Bonded through sport and journeys of illness or injury, a team of competitors have wrapped up a jam-packed training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport, in the lead up to the Warrior Games.
The 30-competitor strong Australian team came together from May 3-6 for their first and only camp as a fully-fledged squad ahead of next month's games in Florida.
For Team Australia's Laura Reynell, who medically discharged from the Navy in 2020 and competed at last year's Invictus Games in Germany, the training camp was a chance for the team to form connections before heading off to the US.
"The team has come together way faster than I thought it would," she said.
"The people who have made it through to this selection all bring something to the team and are willing to learn from others."
Ms Reynell's 2024 Warrior Games and 2023 Invictus Games teammate Able Seaman Cooper Blackwood agreed the team had gelled in a short period. This cohesion was helped along by each competitor's shared history through injury or illness - the guiding principle of the Warrior Games.
"This group of people is unreal," Able Seaman Blackwood said.
"Considering this is only the second time we've really met, and first time as a group, it's amazing. Everyone has something to offer - different stories, the way everyone's getting around each other."
'The people who have made it through to this selection all bring something to the team and are willing to learn from others.'
The games highlight the physical skills and mental toughness of wounded, injured or ill service members from the US military, alongside competitors from Australia.
Aussie competitors for the Warrior Games and Invictus Games are selected from the ADF's Adaptive Sports Program, which aims to enhance the quality of life for serving and former-serving personnel through the power of adaptive sports.
This ethos has been a game-changer for Able Seaman Blackwood, who fractured and dislocated his C5 C6 vertebrae in a diving accident in 2020.
"I found sports through this adaptive sports program and I'm really keen to keep encouraging people to get involved," he said.
"After my accident, I didn't really see much sport in my future. To come across this and the different people, the different injuries and the positivity; it has been amazing.
"Invictus Games was a huge moment for me, getting involved in sport again.
"I love what the program provides and how you can see people at the trial camp and everyone's really nervous ... Then you come to the camp now and we're all together, everyone's got the weight off their shoulders."
Having been through a similar experience at last year's Invictus Games, Ms Reynell and Able Seaman Blackwood offered some timely advice for their teammates.
"Savour the moment," Able Seaman Blackwood said.
"Enjoy it, take a breath, have a look around and be grateful for everything around you. It can fly by pretty quick."
'We've got people here who have been told they'd never run again and they're running at training.'
Ms Reynell agreed, suggesting her new teammates just go in with an open mind.
"If you go in with an open mind, willing to learn from people, meet people and hear their stories, you're going to have an amazing experience," she said.
"Even though I competed at Invictus, I found the meeting of people and learning stories and just becoming closer with people - even though they've served from different countries - was the most welcoming experience."
Selection is not based on the likelihood of winning, but rather on the benefits to recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration. Witnessing this growth was what Ms Reynell said she was looking forward to most at the upcoming Warrior Games.
"I'm really excited about watching the team grow," she said.
"We've got people here who have been told they'd never run again and they're running at training. They're surprising themselves now so I can't wait to see them exceed even more when they've got more backing behind them over there."
The Warrior Games will be held at ESPN Wide World of Sport Complex at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando from June 21 to 30.
If you are a wounded, injured or ill serving or former-serving ADF member and think sport could aid your recovery, expressions of interest are now open for participation in next February's Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025.
