Team US wraps up Invictus Games training in Port Hueneme
Wounded American military athletes are wrapping up a week of training for the 2018 Invictus games.
Team US is practicing at the Port Hueneme Naval Base before heading out to Sydney Australia for the 2018 Invictus games.
“I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to the athletes and their families,” said Brant Ireland, Invictus games Co-Captain. “It has been a journey and this is a big part of returning to life.”
Brant Ireland is one of just 70 athletes taking part in the Invictus Games. The games are for injured armed service members competing in multi-sport events, just like the Olympics.
“I’ll admit when I first got injured and I was encouraged to participate in the adaptive sports, I thought it was just a chance to recover and it wasn’t going to be competitive,” said Ireland. “As soon as you step on the court, you realize what amazing athletes they are. It is absolutely the epitome of competitiveness.”
“Invictus Games started when Prince Harry came and witnessed the Warriors Games and that is something that we are very proud to do in the US, but now Invictus Games is focused on representing the US on a global stage and doing so that makes everyone proud,” said Phillip Chitty, Invictus Games publicist.
For many of these athletes, it’s their first time competing after being injured.
“Sometime a lot of people come here and they are in dark places and this type of stuff will help them out of the dark places that they are in,” said Stephanie Johnson, who is returning for her second year representing team USA.
Johnson is currently back on active duty for the Army after losing her leg in 2013 when grenades hit her motor pool.
“People will look at us and want to feel sorry for us, but at the end of the day if we can inspire just one person, that is what we strive for,” said Johnson. “We don’t need the sympathy. A lot of us are a lot stronger than what we were before we got injured.”
As Co-Captain, Ireland wants Team USA to succeed. He says these games go further than a win for the country.
“Two months after my amputation I was lost,” said Ireland. “Events like this gets you back to living again.”
