Invictus Games 2017 / Topics & Posted Articles

The Urban Gourmet Co. creates official gifts for Invictus Games

By Celina Ip
Wednesday, September 13, 2017

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Pembroke's Tracey Dean, owner of The Urban Gourmet Co. (74 Pembroke St. W), was asked to create 40 specialty gift boxes for guest speakers at the Invictus Games 2017 - taking place in Toronto from Sept. 23 to 30. The boxes include five samples of her premium olive oils and balsamics.

Pembroke will be making a splash at the 2017 Invictus Games by way of The Urban Gourmet Co.



The Invictus Games, founded in 2014 by Prince Harry, is an international paralympic-style sports competition for wounded, injured and sick armed forces members and veterans.

The first Invictus Games took place in London, England in 2014, followed by the second event in Orlando, Florida in 2016. From Sept. 23 to 30, the Invictus legacy will be brought to Canada as Toronto will have the honour of hosting the 3rd Invictus Games.

The 550-plus competitors, coming from 17 participating allied nations, will compete in 12 adapted sports including archery, powerlifting, golf, paralympic swimming, indoor rowing and wheelchair basketball among others.

Along with the sporting tournament itself, there will be guest speakers – representing the 17 countries – will be making appearances at the Games, including Prince Harry himself.

The 40 speakers will receive a special gift basket prepared by Pembroke’s own Tracey Dean – a military veteran and owner of The Urban Gourmet Co.

In 2014, after serving 15 years with the Canadian Armed Forces at Garrison Petawawa, Dean retired from the military to pursue her dream of opening up a gourmet olive oil and balsamic tasting room – The Urban Gourmet Co.

While she retired from her military position, Dean continued to represent veterans by speaking on behalf of the Prince's Operation Entrepreneur (POE) – a national program for transitioning Canadian Armed Forces members interested in starting their own business.

I speak on behalf of the Prince's Operation Entrepreneur which is one of the seven charities started up by Prince Charles. I visit Garrison Petawawa at least three times a year to speak about it

This past June, Dean and three other veteran entrepreneurs, met with Prince Charles in Trenton to talk about their businesses. It wasn’t too long afterwards that Dean received an email from the Invictus Games 2017 Committee stating that they wanted her to prepare Urban Gourmet gift boxes for their guest speakers.

“I and three other military members who have our own businesses got to go down to Trenton to have tea with Prince Charles and talk about our businesses. So he asked us questions about our businesses and we all had our own displays,” said Dean. “I received an email from a member of the Invictus Games Committee saying that since the games are based around veterans, that they wanted to use veterans’ companies for the gift boxes to be given to the guest speakers.”

Dean prepared 40 gift boxes composed of five sample bottles of her premium olive olives and balsamics, including serrano-honey vinegar, a couple flavoured olive oils, a traditional 18-year-aged balsamic and a Sicilian-lemon white balsamic.

“We did up a five pack gift basket with custom labels that said ‘created for the Invictus Games 2017’. The sample size bottles touched upon some of our best single variety olive oils, our flavoured olive oils, our white balsamic, our dark balsamic and our specialty vinegar,” said Dean.

Dean expressed that she’s pleased to be involved with the Invictus Games and to have the chance to share a little taste of Pembroke.

“From the town's side, now 'Pembroke' will cross their lips when they read the stickers and labels, and all of them will say 'Pembroke, Ontario',” said Dean.

For more information about the 2017 Invictus Games, visit invictusgames2017.com

http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/2017/09/13/the-urban-gourmet-co-creates-official-gifts-for-invictus-games

Trauner soldiers on

Andrew Duffy, Postmedia Network
Monday, September 11, 2017 12:10:23 EDT AM

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Retired soldier Mike Trauner, who lost parts of both legs in Afghanistan, is photographed at his home in Pembroke on Aug. 31. He was injured in 2008 in an IED explosion and has been battling complications ever since. Now Trauner is training for the Invictus Games and will compete in rowing and cycling. (Darren Brown/Postmedia Network)

Injured paratrooper to compete at Invictus Games in rowing and cycling

Every morning, Mike Trauner wakes up to war.

Like clockwork, the former Canadian Forces soldier returns to that cold morning in December 2008, when an improvised explosive device detonated beneath him in Afghanistan.

"I try not to think about it, but every single day, I'm reminded of it," the 37-year-old says.

"I can't forget, because when I wake up in the morning, my legs are still gone, my arms and hands are still damaged. I'm still in a wheelchair; I still have prosthetics. I can never forget about it. From now until the day I die, I'll always be reminded of the war. It doesn't just go away.

"It's not like I was a little kid and I broke my arm and it healed and it's a funny story now. It's not like that at all."

Canada officially ended its 12-year military mission to Afghanistan in March 2014.

But for those veterans whose bodies and minds were irrevocably damaged, the price of that conflict continues to paid: The struggle to come to terms with their new normal is fought each and every day.

Theirs is a battle of a thousand humiliations. Trauner — who was raised in Sudbury and graduated from Cambrian College before enlisting in the military — relies on his wife, Leah, to put toothpaste on his brush. He needs help with zippers and buttons. She cuts his vegetables. Often, he can't fall asleep: The pain in his residual limbs never leaves.

He faces these maddening skirmishes alone or with Leah. There have been times when he's raged at his fate, others when he's felt abandoned and "dead to the world."

Yet no matter his mood, Trauner has raised himself from his bed and soldiered on with his day. His is a private war marked by quiet victories.

"You have to get out of bed: You have to get your coffee and breakfast and get your day started. You have to carry on with your life."

Says Leah: "He'll try anything once, and if he fails, he'll try it again. He doesn't quit."

A decorated combat soldier, Trauner left the Canadian Forces in May after almost two decades as a paratrooper, section commander and support worker. The latter job was the one he held after returning from his war wounds.

Trauner never felt comfortable behind a desk: He missed the relentless physical challenges of active service, its rough-hewn camaraderie and common purpose. He even missed the 6 a.m. fitness runs and the mid-winter bivouacs.

"It was very depressing seeing all of my friends, people I've worked with, they're progressing, getting promoted, and moving on with their lives," he says. "And I'm just like a ghost: in the corner, not progressing, not gaining anything."

Last year, contemplating life as a severely disabled civilian, Trauner went in search of a new mission.

He found the Invictus Games.

Founded by Prince Harry, the three-year-old Invictus Games are an international athletic competition for ill and injured soldiers.

Trauner met some of the athletes last year. At the time, he wasn't ready to compete since he was recovering from complex surgery to repair the stump below his right knee. (Doctors took the radial artery from his right arm and attached it to the femoral artery in his leg, along with a flap of skin and nerves, to repair badly damaged skin grafts.)

Although consigned to his wheelchair for more than a year, Trauner agreed to take part in the September 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.

The competition appealed to him — "I hate to lose," he says — as did the idea of spending time with other injured soldiers. Trauner also knew from experience that the structured regimen of training would be good for his psyche: He would have concrete goals; he could measure his progress; he would be outside.

"This is where the Invictus Games helps a lot," he says. "Now I'm gaining, I'm improving, I have a focus."

He trains six days a week, as long as four hours a day, in preparation for his rowing and cycling competitions.

The activity has fed both his confidence and ambition. Trauner is now talking about competing in the Paralympic Games, and possibly trying his hand at politics.

This fall, too, he's finally arranged to start treatment for post-traumatic stress -- something he had put on hold while adjusting to his disability.

"I'd like to be able to sleep a lot better," he says.

A Canadian flag snaps in the wind over the lawn of Trauner's custom-built home near the Ottawa River. "It reminds me of what I fought for," he says.

People sometimes ask him if his sacrifice was worthwhile given that Taliban fighters still battle U.S.-backed forces in Afghanistan. He doesn't engage in the discussion. "I don't think about politics," he says. "I was a soldier: I was responsible for my men on the ground and my mission for the day. That's it."

The remotely triggered IED that nearly killed him was made from an artillery shell stacked on top of a mortar bomb. It severed three major arteries, obliterated his legs and sent shrapnel tearing into his left forearm and hand.

In its aftermath, Trauner has endured 18 surgeries, including an 11-hour operation to rescue his shattered hand, which was torn in half.

His weeks are still filled with medical appointments. He has occupational therapy to improve his fine motor skills, and massage therapy to break up scar tissue, along with regular botox injections — as many as 200 at a time — to treat the sensitive skin beneath his prosthetic legs.

"I hate that: I hate needles," he says.

Every part of his day has to be planned — and each day's plan depends on whether his skin is healthy enough to bear his prosthetics. Otherwise, he uses a wheelchair.

Trauner's private war has changed him.

"It's made me a better person in the long run," he says. "My emotional range is much greater than it ever was. I'm more tolerant, more experienced … I've had to learn to adapt and overcome."

http://www.thesudburystar.com/2017/09/10/trauner-soldiers-on

Healing with the Invictus Games

CHRISTINA BLIZZARD

SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO SUN

FIRST POSTED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2017 03:30 PM EDT | UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2017 03:40 PM EDT

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In one of Al McFarlane’s ghastly recurring nightmares, a thirsty little girl is walking down a dirt road. She’s holding a plastic pop bottle cut in half and is using it as a glass to drink water from the stagnant puddles.

The reality was it wasn’t a young girl McFarlane saw, but an old man, when he was deployed with the in Bangui — in the Central African Republic — with the RCAF.

“Apparently the Bangui judicial — or lack of judicial — system works on the three strikes and you’re dead rule,” he recalls.

McFarlane, 53, saw the place where prisoners were held before being executed that night.

“I happened to see one of the individuals before he was executed and I still have nightmares of that, his eyes looked right through me,” he recalls.

It’s been a long road back for McFarlane.

He started his military career at the age of 17 with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery and later transferred to the air force. He worked as a crash investigator and a casualty case examiner for all the casualties from Afghanistan.

In that time, he examined scores of deaths. That entailed receiving the personal protective equipment from all the soldiers, sailors, airmen and women who became casualties of the Afghanistan conflict.

“Once we received the gear from the coroner, we would examine each piece of equipment thoroughly and try to come up with a better piece of kit or possible lessons learned to relay back to theatre and hopefully help out the troops,” he says. A harrowing process in which he became intimate with each death.

“You were provided a synopsis of what happened that caused the death — and go from there.”

With no counselling as he worked on these grisly assignments, the work took its toll.

McFarlane became isolated and started drinking too much.

“We were provided with no professionals to talk to about any of our cases,” he says. “Looking back, we should have been engaging with the mental health professionals.”

It wasn’t until after a suicide attempt in 2014 that he sought help. After a stint in rehab, and with mental health counselling, he’s sober and has his life back on an even keel.

Like many who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), McFarlane has found healing through sport. And the upcoming Invictus Games have been key for him in his recovery.

“Invictus has been a life saver,” he says. “It’s provided me with a means to communicate with like-minded individuals.”

With 90 athletes in the Canadian contingent, he has someone to share his experiences. Two training camps in Vancouver and Kingston taught him not to isolate himself and to be more sociable.

“Friendships have been formed and through social media, we have all been in touch on a regular basis.”

The brainchild of Prince Harry, who was inspired by his experiences when he was deployed with the British Army in Afghanistan, Invictus runs September 23-30 in Toronto. It will feature 550 competitors — all of them former military personnel suffering either physical or mental wounds — from 17 nations.

“Sport in general has helped me so much,” McFarlane said.

He’s competing in archery.

“Archery is mostly about concentration. Anyone with PTSD has issues with concentration,” he adds. “If I have a good shot, I know I’ve succeeded in gaining that level of concentration.

“Also Invictus is a great platform to showcase to the world what mental health is about with regards to soldiers.”

McFarlane’s PTSD is triggered in many ways.

“I know I’ll be tested at the games. Things such as crowds and loud noises set me off, both will be at the games,” he says. He’s been working out coping strategies and views the games as a personal challenge.

Armed forces veterans like McFarlane have given their health, their peace of mind, their all for this country. They’ve shown us what they’re made of. Now it’s time for us to show we care.

Let’s get out and wave the red-and-white flag for them as they compete in Invictus.

It’s the least we can do.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/09/10/healing-with-the-invictus-games

Honouring her grandparents through Invictus Games

By Jonathon Brodie
Saturday, September 9, 2017 9:29:10 EDT AM

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Liz Steeves kicked off the Invictus Games ceremonial flag tour by standing by the B.C. Legislature Cenotaphe in August.

Liz Steeves is honest about her journey to the Invictus Games. The thought of competing in the event terrifies her. She gets uncomfortable with loud noises and hasn't been around a big crowd in a number of years and this event - in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans take part in sports - will have 550 competitors from 17 countries involved when it starts Sept. 23 in Toronto.

There are times when the wounded warrior born and raised in Gananoque thinks to herself, why am I doing this? Who am I doing this for? She knows the answer, though. The drive to keep going is her grandfather, Thomas Hubert Scott, a tail gunner with the Lancaster bombers in the Second World War.

"He's my veteran, my hero, my warrior. He was a father figure. He was my best friend," said Steeves, who uses robotic legs to help move after falling head-first over a wall during a military training exercise in 2010, compressing three discs in her neck and compromising her lumbar vertebrae.

When the 32-year-old was younger her grandfather used to always be the first person she would see in the morning, she said, and usually the last one she would see at night. Growing up there were times when she wanted to quit something and her grandfather would say, "You know what honey, you got this."

When Steeves, who is competing in powerlifting and wheelchair tennis, heads to the Invictus Games this month it will mean more to her than just playing a sport or having a chance to win a medal. For Steeves, the Invictus Games represents a personal badge of honour, a true test, a point of pride, and maybe even a fate guided by her grandfather watching over her.

Steeves, who now lives in Sooke, B.C. with her husband Travis, applied to the Invictus Games in June 2016. She was originally turned down in November to compete at the event and then at the end of February the decision was flipped and she was asked if she still wanted to be a part of the Canadian team.

The last time Steeves saw her grandfather was Aug. 2, 2016. She originally told him she was going to the Games before she knew she was denied. Her grandfather passed away Nov. 2, 2016, just before she could tell him she didn't make the cut. He passed away believing his granddaughter was going to be competing at the Invictus Games and - although it wasn't set in stone at the time and at one point it looked like she wouldn't be going at all - Thomas Hubert Scott died knowing the truth.

Steeve's grandfather always seemed to know when she needed help and would say to her, "I won't leave you until I know you're going to be OK," said Steeves. The last time she saw him he told her exactly that.

While Steeves believes her grandfather is watching over her, it's her grandmother that she is doing this all for. Steeves described her grandmother, 91-year-old Dorothy Scott living in Brockville, as "The only lady left that calls me and tells me how proud she is and how much she loves me."

Competing in the Games, in Steeve's eyes, is giving Dorothy, who she affectionately refers to as just 'Grandma,'a chance to see the type of woman she's helped build - someone who is strong and can do something if she puts her mind to it.

"I have to have (my grandmother) with me at the Games even if I can't physically take her there," Steeves said.

In 2016 - after nine years of service - Steeves was medically released from the military because of mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, as well as her physical injuries. She had never felt so alone.

There's something of a frightening beauty to the Invictus Games. With the event just a few weeks away these are tense times for the athletes, said Steeves, and members of the Canadian team are stressed out, realizing they might need to work on their mental stability skills before competing.

The beauty comes in the way Steeves describes the Canadian team, the group stronger together instead of individually.

The first Canadian Invictus team camp, held in Victoria in March, was awkward, said Steeves. It was the first time they were all meeting each other, in some cases seeing someone with a physical injury they had never seen before. The setting was quiet, no one really spoke knowing people have different triggers that could be set-off at any moment.

At the second camp, held in Kingston in June, people were more open, Steeves said. The athletes began to come together, filling in the hole of, "the family they feel like they've lost," since departing the military, she added.

"I think they're going to be stronger together for this last portion because everybody is going to be feeling the same way," Steeves said. "Everybody is going to go through the same sort of struggles."

The Invictus Games has returned that feeling of national pride inside Steeves. She was chosen to kickoff a ceremonial flag tour in August that went across Canada. She stood by the B.C. Legislature Cenotaphe in her red Canadian T-shirt, holding a giant flag with the words Invictus Games printed on it and the I in Invictus and AM in Games highlighted in bright yellow to make the words I AM stand out.

"They can take the girl out of the military, but they will never take the military out of the girl," she said. "And that girl will always defend her country."

The "I AM" sentiment could have a lot of words attached to it to cap off the sentence to describe Steeves feelings right now. I am proud. I am scared. I am strong.

Steeves believes her grandfather is looking down on her and is still taking care of her. If that's the case then nothing changes from what Thomas Hubert Scott said to his granddaughter the last time he was with her.

"I won't leave you until I know you're going to be OK."

http://www.recorder.ca/2017/09/09/honouring-her-grandparents-through-invictus-games

A way to heal: Invictus Games flag flies in New Brunswick

Jason Israel, a soldier from CFB Gagetown, will compete in 6 events at Invictus Games in Toronto

By Nathalie Sturgeon, CBC News Posted: Sep 09, 2017

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Jason Israel, far right, is heading to the Invictus Games, where wounded, ill or injured soldiers compete in various sports. His wife Amanda, far left, is a flagbearer. (Kirk Pennell/CBC )

Amanda Israel holds a black flag — with the letters Invictus Games written in white and yellow — high above her head.

Her husband, a solider from CFB Gagetown, is one of 550 competitors in the event for ill and wounded soldiers and veterans.

Isreal was the flagbearer for a leg of a cross-country tour leading up to the games start next week. With their three children, the family marched to the New Brunswick legislature Friday for their last stop before heading to Toronto.


The Israel family is heading to Toronto where Jason Israel will compete in several track events. Amanda Israel, left, Jason Israel, right and Jakob Israel, centre. (Kirk Pennell/CBC )

The Invictus Games runs Sept. 23 to Sept. 30. Seventeen nations and more than 1,500 volunteers are involved.

Jason Israel is competing in several running events including the 100, 200, 400 and 1,500-metre races and the 1,500-metre relay.

"I've put a lot of hours in training on the track," he said. "[Competing] is the next step of me healing and us as a family healing together."

Facing challenging conditions

Israel suffers from an occupational stress injury, which is better known as post traumatic stress disorder.

He thinks the biggest challenge in the competition will be the crowds and the sound of the gun going off due to his PTSD.

"We've been using whistles to practice starting," said Israel.

The family also visited Oromocto High School as part of their journey and he said it was good practice to tackle the commotion of a big crowd.


This is one of Jason Israel tattoos. He describes the games as a way for him and him family to heal after dealing with PTSD. (Kirk Pennell/CBC )

Israel has three children, Jakob, Grace and Caleb. All three of them are excited to see their dad compete, and two of them will be travelling with their parents to Toronto.

"I think it's going to be cool," said Grace.

Cross-country journey

The flag started in British Columbia on Aug.16 and arrived in Fredericton Sept. 8.

Axelle Pellerin, who marched with the Israel family and comes from a military family herself, said when Canada first got the Invictus Games they knew they needed to make it a Canadian event not just a Toronto one.


"I am the master of my fate" is a part of the Invictus Games slogan. (Kirk Pennell/CBC )

She said it's been heartwarming to see the support from Canadians and the respect they have for the soldiers.

"So our Invictus flag is going coast to coast," she said. "It's been a wonderful journey."

International event

Prince Harry started the games after watching the Warrior Games in the U.S. He established an international version and the first games were held in London in 2014.

This year the games will feature 12 adaptive sports, including wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and variety of track and field events. They've also added golf to the list.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/invictus-games-flag-bearer-new-brunswick-1.4282468

BY SIMON PERRY      POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

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When double amputee Stefan Leroy competes at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in Toronto later this month, he won’t just be trying for a repeat of the medal-winning success he had last year. The former army sergeant, 26 — who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan in 2012 — wants to continue the inspiration and education that Invictus has brought in years past.

“Prince Harry has created more than a regular Paralympic-style competition,” Leroy tells PEOPLE of Invictus. “You are competing for your country and your team but you’re also there for everybody else. Most of the sports I’m doing, I’ve seen others doing them. I think that’s part of Invictus. You see people and they are doing awesome and you think ‘I can give that a try.'”

He tries to encourage others to think the same way.

“If someone needs help I will still encourage them like saying ‘maybe try this out’ or if someone has a better idea I’ll ask ‘how are you overcoming that?'”


A sergeant in the 82nd airborne, on June 7, 2012, in Kandahar province in Afghanistan, Leroy was on a patrol when his friend stepped on an improvised explosive device bomb. As Leroy and a colleague carried the injured man away on a stretcher, Leroy himself stepped on another explosive. The friend Leroy was carrying died, and he himself almost instantly knew that he had lost his legs.

“I remember my ears ringing, dirt in my mouth and trying to stand back up,” Leroy, a Jupiter, Florida native, remembers. “I knew right away that I didn’t have my legs, my bones were in the ground, both my feet were missing.”

Leroy’s long recovery began in Landstuhl, Germany and then back home in the United States for rehab. It was a hard start as he wasn’t able to stay in prosthetics for very long: It ended up taking revision surgeries in September 2014 to make it easier.

But by January 2015, the budding athlete had his first running legs and the next month, he ran his first 5k. Nine months later, he ran a half marathon, and six months following, he completed the Boston Marathon.

Helping him along the way, Leroy has different prosthetics for different sports but mainly uses an X3 from Ottobock for walking, hiking and backpacking. He says that’s the prosthetic that “makes me feel as if I’m not missing my leg.” He adds: “I have control with it.”


Leroy, who is a student and hopes to earn a degree in biomedical engineering, took part in 2016’s Invictus Games in Orlando, winning bronze in the 400m dash and gold in the team sitting volleyball. This year he will be one of 550 competitors taking part in eight days of competition from September 23-30 in Toronto, Canada.

“Adaptive sports are a huge part of how I stay positive,” he says.


Stefan with his Invictus medals and service dog, Knoxville

He lauds Invictus for bringing people together to overcome their doubts and serve as a reminder that they’re not alone.

“In a lot of situations, you don’t have that companionship,” he says. “I live in Florida. I see other amputees very rarely, and when I’m running I’m the only amputee running in my town. To bring us all together again at Invictus is great to encourage that growth and that recovery.”

The competition, Leroy says, is eliminating a void that was felt in the veteran community: “There was a need for this all along. And it wasn’t being filled. Harry filled that need, by stepping up to the plate and brought Invictus forward.”

http://people.com/royals/stefan-leroy-invictus-games-interview-prince-harry/

Invictus motorcycle ride from Tobermory

By Zoe Kessler, Wiarton Echo
Thursday, September 7, 2017 2:10:27 EDT PM

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The local Invictus games motorcycle ride starts at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 290 in Tobermory, Sept. 9. Photo by Zoe Kessler/Wiarton Echo

BRUCE PENINSULA - The local Invictus games motorcycle ride starts at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 290 in Tobermory, Sept. 9.
The 160 kilometre ride will leave the Tobermory Legion at 10 a.m. and travel to the 4th Division Training Center in Meaford.
The ride is part of the Invictus Flag Tour which crosses Canada from Victoria, British Columbia to Toronto.

“We’re proud that they are including us in the ride and we’re pleased to host them,” Doug Smith, President of the Tobermory Legion said in a telephone interview, Aug. 31.

The local leg of the tour will pass six Royal Canadian Legion branches, eight cenotaphs and some of the most beautiful scenery Grey-Bruce has to offer.

The ride supports wounded veterans and those of the 16 other Allied and Commonwealth Nations as they compete in Toronto from Sept. 23-30 at the Air Canada Centre.

Registration is 9 a.m. at the Tobermory Branch, $15 per bike and rider, $5 per passenger. The ride Starts at 10:00 a.m. - rain or shine – from the Monument Corners Cenotaph. From Lion’s Head Cenotaph at approx. 10:35 a.m. and from the Wiarton Cenotaph at approx. 11:30 a.m.

Riders can join the ride at their respective Cenotaphs and then register when stopping for lunch, which will be provided at the Hepworth Shallow Lake Legion Branch 586 at noon.

The ride will depart Hepworth Shallow Lake at 1 p.m. to Owen Sound at approx. 1:30 p.m. and arrive at the Meaford Cenotaph at approx. 2 p.m. and at the Parade Square at approx. 2:15 p.m.

You can also register and join the ride to the base anywhere along the route to Meaford.
All donations will gratefully be accepted along the route at anytime.

The inaugural Invictus Games took place in London, England in the fall of 2014. In May 2016, Prince Harry – a veteran himself who created the games – announced that Toronto, Ontario, will host the next Invictus Games in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary. At press time, more than 550 ill, injured and wounded servicemen and women from 17 allied nations were registered to compete in 12 adaptive sports.

The Invictus Games were created to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding of and respect for those who serve their country, and their loved ones, the official website says. For information visit: www.invictusgames2017.com

http://www.wiartonecho.com/2017/09/07/invictus-motorcycle-ride-from-tobermory

The Steel Spirit art show

By Cheryl Browne, Barrie Examiner
Thursday, September 7, 2017 4:36:18 EDT PM

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Retired Master Cpl. Denis Antille served with the Canadian armed forces for 22 years and is now one of 12 artists displaying their work in the Steel Spirit military art gallery exhibit at Barrie City Hall during September and October. PHOTO: CHERYL BROWNE/BARRIE EXAMINER/POSTEMEDIA

Prince Harry’s Invictus Games lit a spark of courage in Barbara Brown.

The paramedic, who suffered serious injuries when her car collided with a 400-pound bear in northern Ontario a few years ago, grew strength from the young royal’s plans to host games for wounded military men and women.

Standing in the photo gallery of Barrie City Hall – near the parking ticket payment office – Brown was surrounded by art created by a dozen members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

“I’m a paramedic by trade. Art is fun for me,” Brown said.

Having draped brown netting across the walls and dressed a mannequin in camouflage gear to create ambiance, Brown has installed the Steel Spirit show depicting both the heartache of war and the dedication of the Canadians who work in the military.

Brown said the art work, created by a corporal, a lieutenant-colonel, sergeant, captain, armoured personnel, imagery technician and a military police officer, is not for sale, but there to be enjoyed by the public for the months of September and October.

“It’s more about showcasing the artwork and supporting our military colleagues,” she said.

One of the artists, retired Master Cpl. Denis Antille, worked on life-support equipment such as ejection seats and other survival gear during his 22-year career in the armed forces.

After taking a five-day hobby course in leather working, Antille found he had a knack for working with leather and began to create both military and Indigenous art.

On one piece of brown leather, Antille stamped a black fern with each frond bent into the silhouetted shape of soldier.

“I get the ideas from the internet, or the feather is from my buddy’s tattoo,” Antille said.

His wife, Nicole, said she was glad he’d picked up art after leaving the armed forces.

“He was going to try carving, but I said no, it would make a big mess,” she said with a laugh. “He can do the leather work when he’s watching TV.”

Artist Dan Shouinard has used acrylics and watercolours to depict images of Afghanistan, Diane Kruger has created art using India ink on paper and Allan Harrison has created a wounded warrior out of red oak.

Brown said the city’s military gallery was not created for solely for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), however, donations can be made to assist the soldiers who are suffering with the post-war zone experience at www.2intsenate.org/event-the-steel-spirit.

Prince Harry created the Invictus games in 2014 for wounded and ill soldiers and veterans. In May 2016, 500 competitors from 14 countries took part in the sporting events.

Canada’s Invictus Games open on Sept. 23 in Toronto.

Visit the Steel Spirit military art show at Barrie City Hall Monday to Friday during regular office hours.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2017/09/07/the-steel-spirit-art-show

Veteran who had leg ripped apart by Afghanistan bomb going for gold in Invictus Games

Sept 05, 2017



A VETERAN who had his left leg ripped apart by a bomb in Afghanistan eight years ago has been selected to represent his country in the Invictus Games in Canada this month.

Greg Dunnings, who works for the School of Military which is based on Brewery Lane in Leigh, says he will be going for gold in the indoor rowing and shot put events in Toronto between September 23 and 30.

The 26-year-old will also compete for team GB in the discus and 50 metres freestyle and breaststroke swimming events in the international Paralympic-style games for wounded, injured or sick armed forces personnel and veterans instigated by Prince Harry.

Greg met the prince during the Invictus Games trials in April, where 850 hopefuls were whittled down to a squad of 90.

He is no stranger to competing, having won several strongman competitions in the past and earned a silver medal at the WPC European Powerlifting and Single Lift Championships in Stoke last year.

Now retired from strength events, Greg is looking forward to his latest sporting adventure.

He said: “Sport has always been a big part of my life but to represent my country at such at an international competition will definitely be the highlight of my sporting career.

“At one point I thought I would never be able to do any sport again. It took me two years to recover from the injuries I sustained in Afghanistan.”

Greg was on foot patrol as a guardsman with the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards when an improvised explosive device (IED) left him with horrific injuries to his legs.

A skilled surgeon managed to save his legs but Greg spent four weeks in hospital, four months in a wheelchair and four months on crutches.

His platoon sergeant died in the explosion and another soldier lost both his legs.

Greg, who played rugby for the Army, said: “I was standing directly next to the blast which sent me 20ft into the air and 30ft outwards, shattering my knee and ripping my left leg apart with three rocks the size of an iPhone stuck into my right leg.”

After almost two years of intense rehabilitation ‘and sheer refusal to be beaten’, he returned to the Guards.

But his injuries proved too severe and he was medically discharged in 2014.

He has since worked as a military mentor in schools, using his experience to pass on practical skills to children.

Greg said: “I love teaching the kids and it is great to see them develop and show their leadership.

“The determination and resilience they show on the tasks we do with them is very rewarding to see.”

This summer Greg, who hopes to join the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in January, gained a first-class degree in sports coaching and got married to his 26-year-old partner Emma.

Greg, who is from Preston, said: “Training for the Invictus Games is going really well.

“I have just been on my honeymoon across America for three weeks but I managed to make it to the gym every day to keep myself fit for the games.

“Watching the games on television in the past really inspired me and I cannot wait to go to Canada."

http://www.leighjournal.co.uk/news/15513183.Veteran_who_had_leg_ripped_apart_by_bomb_going_for_gold_in_international_multi_games_event/?ref=rss

Milton veteran finds her way out of the ‘darkness’

Invictus Games provides a path back from injury and depression for Cpl. Kelly Scanlan

By Steve LeBlanc Sept 02, 2017

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Kelly Scanlan takes a break from her cycling training. - Photo courtesy of Canadian Forces Moral and Welfare Services

Cycling her way up a steep climb of Britannia Road, Kelly Scanlan is hit with a powerful realization.

She’s about to make it to the top without the all-consuming physical struggle that had hindered her just a short time ago.

Suddenly the doubt, darkness and feeling of disconnect that’ve gripped her for years make room for something that’s been dormant far too long.

Hope.

“That was a pretty hard knock. The paths you thought you’d be taking are gone and there’s just a dark future. I had this disconnected feeling with life… my friends, family, job. It was like life was going by without you.” — Kelly Scanlan

“I thought — ‘ah, it’s getting easier’. It was a metaphorical moment,” recalls the 26-year-old Miltonian.

That memorable ride is one of many small victories along the path to recovery — both mentally and physically — for the Canadian Armed Forces veteran.

Part of Team Canada’s 90-member contingent for the Invictus Games later this month in Toronto, Cpl. Scanlan was just 18 when she suffered a serious leg injury in a training accident six months before being deployed to Afghanistan in 2010.

The physical demands and emotional toil of that eight-month tour not only caused her injury to worsen, it left her with depression and anxiety disorder.

“Even before I was diagnosed, I knew something was wrong,” said Scanlan, one of the countless victims of what many veterans are now referring to as post-traumatic stress injury.

Coming from a family of police officers, Scanlan was told that her dream of following in mom and dad’s footsteps was no longer realistic.

https://www.insidehalton.com/news-story/7532740-milton-veteran-finds-her-way-out-of-the-darkness-/

Bruce Springsteen to play Invictus Games closing ceremony in Toronto

Aug 28, 2017

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Springsteen added to lineup that includes Bryan Adams, Kelly Clarkson, and Coeur de Pirate

Bruce Springsteen will perform at the closing ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.

Bruce Springsteen will be making a visit to Toronto at the end of September to play the closing ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games.

He'll join artists like Bryan Adams, Kelly Clarkson and Coeur de Pirate in celebrating the wrap of the week-long games, in which wounded, injured and sick veterans compete in a variety of sports.

Prince Harry, Justin Trudeau launch 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto
Invictus Games tickets go on sale as 100-day countdown begins
"It's not just about the hurdles that competitors experienced during competition, but about overcoming the obstacles that life has presented them," said Springsteen in a press release, adding that it will be an "honour and a privilege" to perform.

The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry in 2014, kick off on September 23. The Canadian team is composed of 90 veterans, who will compete alongside troops from 16 other countries.

The closing ceremony will be held on September 30 at the Air Canada Centre.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/springsteen-invictus-games-1.4264761

Invictus Games flag makes its stop in Calgary on 37-day cross-country tour

ALANNA SMITH Aug 23, 2017\

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Wounded soldiers may have left the battle but they continue their fight in a different arena.

Ninety Canadian Armed Forces veterans, who are facing life-changing physical or mental injuries, are competing on an international stage against 17 nations at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.

Before the games begin on Sept. 23, the official games flag will travel with 150 flagbearers from coast-to-coast to honour wounded warriors and spread the word of Canada's battle for gold.

On Wednesday the flag stopped in Calgary and was passed to Capt. Rita Richter who will travel with it to Red Deer.

Richter has been in the army for 20 years and serves with the 41 Canadian Brigade Group. She volunteered to take part in the cross-country flag tour to show support for her brothers and sisters in arms in their road to recovery.

“They’ve created a team with Invictus but they are still part of our team," she said. It helps break the stigma of mental health and show how incredible these athletes are, said Richter.

The games will see over 550 athletes compete in 12 adaptive sports, which are competitive sports for individuals with disabilities.

Competitors will go for gold in archery, cycling, golf, indoor rowing, powerlifting, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair basketball, rugby and tennis, athletics (track and throwing) and the Jaguar Land Rover driving challenge — which is a vehicle obstacle course.

"Invictus means unconquered," said Ivan Wanis-Ruiz, spokesperson for the Invictus Games. "The goal of Invictus, since its inception in 2014, is to show that although our wounded warriors have been injured, they are unconquered."

At the Calgary celebration, about 50 members of the Canadian forces were at the announcement.

"The service members that show up are so excited about the games. I sometimes ask 'how many of you know someone who has been wounded?' Every single person puts their hand up," said Wanis-Ruiz. "They come here not knowing what to expect but leave here excited because they know they aren't going to be forgotten."

He said the 37-day cross-country flag tour is an opportunity for service members and civilians to come together and support soldiers and understand the immeasurable impact of war and conflict.

"In the last eight days we've met several Invictus athletes from Team Canada. Each and every one of them a wounded warrior. The only thing they talk about is this — they say 'before I had this, I felt alone. I didn't feel like anyone had my back,'" said Wanis-Ruiz.

Richter, whose husband suffers from PTSD, said they felt the same loneliness when he was first diagnosed. She said events like Invictus help break down the stigma.

Four athletes on Team Canada are representing Alberta.

Both Kevin Nanson and Lorne Ford are from Gibbons, just outside of Edmonton. Hanson is training in golf, track and field and wheelchair rugby, while Lorne Ford will be going for gold in rowing and wheelchair rugby.

Both Melanie Harris, from Edmonton, and Rob Sanders, from Langdon, will be competing in archery and sitting volleyball.

The fierce competition runs from Sept. 23 to 30 in Toronto.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/08/23/invictus-games-flag-makes-its-stop-in-calgary-on-37-day-cross-country-tour

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Prince Harry’s Invictus Games Toronto Explained

By Clare Douglas Aug 23, 2017

In one month’s time, Prince Harry will officially kick off the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto. The Paralympic-style sporting event for wounded soldiers will take over the city from Sept. 23 – 30. This is Harry’s third instalment of the event, after successful tournaments in London and Orlando.

The 32-year-old has been dedicated to raising awareness for veterans since he retired from the army in 2015. Much of his charitable work has centered around improving the mental and physical health of those who fought for their countries. The Invictus Games are one way in which the royal hopes to inspire service men and women around the world to conquer any challenges they face following their time in the armed forces. Read on to discover more about the sporting event and why Prince Harry wants you to pay attention to its incredible athletes.

What are the Invictus Games?

Prince Harry was inspired to create the Invictus Games after attending the Warrior Games in the US back in 2013. While there, the royal watched wounded service men and women show off their strength while playing a series of sports. Being that the UK didn't have a similar program, Harry decided to spearhead an international version of the sporting tournament. The inaugural Invictus Games took place in London in the fall of 2014.


Harry congratulates athletes in Orlando.

Harry describes the event as follows: "These Games shine a spotlight on the unconquerable character of servicemen and women and their families. They highlight the competitors’ “INVICTUS GAMES spirit.” These Games have been about seeing competitors sprinting for the finish line with everything they have and then turning around to clap the last person in. They have been about teammates choosing to cross the line together. These Games have been a display of the very best of the human spirit."

Who participates in the tournament?

Invictus Games Toronto will see 550 athletes from 17 nations compete in 12 sports. Countries being represented include: Afghanistan, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the US.


Prince Harry visited Toronto in spring 2016 to kick off the countdown to the games.

Why did Prince Harry choose Toronto to host this year's event?

Early last year, Prince Harry made the exciting announcement that he was bringing the Games to Toronto in Sept 2017. In a taped video message, the royal explained why Canada was the perfect place to host this year's competition. "2017 is a year steeped in rich Canadian military history, marking the anniversaries of historic battles that shaped and defined the nation. It's also the year when Canada will commemorate it's 150th year of Confederation," he said. "I cannot think of a better way to mark this milestone than by paying tribute to the soldiers and veterans who have served their country so bravely."

Alessia Cara and Kelly Clarkson will perform at the opening and closing ceremonies, respectively.

Who is performing during the opening and closing ceremonies?

The royal has recruited some top Canadian talent to participate in the Games' opening and closing ceremonies. Sarah McLachlan, Alessia Cara, The Tenors and La Bottine Souriante will headline the kick off the tournament on Sept 7 and Kelly Clarkson, Bryan Adams Bachman & Turner and Coeur de Pirate will wrap up the festivities on Sept 30.

For more information about Invictus Games Toronto and to find out how you can buy tickets, visit invictusgames2017.com.

http://ca.hellomagazine.com/royalty/02017082338184/prince-harry-invictus-games-details

Vancouver veteran gets set to compete in Invictus Games

Pearce Bourassa, who served in both the army and the navy, will compete in tennis, cycling and athletics

JESSICA KERR / VANCOUVER COURIER

AUGUST 22, 2017 02:00 AM

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Pearce Bourassa competes in wheelchair tennis, cycling and athletics in the third annual Invictus Games in Toronto next month.

Vancouver’s Pearce Bourassa says sport has been instrumental in helping him deal with his post-traumatic stress disorder.

He will celebrate sport on the world stage next month as he competes in the third annual Invictus Games in Toronto.

“Since being part of Team Canada and Invictus and getting back into sport, I find that it just amplifies the therapy that you’ve been going through all the years,” he said. “The therapy is one thing but to add sport on top of it… before the therapy I found that I was at a minus 10 and through therapy I got to a zero, but now through sport I feel like I’m at a zero going to a plus 10.”

The Invictus Games was started in 2014 by Prince Harry after he saw the U.S.-based Warrior Games for wounded, ill and injured military personnel and veterans. He was inspired to create an international version. The first Invictus Games was held in London in the fall of 2014. It attracted more than 400 competitors from 13 nations. The second games in 2016, which took place in Orlando, Fla., included more than 500 competitors from 14 countries.

This year’s event is expected to be even bigger with more than 550 competitors from 17 nations.

The event aims to help currently serving members and veterans in overcoming physical and/or mental health illness or injury through adaptive sport.

Bourassa is a veteran of both the army and the navy — serving for five years in each.

In 2008, he was deployed to Afghanistan. Five years later, in 2013 he was diagnosed with PTSD based on his tour. Two years later, he was medically released from the navy.

The Medicine Hat native, who moved to Vancouver two years ago after serving in Victoria, has always been into sports.

“Growing up, I played a lot of hockey and I was on some school teams,” he said, adding he did a lot of biking.

When he was released from the navy, he heard about Soldier On, an organization that helps ill and injured members of the military recover through sport. Through Soldier On, he heard about the Invictus Games.

He was waffling on whether or not he should apply, but took the plunge after some coaxing from his wife. He was initially placed on the reserve list but about a week before the first training camp in Victoria in April he got word he was on the team.

Bourassa will be competing in cycling, the 400 and 1500-metre races, and wheelchair tennis.

“I don’t need a wheelchair but they need people on their team,” he said. “So our coach, who is the coach at Wheelchair Tennis Canada, got me involved with getting myself set up with a wheelchair.”

While he’s played other racquet sports, Bourassa said he’s never played tennis before so he’s had to learn the game as well as learn how to use a wheelchair.

“I kinda just jumped in. I took this Invictus thing as a way to just jump in and see where I land,” he said.

In addition to competing in three sports, Bourassa has been chosen as the flag bearer for Canada. He received the flag Saturday at the PNE at the launch of the National Flag Tour.

The tour will make its way across the country visiting military bases, legions and communities that have been a part of Canada’s 150-year history.

The Invictus Games runs Sept. 23 to 30.

http://twitter.com/JessicaEKerr

jkerr@vancourier.com

http://www.vancourier.com/sports/vancouver-veteran-gets-set-to-compete-in-invictus-games-1.22068350