Paralympics coaches train disabled vets for a future in disability sports

From The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif.:

Michael Johnston began swimming for rehabilitation after he was hit by a car and lost his right leg.

The 26-year-old Navy parachute rigger was one of about 60 injured military men and women who were at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego on Oct. 14 for a U.S. Paralympics sports training camp.

The training, which runs through today, encourages disabled service people to engage in sports and provides coaching in such disciplines as archery, track and field and swimming.

Even though he comes to the pool regularly, Johnston said the camp atmosphere was inspiring.

"I have some Paralympic dreams," Johnston said. "It really opened my eyes and motivated me to get more active. Getting pointers from Rudy Garcia is pretty cool."

That would be Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a Paralympic gold medalist in swimming and a Fontana resident. A double leg amputee since he was 6, Garcia-Tolson said he attends up to a dozen training camps during a year, although not all involve military personnel.

"I love working with the military guys," Garcia-Tolson said. "It's rewarding. They're out there helping our county. It's a good way to give back. My brother's a Marine. I know what these guys do."

In the water, Garcia-Tolson quickly slides over lane lines from one part of the pool to another, offering tips to the swimmers, some of whom are entering the water for the first time since their injuries.

Coaching newly injured athletes takes creative thinking, he said. Each athlete has to discover how best to work with his or her particular injury. Some are missing limbs. Some have limited movement. Garcia-Tolson was coaching along with Jarrett Perry, 22, another Paralympic swimmer.

"Me and Jarrett, we've been there," he said. "We can teach them from our experience what works and what doesn't."

While the Paralympics dates back to 1960, the military outreach program has only been around for five years. It began in response to the large numbers of wounded returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Roger Nepl, director of the program.

With the Paralympics experience of working with disabled individuals, Nepl said, "it was a natural fit for us to reach out to members of the Department of Defense. We provide opportunities to over 7,000 services members throughout the United States. The whole concept is to enhance rehabilitation."

The program actually stretches beyond the U.S. borders. A six-member contingent from England was participating in the camp, which is not necessarily geared toward competition.

"We are really content if an individual gets well enough to go for a bike ride on Sunday morning with their family," Nepl said. "If there happens to be an individual who wants to go to a higher level, that's also great and we'll help them maximize their abilities."

Sgt. Chris Lawrence, 22, of Milwaukee, Wis., said his goal is to simply be able to once again run for three miles. Lawrence, a Marine, was injured in an IED blast while crossing a bridge in Iraq. He lost his right leg below the knee. His left arm was badly injured and after two years of rehabilitation remains at about half the strength he once had. The day before the training camp, he had the latest in a series of surgeries to repair his left foot.

"I probably shouldn't even be walking right now," Lawrence said, referring to the operation, "but I could suck it up."

Whether or not the camp participants get involved in competitive sports, he said, just attending the event provides a boost.

"It shows them that what they did, they can still do," he said.

Cody Reyes (pictured), 22, of Chino, said that for him, returning to physical activity is literally a case of mind over matter. Reyes is an Army Ranger stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. He served six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan but was injured stateside. He was a passenger in a car, returning from a night of partying with fellow soldiers, when it crashed and he was thrown from the vehicle. A scar runs from his left temple most of the way across his forehead. The traumatic brain injury he suffered left him in a coma for 11 days. He still has trouble with his memory.

Reyes, who also has a knee injury from the accident, took part in a strength and conditioning class at the camp.

"I don't have any Paralympic dreams," Reyes said. "But I wanted to test the waters."

Seeing the other service members, he said, "It really puts a new perspective in seeing how fortunate I am. It's a source of strength seeing these people in wheelchairs working their hearts out. This has really opened my mind up."

Nepl said there are plans to reach by the end of the year all 35 of the Army's Warrior Transition Units, which help injured soldiers adjust to post-combat life. After that, he hopes to establish programs for injured veterans with all of the VA medical centers across the country.

"The whole key is trying to provide sports programs they can do on a daily basis to help in their daily lives," he said. "Unfortunately, there's going to be a continued need."