VFW to Support this Weekend's Working Wounded Games

Disabled veterans compete in exercise competition

WASHINGTON — Dozens of wounded warriors will once again converge on CrossFit Rubicon in Vienna, Va., this Saturday for the second annual Working Wounded Games. Hosted in conjunction with CrossFit Walter Reed and volunteers from other metro area CrossFit affiliates, the Working Wounded Games brings together veterans with combat-related disabilities and other adaptive athletes to compete in an open-style competition that will benefit adaptive exercise programs through the Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance. The VFW is proud to once again serve as a sponsor for the event, which leads up to the 238th birthday of the Marine Corps and Veterans Day. 

“Our most severely wounded veterans face significant challenges when they return from today’s battlefields, but the VFW has seen many times that these challenges can be overcome simply by empowering a wounded warrior to push him or herself in ways he or she never thought possible,” said VFW National Commander Bill Thien. “This is why the VFW is proud to once again support the Working Wounded Games and the adaptive athletes who will compete this Saturday in an effort to commission new programs that will help wounded warriors and other adaptive athletes reclaim their independence and their sense of accomplishment through physical fitness.”

 The Working Wounded Games kicks off at 8 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 2, and is open to the public. There is no cost to attend, but donations are greatly appreciated. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance, which offers support to disabled athletes through coaching, mentorship, community support and facility access. For full details about the Working Wounded Games, click here.  

VFW Washington Office staff will be on hand at CrossFit Rubicon to answer questions about the advocacy and support services available to veterans through the VFW. Visit the VFW booth to learn more about how the VFW can help you navigate the VA claims process, sign up for the VFW’s legislative “Action Corps,” and enter for a chance to win a VFW “No One Does More For Veterans” drawstring backpack.  

Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance is a non-profit that seeks to facilitate the reintegration of permanently injured athletes back into both the sporting community and the local community at large through sport and competitive efforts like personal training assistance, financial assistance for gym memberships and competition entrance fees. The Alliance also works to train adaptive coaches to help facilitate this kind of reintegration.   

Crossfit Walter Reed is a collaboration among several gyms in the Washington Metro Area with dedicated space at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where wounded warriors can learn adaptive exercise techniques as part of an elective rehabilitation course.

To learn more about Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance, click here. To learn more about CrossFit Walter Reed, click here.