Strengthening Veteran Community with the Sport of Pickleball

The nonprofit organization, Military Adaptive Courts Sport, has partnered with Lifetime Fitness in Colorado Springs to introduce veterans to the sport of pickleball. The initiative aims to help veterans stay active, foster community, and share experiences from their time in service. 

Key Points: 

1. Military Adaptive Courts Sport is a nonprofit that offers programs for pickleball, racquetball, and badminton for veterans, and is working with Life Time Fitness to provide a top-quality facility for veterans to engage with these sports.
2. The program encourages veterans to socialize, stay active, and build community around a shared interest.
3. Veterans participating in the program range in age and skill level but share a common appreciation for the sport, finding it an enjoyable distraction from life stresses.
4. Participant Bruce Hutcheon emphasizes that these types of programs can be lifesaving for veterans, noting that 22 veterans a day commit suicide, and activities like this can help build supportive communities.
5. Many of the veterans, like Steven Hutchcraft, intend to continue playing the sport, highlighting the program’s success in promoting an active lifestyle among veterans.

Source: https://www.fox21news.com/news/veterans-form-connections-through-pickleball/