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Army Veteran Helps Soldiers Find Way Back to True Selves

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At 6 feet 2 inches tall, Army veteran Sarah Hughbanks, who is volunteering as an assistant coach at the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games Army Trials for sitting volleyball, has a bird’s-eye view of wounded warriors on the volleyball court. She also has a clear view of what sitting volleyball and other adaptive sports can bring to the lives of wounded, ill and injured soldiers.

A volunteer sitting volleyball coach, helps a player with her float serve during practice for the Army Trials at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Army veteran Sarah Hughbanks, right, volunteer assistant sitting volleyball coach, helps Army Master Sgt. Jovan Bowser with her float serve during practice for the Army Trials at Fort Bliss, Texas, March 6, 2018. More than four dozen wounded, ill, and injured athletes are participating in the 2018 Army Trials March 2-9, hoping to earn a spot on Team Army for the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games, June 2-9 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Courtesy photo
A volunteer sitting volleyball coach, helps a player with her float serve during practice for the Army Trials at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Float Serve
Army veteran Sarah Hughbanks, right, volunteer assistant sitting volleyball coach, helps Army Master Sgt. Jovan Bowser with her float serve during practice for the Army Trials at Fort Bliss, Texas, March 6, 2018. More than four dozen wounded, ill, and injured athletes are participating in the 2018 Army Trials March 2-9, hoping to earn a spot on Team Army for the 2018 Department of Defense Warrior Games, June 2-9 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Courtesy photo
Photo By: Courtesy photo
VIRIN: 180306-A-LF500-0001

“After injuries, some veterans may feel as if they’ve lost opportunities, but things like volleyball can be part of their journey to find their way back to their true self and help them realize they can conquer anything put in front of them,” Hughbanks said.

Her own connection and love of sports began at the tender age of 4. She learned the fundamentals of sports from her father while she was growing up in Idaho.

“My dad was a big baseball person, so when I came along he started teaching me how to throw a baseball. That basically helped me develop my hand-eye coordination early on,” Hughbanks said.

“I started out playing softball and, of course, basketball, because I was so tall. I made the volleyball team in high school, but I was terrible. I believe it was the height and eye coordination that helped secure my position,” she laughed while recalling her first experience with the sport.

A Welcome Challenge

Hughbanks has come a long way since those high school days. After being honorably discharged from the Army, she eventually found her way to coaching volleyball. “I believe I have a special talent for coaching volleyball. Understanding the game and finding new ways of teaching it is a welcome challenge. I know I have a gift, and when you have a gift, you have to share it with somebody.”

After a stint coaching at a high school, she was recruited to coach the Armed Forces Volleyball Team at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. While coaching at West Point, Hughbanks volunteered to help coach the Army’s sitting volleyball team there during the 2016 DoD Warrior Games. She enjoyed the experience and made an impression on Team Army sitting volleyball coach Linda Gomez.

“I loved Sarah’s energy and spirit,” Gomez said. “We talked about adaptive sports and her having been in the Army. She fits into my philosophy of working hard and staying humble. She takes direction very well and from a leadership standpoint to administrative things she just gets it. She’s a hard worker.

Labor of Love

“This is a labor of love,” she continued, “and we have to remember who we’re serving and we’re always on the same page. She’s been a godsend, and I just think she’s a phenomenal person.”

Hughbanks will tell you that sitting volleyball is much harder than standing volleyball because the ball comes at you so much faster. Your hand-eye coordination has to be spot on, and that’s a challenge. But teaching players to overcome that challenge is very personal for Hughbanks.

“I’ve had battle buddies that have committed suicide,” she said. “I think volleyball, or other sports and activities, can help people connect to something and maybe help them not feel like they should make that decision. I can see it in their faces when they get it. When it all clicks and it comes together and they begin to understand the sport and that connection is made, this is definitely not just about sports or volleyball.”

Hughbanks said she takes particular pride in teaching a sport she loves to soldiers who have never played and seeing them fall in love with the game as she did.

“Knowing that many of the soldiers did not play the sport before they got injured and watching them find a love for it is incredible,” she added. “I love to see the light in their eyes. It’s gratifying to watch them play so hard and know you’ve played a part in this life-changing moment. It’s wonderful.”

Hughbanks said she has enjoyed playing a part in those wounded, ill and injured soldiers lives’ as they compete at the 2018 Army Trials and that she hopes to come back and help coach at the 2018 DoD Warrior Games, June 2-9 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She also hopes to get more involved in coaching sitting volleyball. She’s emotional about the impact of adaptive sports.

“I believe veterans dealing with injuries often feel as if they’re going to miss out on opportunities, but adaptive sports provide an outlet for them to find their way back to their true self. It’s a beautiful journey, and I’m lucky to be part of it.”

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