Adaptive Athletes Train Hard for Invictus Despite Covid Restrictions

Story by Christy Wilcox

Photos courtesy Travis Dunn, Fisher House Foundation, and the Department of Defense

Travis Dunn has a full schedule when it comes to his weekly workout routine. Three days a week, Travis and his wife, Kelley, head to local basketball courts. It helps him prepare for the Invictus Games competition by shooting layups, talking defense strategies, and scrimmaging with others in his hometown of Tampa, Florida. As a paraplegic, Travis will also participate in two other adaptive sports during the games — track and wheelchair rugby. He says his shoulders have gotten a break from the intensity of track in recent months, but soon he will alternate days between sports.

See Travis and Kelley's story on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXCxtVA4LUU

"It's another level of competition I am going to be around and compete with," Travis said.

Since 2014, the Invictus Games have brought 500 wounded warriors from all over the world to compete against each other. The global pandemic delayed the games last year. Travis says the extra time has helped him grow his skill set because he spends time with other athletes who have been training longer, but he says he is fortunate. Besides the cancelation of a few yearly sporting events, he has only had to make a few adjustments. Other athletes have faced stricter lockdowns and restrictions due to the pandemic.

Travis' journey has not been simple. His career shows his willingness to take on challenges. Serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment, he deployed seven times in his nearly ten-year career. His physical fitness was a top priority because, as he puts it, "guys' lives depend on you." Travis credits his unit for saving his life in December 2014. He was in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, on a mission with his unit when a bullet hit him. It collapsed both his lungs and impacted his spine, leaving him partially paralyzed. His brother-in-law, another Ranger in his unit, flew with him to the Army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. Travis was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and a Purple Heart supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

In the weeks after, Travis received medical treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Fisher House Foundation flew three of his family members to be by his side through the Hero Miles program. Travis and his wife Kelley then traveled to the level-one VA polytrauma medical center in Palo Alto, California, where he received specialized treatment for his injury. Kelley says she could see his hospital room from her bedroom at Fisher House. She said having the support around her was comforting because the situation had its complexities. While Travis was learning how to use his wheelchair brakes, Kelley had to have handicap-accessible ramps and a new bathroom installed in their home. Having home-cooked meals, fresh coffee, and a good night's sleep at Fisher House helped her destress when she needed it most.

About a year after Travis's injury, he started looking into wheelchair track, weightlifting, and other adaptive sports. He says it took time to learn what he could still do and at what level he could compete. In 2018, Travis said his unit's strength and conditioning coach and physical therapist kept him active. The Warrior Games in Tampa was his first competition. As a result of his Warrior Games participation, Travis learned he would compete in the 2020 Invictus Games. Unfortunately, the pandemic delayed his involvement last year and again in 2021, but he looks forward to the day he gets to see other athletes face-to-face.

"You don't train to lose. You train to win," Travis says.

Looking back, he says the Ranger battalion prepared him as an athlete because he understands the physical aspects of what his body needs to rest and recover, a vast difference from his military training, which limited sleep and kept his schedule inconsistent.

The Invictus Games Foundation has found virtual solutions for athletes and other wounded warriors.