’s where it really matters, and everybody gets to see all of the hard work you put in,” said Nieves, who played middle blocker for the gold medal squad.
Army Staff Sergeant Carlton Duncan and SFC Michael D. Smith were also representing the Warrior Care and Transition Command, which is headquartered in Arlington, VA. Duncan was wounded in Iraq and sees his new position as part of the transitional role for affected veterans.
“We work with active duty and veterans, and newly retired vets. I use adaptive sports, such as cycling, BMX bikes, which helped me when I was recovering at Ft. Bragg. That’s what led me to the job where I’m at now.” Duncan sees his role as a way that the military is able to connect with the community.
Smith’s injury was non-combat related. In 2011, he was involved in a gruesome motorcycle accident.
“I had come back from deployment, and I was riding my motorcycle. A driver that was texting and driving ran into me from behind. (The impact) threw me over the guardrail and a car ran over my arm and severed it right there on the spot. I was conscious for the whole thing.”
Smith holds the distinction of being the only Army soldier ever to remain on active duty after losing a limb above the elbow. “I’m the first and only “above the elbow” amputee in the history of the military.”
Speaking of his injury, Smith feels it was a blessing in disguise.
“I truly believe that God put this on me for a reason. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life.” Smith has excelled as a Paralympic athlete and keeps busy between his own training and the requirements of his position. But he never hesitates to attend an event like Saturday’s.
“I come as often as the Army lets us,” adding that sometimes he has to hold his twice-a-day workouts at 5:30 AM and 10 PM.
As he watched the guests try out the different adaptive sports with varying degrees of success, Smith shared the philosophy that he tells his new clients.
“You have been knocked down, but you’re not out.”
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