Wilmington Advocate

For veterans, a different way to heal

By Doug Hastings

He's a lawyer by day and his part-time job is about as motivating as they come, he teaches indoor cycling, better known as "spinning," at several Boston Sports Club locations.

While Bakinowski enjoys encouraging people to sweat, have fun and stay or get in shape, it's motivation of a different kind that made this summer one of Bakinowski's most memorable.

Along with a group of other volunteers, Bakinowski and a company called AccesSportAmerica, a national non-profit organization that inspires higher function and fitness for children and adults of all disabilities through high-challenge sports helped disabled veterans learn several water sports including canoeing, kayaking, rowing and adaptive wind surfing.

While AccesSportAmerica has been around since 1995 helping all ages and walks of life, this pilot program, specific to veterans, was a big success according to those that helped coordinate it.

"We can only imagine the private battles these guys wage at night," said Ross Lilley, the Executive Director of AccesSportAmerica. "But on the water and during the day, a lot of that seems to go away."

"Getting people from their wheelchairs into boats over 20 years has been a real thrill," Bakinowski said. "The fact that being out of a chair even for an hour a month can be so 'freeing' is very powerful."

Power.

For many veterans, becoming a soldier was an exciting and rewarding step in their lives. For those that returned injured, some paralyzed and some without limbs, the journey through life can become both disheartening and depressing. Bakinowski, a Lincoln resident, has seen this first-hand.

"For several vets I know who came back from Iraq with serious injuries, to the extent they can't walk, getting into a boat can be one of the best ways they can reduce stress and depression," he said.

"These sports win people over fairly quickly," Lilley said.

The new chapter in the 13-year history of AccesSportAmerica was a few years in the making before the company finally approached Veteran Administration (VA) Hospitals in Bedford and West Roxbury, the New England Paralyzed Veterans of America and a VA hospital in N.H. about heading out onto the water.

The first trip to the Community Rowing Boat House on the Charles River in June attracted only three or four veterans from Bedford. By the time the sixth Friday afternoon venture arrived, the group had nearly quadrupled in size.

"It's hard to get veteran groups to come out in mass for whatever reason," Lilley said.

But slowly, it's working.

"The [Bedford] VA did a nice job with these guys," said Lilly. "[VA employees] have been fully participating as well."

"This is kind of a cool program," said Bakinowski. "Five or six of the guys that participated were in wheelchairs, but they were having a lot of fun. It was great."

Bakinowski did his part too, helping raise more than $6,000 through charity cycling classes that helps fund bringing disabled vets to and from the sites at the Charles River and behind the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston.

Gary Piantedosi, an Acton resident and a former Olympic rower (1976 in Montreal), is another volunteer. Piantedosi, who owns his own business making rowing gear, helps instruct veterans on the finer points of many water sports.

"The volunteers do an awful lot," Lilley said, "and don't expect anything in return."

Piantedosi, 55, has providing AcesSportAmerica with equipment since its inception.

"I was very inspired by Ross," Piantedosi said. "My goal was to someday do a veterans program somewhere. I was compelled to do this."

Piantedosi runs his own program at Community Rowing that is also specific to veterans. While AcesSportAmerica offers many different activities on the water, Piantedosi's group at Community Rowing is only rowing.

"I thought it would be easier to track down [veterans] for programs like these," said Piantedosi. "It's a free program and we're not trying to sell anything, we're trying to reach out."

The sports on the water, Lilley says, are popular for several different reasons.

"A lot of times these are sports people haven't tried before so they don't have any expectations," he said. "And pretty quickly, you get people thinking they can do more."

Lilley also stresses the importance of getting the veterans to participate in the activities instead of simply riding on a boat with others doing all of the work.

"No rides, that's our motto," Lilley said with a smile. "We like sustained physical activity. We like to build up a skill set over time and have people learn skills that mean something rather than a one-shot, one-day event. You have to participate, you have to paddle, you're not going to feel good about yourself if you just sit."

The trips out on the water last for about two hours and each boat included both veterans and volunteers.

"It was a cool group," Lilly said. "A lot of people think about the most-recently injured soldiers, but there are a host of people from other wars that have been forgotten. We ranged from guys in their early 20s to guys that were 80-something. The younger kids were more adventurous, they liked to get wet."

"A lot of bonding happens between the participants," Bakinowski said. "That is fun to see."

Lilley, a long-time minister that started with AccesSportAmerica as a volunteer before it became his full-time passion, says the rewards came quickly.

"I heard [a veteran] say that this was the greatest thing and they wanted to do it for the rest of their life," he said. "You could just see people opening up. I love getting to know people, and building a community is one of our biggest tools."

"All of them are great guys," said Piantedosi. "Early on, most of the guys were World War II vets, which means they were over 85 years old, and they just loved it on the water. They learned something and they got a good workout."

The good news doesn't end when the cold weather arrives. AccesSportAmerica has plans to go to Harvard University in Cambridge in October to use the indoor track there. Adaptive soccer and tennis are also on the agenda.

While VA Hospitals were a natural fit for an activity such as this, Lilley encourages other vets with disabilities to participate. Becoming involved is simple and can be done either through the computer or by telephone.

Lilley is confident that anyone in need of a boost or some enjoyable physical activity won't be disappointed.

"Every session, something wonderful and miraculous happened," Lilley added, "something that goes way over what you ever expected -- that's what drives it."