Fort Belvoir, Va. (Sept. 18, 2014) - Four Soldiers assigned to and affiliated with Fort Belvoir's Warrior Transition Battalion have earned slots on the team of select athletes that will represent the Army in the 2014 Warrior Games, Sept. 28-Oct. 4 in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Current Belvoir WTB Soldiers Spc. Jason Blair and Spc. Jennifer Pariona, and former Belvoir WTB Soldier retired Maj. John Arbino, will be competing at the prestigious Games, and current National Capital Region CSF-2 Training Center Master Resilience Trainer Graham Block will continue providing resilience and performance enhancement training for the Army Cycling Team.
Blair, a veteran athlete at Fort Belvoir who consistently excels across the adapted sports spectrum, will be celebrating his first trip to the Games, competing on the Army adapted cycling, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball teams. He attributes his success in making the final roster, as well as his "fresh take on life," to the training and experience he's received under Steve Smutak, Military Adapted Sports Program director at Belvoir, and the U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command as a whole.
"It is one of the best medications out there for me personally. That's the way I see it," he said. "It's a way to process things in a healthy manner. Plus you stay in shape as well."
Blair has taken his adapted sports endeavors to the next level in recent years, moving away from playing simply for leisure to participating in major competitions for medals. He has competed in a sitting volleyball tournament at the Pentagon, the Virginia wheelchair basketball regional competition, and the 2014 U.S. Army Warrior Trials in West Pont, N.Y. where he earned a silver medal in the 20-kilometer recumbent cycling event.
"Just being able to go to West Point was a great honor," he said. "Looking back at where I was a year and a half ago, to where I am now, the Army has been there for me the whole time," Blair said. "I went from just playing to actually competing. It became my goal to compete at Warrior Games, and now it's my goal to take home the Commander's Cup (in the post's intramural program)."
Pariona, a Reservist assigned to Belvoir's WTB who will compete in the shooting events at the games, said the sport of shooting has changed her outlook on life by providing her an opportunity to stay active and competitive instead of sitting around focusing on her injuries, which challenge her with anxiety and depression.
"I was in a dark place, and then I was introduced to the sport of shooting. Life started to get better from then on," she said.
Pariona's success is clearly evident in her recent results at the 2014 U.S. Army
Warrior Trials in West Pont, N.Y., where she won a gold medal in standing air rifle and a silver medal in prone air rifle.
"My sports have helped me socially and emotionally," she said. "It has been a long journey to recovery. Without sports I really do not know where I would be in the journey of healing. It keeps me focused and keeps my mind stable."
Arbino, a returning Warrior Games athlete who will represent the Army team in the shooting and track and field events in Colorado, plans to apply a new perspective to his efforts in September.
"Last year, I was nervous and anxious about the experience," said Arbino. "I wanted to win, but I didn't know how to respond when the pressure was on. This year, I know what to expect, so I'll spend more time with the new athletes to prepare them. I had some great coaches last year so I want to pay that forward," he said.
Challenged by multiple sclerosis, Arbino initially thought his competitive days were over when he was first given a wheelchair. But he has since dedicated himself to adapting fully to his situation, empowered by the WTB's continual support.
"The Warrior Transition Battalion has provided me with the tools to succeed in my next chapter," Arbino said. "I may not be able to do the same activities I was familiar with, but through adaptive sports I found a new way to become active again."
In addition to becoming a certified rifle coach upon returning from the 2013 Warrior Games, Arbino is also an active hand cyclist.
Graham Block will serve as MRT Performance Expert for the Warrior Games cycling team, in association with Head Coach Simon Bennett and Assistant Coach Jim Penseyres. Block has been working with wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and veterans in the National Capital Region for nearly two years.
"Wounded, ill and injured Soldiers have already given so much, that working with them is just one small way for me to give back," he said. "It is a gift to be able to help them see that, while goals may change, the future is there for the taking. Helping them set in motion their goal plans and showing them what is right about them means more than I can say."
Block is responsible for increasing the athletes' performance and ability to compete at a high level during the Warrior Games.
"I have had the chance to compete at some of the highest levels; giving back so others can do the same is a rewarding experience. It is also a great motivator for me. When I don't want to work-out, I remind myself of the inspirational people I have met to keep me moving toward my goals."
The Warrior Games showcases the resilient spirit of today's wounded, ill and injured servicemembers from all branches of the military. After overcoming significant physical and behavioral injuries, these men and women demonstrate the power of ability over disability and the spirit of competition, according to the WTB.
Since 2010, nearly 200 wounded, ill, and injured servicemembers and veterans have competed annually at the Warrior Games, a unique partnership between the Department of Defense and U.S. Olympic Committee Paralympic Military Program. Athletes compete in sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, swimming, cycling, track and field, archery and competitive shooting. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to the athletes or team members who place 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their events, respectively.
For more information regarding the 2014 Warrior Games, visit www.teamusa.org/warriorgames.
To learn more about the adapted sports programs at Fort Belvoir, call Steve Smutak at (703) 805-6898 or email Steve.A.Smutak.ctr@health.mil.
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