WINDHAM, N.Y. – The Adaptive Sports Foundation will be hosting its 19th annual Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion® Winter Sports Weekend next week from Thursday, January 26-Sunday, January 29.

The Warriors in Motion (WIM) program provides participating injured United States servicemen and women with a basic knowledge and practice of wellness and the importance of lifelong healthy living. All Warriors in Motion programs are goal-oriented and empower the warrior to take charge of their own fitness and wellness. One of the many things that makes this weekend special is that the warriors who will be joining the ASF are able to bring their families along for ski and snowboard lessons as well.

United States Army veteran Richard Phillips will be joining the ASF from Virginia, and he’s looking forward to his trip up to Windham. “The camaraderie, the fellowship, the conversations, the stories and meeting other veterans and their families, it’s all great,” Phillips said.

“My wife is coming with me and it’s a great thing. She’ll see the togetherness of the veterans and the camaraderie. Also, I can laugh at her if she falls, and I won’t get in trouble.” Phillips added with a laugh.

15 veterans and their families will arrive at Windham on Thursday evening to begin their four-day winter excursion. The trip will begin with equipment fitting, where they’ll receive the proper adaptive equipment and the skis and snowboards they’ll be using all weekend, making sure that everything fits properly and comfortably for three days of hitting the slopes. After everyone gets situated, the warriors and their families will then dine in the Gwen Allard Adaptive Sports Center for a catered dinner.

Friday will be a special day for the veterans. Not only will they hit the slopes for the first time for morning lessons, but the ASF and Windham Mountain will host a special lunch in Seasons, located on the third floor of the Windham base lodge, honoring the warriors and their service in the U.S. Military.

The ASF has invited special guests to speak at the event, including New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey. She, along with other honorary guests, will have a chance to say a few words and to mingle with the Warriors in Motion. The Windham-Ashland-Jewett Elementary Chorus will be on hand to sing patriotic songs to kick off the celebration as well.  The lunch will take place from 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m., and when it’s over, the soldiers and their families will hit the slopes again for their afternoon lessons. For dinner on Friday, the WIM participants will be hosted by Marc Farmilette and VFW Post 1545 in Windham for a meal catered by Main Street Market.

The warriors will have another full day on the snow on Saturday, as they’ll receive lessons both in the morning and the afternoon. The lessons will be separated by a lunch in the ASF lodge. When their final lessons of the day are over, the participants will be able to head back to their hotel rooms to wind down and relax after a second-straight day full of skiing and snowboarding before hitting the town again for dinner at Chicken Run.

On Sunday, the final day of the Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion Winter Sports Weekend, the veterans and their families will have one last lesson in the morning before they enjoy a lunch in the ASF lodge and depart back to their homes.

Phillips, an amputee, knows that getting out there on a snowboard will be difficult, but he’s ready for the challenge. “Balance is my main concern, but I’m just looking to have a good time and getting rid of the fear of falling,” he said. “I’ll take my time, I may need to be held up for a while, but we’re going to see what we can do. It’s something I want to do, because I miss being active.”

Beginning in 2021, the ASF renamed its Warriors in Motion Lean to Ski and Ride event to the Bob Stubbs Warriors in Motion Winter Sports Weekend to honor the memory of Bob Stubbs, a former Chairman of the ASF Board of Trustees, who passed away in 2020. Stubbs, a U.S. Army veteran himself, was one of the first ASF donors to ensure that wounded warriors had everything they needed for a weekend of fun and empowerment on the slopes. He and his wife Rosie would attend many of the WIM events the ASF held, and often the couple would build friendships with the participants.

Thanks to our generous donors, the ASF will be able to provide all lessons, equipment rentals, meals, hotel rooms, snacks and drinks. If you’d like to donate to the many programs the Adaptive Sports Foundation has to offer, click here.