Photo By Pfc. Dominique Dixon | U.S. Army retired Staff Sgt. Beth King paticipates in the track event of the...... read more read more
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Turbo, charged and ready for anything!
By MaryTherese Griffin, Army Warrior Care and Transition
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --U.S. Army retired Staff Sgt. Beth King says she is always ready for anything good, bad or indifferent. Having made the Army’s 2019 Department of Defense Warrior Games team, the former helicopter crew chief has found a new way to embrace life’s adversities, especially here at the DoD Warrior Games.
“I can’t speak for anyone else but these games are incredibly important to me as they are what helped me to shift my view from thinking that I lost everything, to looking for a new way to do old activities and realizing that I can still be an athlete,” said King.
As an athlete, she competes in rowing, recumbent cycling, and shotput. Pretty amazing feats since she was injured when a rocket propelled grenade hit her helicopter July 25, 2011 in Afghanistan. She sustained brain, jaw and spinal injuries from the blast. “I want to show people that although when I was first injured, it felt like I was losing so much that in reality my career was the only true loss. I just needed to find a new way for everything else,” she added.
The lifelong cycle enthusiast, affectionately called “Turbo” by her teammates, had to switch to a recumbent bike due to her injuries. She says she has grown as an athlete and a recovering Soldier.
“Since Army Trials I feel like I am more confident overall but also have come to realize I am not just a cyclist, I am more willing to try sports I thought were not possible such as track and field.” Since Army Trials and with some practice, she definitely made shot put possible by winning the gold medal for her classification here at the Warrior Games.
Things were not all peaches and cream for King as she had a mishap while competing in a team relay on the track over the weekend on her recumbent. “I was disappointed with fumbling the hand off but overall I can’t complain. I only had three hours in the chair going into it but I do have a better idea of what I need to work on for next year,” she said with a winning attitude.
“I am honored to be here and look forward to competing strong and earning some more medals for Team Army.”
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2019 09:10 |
| Story ID: | 329013 |
| Location: | TAMPA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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