Athletes from across the country came together to train in both swimming and sitting volleyball for the Navy Wounded Warrior-Safe Harbor's Warrior Care Month Athletic Camp in Washington, D.C., Nov. 11-17.

Navy Wounded Warrior-Safe Harbor held the camp as a way to honor and celebrate Warrior Care Month. Wounded Warriors were given the opportunity to work on their swimming and sitting volleyball skills.

"This camp provided a more intimate experience for both coaches and athletes," said Bailey Wagner, sitting volleyball coach. "We were able to build a deeper relationship and level of trust with each other."

The week-long training camp provided new and seasoned athletes an opportunity to get in concentrated practice in the pool and on the court, helping them hone their athletic skills.

"Having new athletes held the more experienced athletes to a higher standard, taking their teammates under their wings to help teach them skills while being a source of encouragement," said Wagner.

Competing at the Warrior Care Month Sitting Volleyball Tournament at the Pentagon in D.C. was the final stop to the week-long training camp. The tournament hosted a team from each military service, where they went head to head against each other in sitting volleyball, awarding the top three teams with medals.

"Everybody worked as a team and we played beautifully," said Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Krissy Esget.

While Team Navy didn't place at the sitting volleyball tournament, they still demonstrated heart and passion.

"We had a lot of new players and we were able to hang with all of the teams," said Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Shannon. "It was a true testament to our work ethic and coaching staff."

The tournament was a great representation of how adaptive sports competitions can build camaraderie and integrity throughout all services. Recalling a memory from a game where his teammate with severe nerve damage failed a service attempt, Shannon smiles as he remembers how the opposing team, and their fans, cheered on his teammate.

"That's what this is about," said Shannon. "We may be competing but we all understand each other. We've had something taken from us and this is how we get it back."

The Warrior Care Month Athletic Camp is one of many athletic camps Navy Wounded Warrior-Safe Harbor will be hosting for the Navy and Coast Guard athletes on their journey to the Wounded Warrior Games in 2017. It provides athletes time away from their daily lives, focuses on strengthening their athletic skills and enhances their relationships with each other.

"We're friends and keep in contact outside of the camps," said Esget. "It's important because not a lot of people back home understand (what we're going through), so we help each other out."
"We've become this big family now," said Shannon. "I always look forward to being here because it reignites a light was extinguished."

Navy Wounded Warrior - Safe Harbor is the Navy's sole organization for coordinating the non-medical care of seriously wounded, ill and injured Sailors, and Coast Guardsmen and providing resources and support to their families. Through proactive leadership, the program provides individually-tailored assistance designed to optimize the success of the wounded warriors' recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration activities.

To learn more, visit www.navywoundedwarrior.com

Kyle Malloy is a contributing writer for Navy Wounded Warrior-Safe Harbor under Navy Installations Command