Recently injured veterans heal at Summer Sports Clinic

San Diego’s Challenged America therapeutic sailing program has a long history of healing veterans, both recently injured from combat and those acquiring a disability from other causes. And at this year’s 4th National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic, September 18 to 23, from San Diego’s Marriott Marquis Hotel & Marina, 130 recently injured veterans will experience the healing powers of the ocean as they sail with Challenged America in San Diego’s Big Bay.

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA’s) newest national program, the Summer Sports Clinic (SSC) promotes rehabilitation of body and spirit by teaching summer sporting activities to veterans with significant physical or psychological impairments. The Clinic offers such sports as sailing, surfing, kayaking, track and field and cycling to these veterans who are newly injured from amputation, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), blindness, spinal cord injuries or disease, and other neurological disorders, all benefiting from the therapeutic environment offered at the Clinic.

“When we first proposed a Summer Sports Clinic to the VA in 1996, those involved with VA sports therapy excitedly endorsed it. But I knew we then needed to convince those in Washington, DC, that it was a valuable asset, and complimented the already successful Winter Sports Clinic held each year in Colorado,” says Urban Miyares, blinded Vietnam veteran and co-founder of the Challenged America program. “It took years before Washington, DC, agreed. After all, Challenged America has been providing successful water-sports activities for therapeutic purposes to severely and catastrophically disabled veterans for more than 30 years , and today’s VA Summer Sports Clinic is but an extension of an already successful San Diego-based charitable program matching the VA’s goals.”

The week-long event, based from the Marriott Marquis, will attract more than 400 people, to include 130 recently injured veterans, their families, personnel and officials from the VA,, political figures and others from local and federal agencies, celebrities, sponsors, and volunteers, most coming from around the nation. All with be participating in or watching the many sporting venues, such as sailing on San Diego’s Big Bay in Challenged America’s fleet of two-person, 16-foot (adaptive) sailboats, and aboard Sail USA-11’s America’s Cup yacht; kayaking on Mission Bay; surfing at La Jolla Shores; cycling and rock climbing (wall) on Coronado; and experience track and field at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.

“It’s going to be a busy week of introducing these veterans and their loved ones to sporting activities they should be able to participate in, when they return home. After all, sports is a tremendous rehabilitative activity that has proven to be key to heal one’s body and mind. Challenged America was started in 1978 by disabled veterans as a self-directed therapeutic program. And today, most of Challenged America’s participants and volunteers are veterans, many having combat-experience and disabilities. The VA’s Summer Sports Clinic and Challenged America is a prime example of ‘veterans helping and healing with fellow veterans’,” says Miyares.

Founded in 1978 by San Diego disabled veterans, Challenged America is a year-round, therapeutic (adaptive) sailing program for disabled veterans, youth and adults with disabilities, based at Shelter Island, San Diego. Hundreds from around the nation and the world sail with the volunteer-driven, charitable, program.

For additional information, contact

Urban Miyares, Challenged America
2240 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 108
San Diego, CA 92106
phone 619-523-9318
email Port@ChallengedAmerica.org
or visit ChallengedAmerica.org.

A big thank you to West Marine

A big thank you to  West Marine,  in June West Marine dedicated a community day to Challenged America.  A percentage of each sales made that day in the Pint Loma store benefited Challenged America.

Last week, Louis Holmes, manager of the Point Loma West Marine Store and his team, presented Challenged America with a $2700 check.

We also thank all of you who shopped the Point Loma West Marine store and made the donation possible.

Fantastic action packed weekend with the West Marine Challenged America Regatta

A big thank you to our volunteers and all who participated in this action packed weekend.

The weekend started Friday afternoon with the commodores of the local yacht clubs competing on our Martin 16 boats specially designed for disabled sailors.

After 2 races, Navy Yacht Club took away the trophy

The Commodores’ Challenge was followed by dinner and a live and silent auction at the Bali Hai with two outstanding speaker. Steve Cushman who talked about his family ties to San Diego (5 generations) and Gunnery Sergent Mark K Daemon who talked about the work our Marines and military in general are doing in Afghanistan. He presented the American Flag flwoen over Camp Leatherneck, Helmand province, Afghanistan to the winner of the auction. Hoorah

Saturday morning, the West Marine Challenged America Regatta started under the usual June gloom but the wind picked up and cleared the coastal layer to give us two action packed races

See the photos of the events in the gallery section. The files are low resolution, if you wish to have the high resolution files to print the photos, you can make a donation to Challenged America, one file $10, 4 files for $20 by check mailed to our office , or credit card using Paypal using our “Donate” button (Please specify the name of the gallery and the number of the photos you are ordering)

Our thoughts and prayers to the families affected in Sunday boating accident

Our thoughts and prayers go to the families affected by Sunday boating accident in San Diego.

The media have been very vague, reporting that the accident happened during “a Sunday afternoon sail for a nonprofit organization for people with disabilities”

We want to insure that there is no confusion, the organization in question is neither affiliated nor connected to Challenged America.

Challenged America’s 30 year old inshore and offshore adaptive and therapeutic sailing program has a perfect safety record.