Authorized newspaper of Joint Base Lewis-McChord
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This time when he learned to crawl, walk and run, it was on the white slopes of a mountainside with volunteer trainers by his side.
Sergeant George Cloy’s re-entry into downhill skiing came nearly 20 years after his last run down a slope, and this time he was relearning to ski in phases while accommodating neck, back, shoulder and leg injuries. Cloy, of Alpha Company, was one of four members of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Warrior Transition Battalion, along with two spouses and two occupational therapy staff members, who went to Whistler, British Columbia, Jan. 22 to 25 to try adaptive skiing.
The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program camp provided several trainers to teach warriors how to use adaptive aids, whether with harnesses tethered to instructors or on sit skis.
Cloy volunteered to go on the trip to try to get back into the sport.
“It has been a long, long time since I had skied,” Cloy said. “I wanted to see if I could do it, and I wanted to challenge myself to see how well I could do it.”
Cloy called the camp a fun confidence-builder. His lessons were tailored so he wouldn’t incur more injuries. Although the first day he skied tethered to his instructors, after three days, Cloy met his goal of skiing on his own without poles.
“It was awesome,” Cloy said. “The instructors were incredibly patient. Their knowledge and experience were instrumental in my confidence to achieve my goals.”
The thrill of the sport distracted him from the physical effort it demanded.
“You don’t realize how much you’ve pushed yourself and how much you’ve done until the day is over,” Cloy said.
Adaptive skiing reintroduced WTB commander Lt. Col. Danny Dudek to a sport he didn’t believe he could participate in again.
“I just had a lot of fun and gained confidence in a new skill, Dudek said. “I did not think I could have fun skiing ... but, in fact, sit-skiing is a blast, and I can go anywhere I could go with skis.”
Adaptive skiing doesn’t just reintroduce Soldiers to the slopes, said K.J. Doughton, an occupational therapist with the WTB. Overcoming barriers to participate in sports once more can have a ripple effect of more independence in other areas of life.
“Essentially, it’s a catalyst for change,” Doughton said. “It’s a catalyst for people to learn more and to do more.
“It’s a catalyst for pushing away one’s perception of false limitation — ‘If I can do this, I can do anything.’”
According to Doughton, just being in a completely different environment could be good for warriors.
“That, in and of itself, is therapeutic, to be jolted out of inactivity,” Doughton said.
Having community members and organizations offer adaptive sports is also beneficial, Doughton said. At the WASP camp, not only did each warrior have a number of volunteer coaches, but the finances for the trip itself came from a private donation by Bill and Barbara Norman.
“I think it’s really good for the heart to realize there are people out there who are willing to care about them and support them,” Doughton said.
With the summer and winter adaptive sports offered through WASP, and the great access to opportunities with the nearby Olympic village, Dudek envisions continuing this partnership.
Cloy, for one, plans to continue with what he learned at WASP.
“I’m so glad I went,” Cloy said. “It was a great opportunity to get away ... and to just clear your head. It was a great opportunity to have fun and meet wonderful people whose sole purpose was to help us with our disabilities, no matter what they were.”
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