ASF Wraps Up Its Second Warriors in Motion Kayaking Event

WINDHAM, N.Y. - The Adaptive Sports Foundation’s Warriors in Motion® (WIM) kayaking event ended on Thursday afternoon after three days of paddling on three different lakes. 

 “It was another great week up here at ASF. I had a great time kayaking, the weather was great and we had a good group of people,” participant Greg Rinckey said. “I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in many years. It’s really a great time and we all appreciate it a lot.”

The participants and volunteers arrived at the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center around 12 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. After catching up with each other over lunch, they took the ASF shuttle bus over to Camp Oh-Neh-Tah in East Windham. The ASF stores its kayaks, paddleboards and more over at the camp’s Silver Lake, giving the Warriors in Motion an easy place to pick out their boat, test it out for a little bit and switch it out if necessary. After a few hours of paddling, the warriors went back to their hotel to check in, get changed, and head back to the Adaptive Sports Center for a dinner.

The ASF shuttle bus picked up the participants from their hotel at 9 a.m. and took them to Colgate Lake, located southwest of Windham, on Wednesday morning for day two of the program. Everyone spent the morning in the water under overcast skies, a welcome sight after weeks of blistering heat, before heading back to shore for lunch. 

After the break, some warriors and volunteers ventured off into the woods on a hiking path that circles the lake, while others stayed back to play lawn games or head into the water for a swim or to paddle some more. When those that went on the hike emerged from the trees, they joined the rest of the group in the lake, as the sun started to beam brightly in the sky once again. After a long day at Colgate Lake, the warriors were dropped off at their hotel to get ready for another dinner at ASF at 6 p.m.

North-South Lake in Haines Falls was the final stop of the week for the Warriors in Motion on Thursday. The participants arrived at the lake at around 10 a.m. and kayaked across the entirety of the body of water and back, a trek that took up most of the morning. After docking their vessels, the group packed up their boats and headed back to the ASF lodge for lunch and goodbyes. 

“I want to thank the ASF for this great opportunity. It has been great to be with all my friends,” warriors Saul Rojas said after the final paddling adventure of the week. “It’s a great experience and it’s a great way for me to relax.”

The WIM program provides participating injured United States servicemen and women with a basic knowledge and practice of wellness and the importance of lifelong healthy living. All Warriors in Motion programs are goal oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness.

This excursion was the second and final Warriors in Motion kayaking/paddling event of the summer. The next WIM program will take place in three weeks, when the ASF will take another group of veterans and volunteers hiking for three days from August 30-September 1.