Paralympic Hero for Team USA - Brad Snyder

Do know much about the Paralympics?  If not, you should.  This quadrennial event is getting bigger.  This year is the biggest ever: 4,280 athletes from 165 countries competing.

During the 2012 London Olympics, we featured Police, Fire, EMS and Military soldiers who competed for Team USA.

Now, in these 2012 London Paralympics, Team USA has 227 members - 20 are US Military veterans and 6 of them were hurt while serving our country.

The Paralympic stories are amazing!  Here's one of them.

Brad Snyder started swimming in St Petersburg, Florida when he was 11 years old.  He continued as a club and high school swimmer.  He eventually joined the Navy and was captain of the 2005-2006 Naval Academy swim team.

After graduating from the Naval Academy he became a bomb defusing specialist with the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Mobile Unit 12.

Brad was deployed to Afghanistan.  In September 2011 he was working with another bomb defusing specialist and a group of Afghan soldiers.  They were sweeping a section of land in a "particularly bad neighborhood" to look for suspicious signs of booby-trap bombs.  One of the Afghan soldiers stepped on a homemade bomb, which immediately and traumatically amputated the legs of he and another Afghan soldier.

Brad responded to help them, and in doing so he stepped on a second bomb.  He thought he had died, but he briefly looked down to see his whole body intact.  This was his last sight.  The next event he remembers is waking up at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda.  Several days after his injury he was advised that he would not see again.  He now has two glass eyes.

Part of how Brad has recovered is by jumping back in the swimming pool.  It turns out his swim times qualified him for some financial support and travel expenses.  Of course his training has not been without its challenges.  He practices with sleeves on his arms due to his arms repeatedly hitting the swim lane barriers.  And he's had a few painful crashes into the cement lane ending due to not flipping over soon enough.

Brad is now 28 years old, and competing in the 2012 London Paralympics for Team USA Swimming.  In fact, he will compete in his best race - the 400-meter freestyle - on the one year anniversary of his accident (Sep 7th).

Brad said, "Its going to be a pretty amazing experience to compete on that day.  To me, it means I conquered blindness.  I won!"

Follow Brad's schedule at the 2012 London Paralympics here

And check out this amazing video of Brad winning a Gold Medal in the 100m Freestyle!!!

Army Sergeant and Pistol Champ - Daryl Szarenski

US Army Sergeant Daryl Szarenski is a top performing Pistol Shooter and part of the US Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP).  Dennis has a long history of representing Team USA Shooting.  In fact, this is his 4th trip to the Olympics!!

Dennis' accomplishments include:

• 2-time Pan Am Games Champion
• 3-time USA Shooting Pistol Shooter of the Year
• 3-time All American
• 4-time Olympic Team Member
• 5-time World Championship Team Member
• 7-time USA National Champion

As an expert marksman for the US Army, Dennis has proven his enduring skill over many years.  It's even a family thing - his wife (Amy) is a former member of the USA Shooting team!

Dennis started shooting as a youngster in the late 1970s when his father entered him in a junior shooting program.  He went on to Tennessee Tech University as a pistol and rifle shooter on scholarship.

Dennis' competitions in the 2012 London Olympics have been completed.  He shot in the Mens 50m Pistol event and the Mens 10m Air Pistol event.  He represented Team USA, and the US Army, proudly!

Hats off to Dennis!  Go Team USA!!

And check out this video of Dennis earning a Gold medal at the ISSF World Cup 2010...

Army Sergeant Shoots to Olympic Gold - Vincent Hancock

We have mentioned several members from the Public Safety community who are competing in the 2012 London Olympics - an EMT, Firefighter, Police Officer and Army Soldiers.  One has already earned a Gold medal - Kayla Harrison.  Here's another Gold medal winner!!

Vincent Hancock won his first World Championship in Skeet Shooting when he was 16 years old (in 2005)!  Now at 23 years old he has 2 Olympic Gold medals!!  Here's a look at his history of Gold medals, this does not include the long list of additional medals he has earned:

• 2005 Championship of the Americas - Gold (tied World Record)
• 2005 World Cup Changwon - Gold (set World Record)
• 2005 World Championship - Gold
• 2006 Spring Selection - Gold
• 2007 Fall Selection - Gold
• 2007 World Cup Italy - Gold (set World Record)
• 2007 Pan Am Games - Gold
• 2008 World Cup Suhl - Gold
• 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS - GOLD (set Olympic Record)
• 2009 National Championship - Gold
• 2009 World Championship - Gold
• 2010 National Championship - Gold
• 2010 Fall Selection - Gold
• 2011 Pan Am Games - Gold
• 2012 National Championship - Gold
• 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS - GOLD (set Olympic Record)

Vincent is the first Olympian to win back-to-back Gold medals in the Skeet Shooting event.  He broke his own Olympic Record to win this Gold by hitting 123 of 125 targets in Qualifying, and nearly achieved overall perfection by hitting all 25 targets in the Final for a total score = 148 of 150.

Vincent is stationed in Fort Benning, GA where he is a Sergeant with the US Army Marksmanship Unit.  He is also married with two children.

CONGRATS to Vincent and Go Team USA!!

Celebrate with Vincent and watch this video of him talk about winning Olympic Gold (again!) for Team USA!!

Pentathlete and US Army Soldier - Dennis Bowsher

If you don't know about the Modern Pentathlon, here's a quick lesson.

The Modern Pentathlon has 5 events:

• Fencing
• Shooting
• Equestrian
• Swimming
• Running

It was created in 1912 for the Olympics that year.  At the time it represented the skills of an ideal soldier - one who could fight with a sword, fight with a pistol, ride a horse, swim and run.  This year, the Modern Pentathlon celebrates 100 years of continuous competition in the Olympic Games!

Team USA is sending an Army soldier and accomplished Pentathlete to represent us - Dennis Bowsher.  Dennis has several medals in national competition:

• Gold - 2005 US National Championships
• Bronze - 2006 US National Championships
• Gold - 2007 US National Championships
• Gold - 2009 US National Championships
• Bronze - 2010 US National Championships
• Gold - 2011 US National Championships

Dennis lives in Colorado Springs where he trains at the US Olympic Complex.  His dream has always been to qualify for the Olympics, and this year he did!!

As a soldier, Dennis is part of the Army's World Class Athlete Program - which sent 11 athletes to the 2012 London Olympics!  Dennis first enlisted in the US Army in 2005, and currently serves as a Specialist (SPC).

To support his community in Colorado Springs, Dennis took time last month to join other athletes who were visiting victims of the devastating Colorado Wildfires.

Go Dennis and Go Team USA!!!

The Modern Pentathlon gets going Saturday, Aug 11th

Check out this personal video from Dennis about his sport...