Capt. Cara Adams, chief of Outpatient Nutrition for General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital, has been on a winning streak this year.
Adams, from Attleboro, Mass., competed in the U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command Best Leader Competition over the summer and won over all officers who competed. Then, she took on and successfully competed—and won—at U.S. Army Medical Command’s Best Squad Competition in June.
Her successful streak culminated recently, when she was awarded a gold medal with the U.S. Army Women’s Basketball Team at the U.S. Armed Forces Basketball Tournament held in San Diego from Nov. 5 to 13.
When the Medical Company leadership heard of her opportunity to try out for the All-Army Women’s Basketball Team, they knew she would be successful.
1st Sgt. Carolyn Lange, GLWACH Medical Company first sergeant, said Adams excels at anything she puts her mind to.
“I never had a doubt that if she wanted to play for Armed Forces Sports then she would make us proud. She is a fierce competitor,” Lange said.
Adams said she has been playing basketball since the second grade, watching and playing alongside her two older brothers.
“You could say the Adams family lived and breathed basketball when I was growing up,” Adams said.
She played for the Division III Women's basketball team at the State University of New York at Oneonta from 2013 to 2017, which culminated with a selection as a SUNYAC All-Conference First Team player in 2017.
Once her university basketball career came to an end, Adams said she still craved that sense of belonging to something bigger – she called being selected to compete for the Army “a dream.”
“When I found out I could be a registered dietitian for the Army and work with Soldier athletes daily, combining my love for fitness and nutrition on the greatest team of teams in the world, it was a no brainer for me,” Adams said. “Basketball has, and continues to, teach me valuable lessons that shape me as a Soldier: Teamwork, competition, discipline and work ethic.”
Chris Adams, Cara’s father, made the trip to San Diego to see her compete in the tournament. He said it was gratifying to see how such hard work and discipline paid off for her and see her joy in being part of a successful team.
“We loved the opportunity to see Cara live out this dream and succeed in accomplishing her goal of capturing the gold medal with her team,” he said. “Relationships, doing your utmost to succeed and accomplishing together are what it's all about.”
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