Wounded Veterans Introduced To Adaptive Sports At Sacramento Event

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Wounded veterans from across Northern California hit the court, pool and field on Tuesday as they got a chance to try out adaptive sports and learn they have fewer limits than they once thought.

Basketball, rock climbing and even SCUBA diving were within reach for veterans as a thank you for their service from Sacramento's Paralympic Sports Club.

"Every veteran is through and through an athlete, first and foremost, with or without acquiring an injury or an illness or a disability, so, they take to this immediately," said Annie DeSalernos. "it's a really easy sell."

More than 50 veterans were invited to the Sam and Bonnie Pannell Community Center in South Sacramento, where they could pick and choose which sports they wanted to try, and they got lessons from top-notch coaches, paralympians and olympians like Ruthie Bolton.

"They might not have all the extremities, but they have a fight and they have a heart and determination inside and that's what counts," Bolton said.

Jason Asbach used to shoot archery when he was a kid. He has trouble locking his elbow now, but says every day is an improvement.

"I've been an infantryman. i've been shooting rifles for a long time," he said. "Hitting my target feels good."

Bill Holman is a wounded veteran himself, and now he teaches SCUBA diving to his fellow vets.

"It will bring tears to your eyes when you bring them in because it's such a great feeling to let them know that they're still alive and they can still go on," he said.

Lily Hoyt tried it out for the first time on Tuesday.

"It's kind of crazy," she said. "It's like you're weightless under there and it doesn't really matter if you have all of your limbs or not 'cause you're just like floating."

The event was partially paid for by a $67,000 Veterans Affairs grant to help injured and ill veterans through sports and recreation.