Hundreds of athletes and volunteers filled Cameron Indoor Stadium on Duke University’s campus for the second day of the 2016 Valor Games Southeast on May 25. Students from Eastway Elementary School in Durham cheered on the competitors, and volunteers doubled as coaches, encouraging participants and helping them perform at their best.
From May 24 through May 26, disabled veterans and members of the U.S. Armed Forces joined in this friendly competition, which included nine adaptive sports, at locations across the Triangle. Aside from Cameron Indoor, the Valor Games were also held at the Dean E. Smith Center on UNC’s campus and at Lake Crabtree County Park in Raleigh.
The southeast Valor Games are organized by Bridge II Sports, a Durham-based nonprofit that aims to provide athletic opportunities for youth and adults with physical disabilities. The games began in 2012 and are sponsored by a grant program from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Other regional competitions are held in the West and Midwest. However, potential competitors may participate where they wish.
This was Andrew Reeves’ first year participating in the Valor Games, but he settled into the spirit of the competition quickly. Andrew, 52, is a Navy veteran and former member of the Army National Guard who lives with a traumatic brain injury, as well as hip and knee problems – but he doesn’t let those troubles stop him. He competed in six of the competitions in the 2016 Valor Games, from archery to sitting volleyball to cycling.
Reeves has lived in Durham since 2011, when he retired and moved from Washington, D.C.
“It’s so peaceful here,” he says. “I live in a great neighborhood where everyone knows one another.”
This sense of community is what Andrew enjoys most about competing in the Valor Games. He loves connecting and spending time with other veterans in a supportive atmosphere. In his spare time, he plays sports with Bridge II, where he participates in golf clinics and has recently started taking archery lessons. He is also involved with VA programs.
Andrew hopes to continue competing in the Valor Games in upcoming years. “I’m in it for the long haul” he says.
