Self-confidence through sports

Army National Guard Spc. Joe Gracia held a water-skiing rope with one hand and waved at a cheering crowd as he coasted by on an adaptive water-ski Wednesday in Pleasant Grove.

His right leg was amputated above the knee while serving in Afghanistan. Gracia was one of 13 recently disabled veterans who came to Stillwater Lake to gain self-confidence through sports.

Disabled Sports USA Far West raised $70,000 from corporate sponsors to get the men out of rehabilitation hospitals and back outside and involved with the community.

The veterans will also play wheelchair softball, go whitewater rafting and golf, said Matt Strugar-Fritsch, communications coordinator for the nonprofit organization.

"I'm doin' things now that I didn't do with two legs," Gracia said smiling.

Gracia, 39, of Phoenix ran over an improvised explosive device in a Humvee in Afghanistan. The September 2007 blast launched him more than 20 feet in the air. His right leg was amputated above the knee, he had a traumatic brain injury and at least 15 surgeries to fix his left leg, Gracia said.

"Unfortunately, there's gonna be more people after me that are gonna need this too," he said.

He's spent eight months rehabilitating in the Navy hospital in San Diego and learning how to use a prosthetic leg, which he can use for about 30 minutes or 200 yards before exhausting the muscles in his left leg. Sometimes he uses his wheelchair.

Since the accident, Gracia has been kayaking and adaptive skiing. Now he goes out dancing with veterans and friends.

"Sometimes I go to a place in my wheelchair and dance from my waist up," Gracia said.

Army Sgt. Brandon Vilt, 21, said he's also been dancing since his left leg was amputated above the knee.

In November 2006, a vehicle crashed into Vilt's checkpoint in Tikrit, Iraq, knocking over a concrete barrier and crushing his left leg.

"I've been dancing, and I haven't fallen yet," Vilt said, smiling under sunglasses and a cream cowboy hat.

Retired Army Sgt. Jason Waterhouse joked about being blind. After almost 17 years in the Army, he was hit by a rocket- propelled grenade in Afghanistan, causing blindness, shrapnel injuries and a brain injury, leading to epilepsy.

His wife of 16 years, Suzetta, leads him around most of the time, although he keeps a stick with him. Suzetta said she was nervous Wednesday to let him go water-skiing.

The also went tandem cycling Wednesday — Suzetta drove.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steve Peace had a stroke in October 2006 in San Diego. He wasn't able to speak until about six months ago and has partial paralysis of his right side. He used to bicycle, play football, baseball and basketball. Since the accident he went adaptive snow skiing and adaptive cycling, he said.

Peace, 34, cycled and water skied Wednesday. Although he was 50 percent nervous, 50 percent excited before water-skiing, he said it was a "blast" and challenging.

"I couldn't believe it when I was out there," Peace said. "Someone put a lot of work into this."

Accomplishing challenging activities helps the disabled men to think about what they can do, not what they can't, Strugar-Fritsch said.

"Regardless of ability or disability, if you can show somebody how to do something that they previously thought was impossible, their life is going to change in a powerful way," he said. "That's what we're out here to do."

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Katy Sweeny at 741-2400 or ksweeny@appealdemocrat.com