This article is sponsored by Citi
Carlos Leon has never hung his head or even thought about feeling sorry for himself.
The 27-year old Paralympian shot put and discus athlete is a former U.S. Marine, but it wasn?t an injury in the line of duty that forced him to relearn how to use his limbs. After a successful tour in Iraq in 2005, Carlos returned to the United States. Visiting Hawaii?s Ala Moana Beach Park in Waikiki, he suffered a blow to the head in a diving accident that paralyzed him from the neck down.
?I was lucky because I had great support from the beginning, which helped keep me from ever being depressed,? Carlos said. ?It was a tough pill to swallow at age 20 and because I was a Marine, which makes you part of an elite group, you think that you?re invincible and then you find out otherwise. But, because I rehabilitated psychologically very quickly, I?ve been able to go on and work hard and embrace the hurt.?
His background as a Marine has helped him with his ?embrace the hurt? mentality, dealing with the pain that goes along with a Paralympic training regiment. Carlos, who hails from North Lauderdale, Fla., took the pain of his initial recovery in silence, too, and eventually was able to begin toning his muscles and regain strength.
Just six months after the accident, a conversation with Paralympian Gabe Diaz de Leon would change his life and send him on a path toward taking advantage of sports programs offered by the Veterans Administration in conjunction with U.S. Paralympics.
For many injured veterans like Carlos, the Warrior Games are an introduction to the world of Paralympic sports and a life-changing experience. The Warrior Games are a competition among wounded, ill and injured servicemen and women from all branches of the military. They come together to show off their fighting spirit and compete in several different sports, including track and field.
?Right away they were saying I had talent and recognized that I was willing to train,? Carlos said. ?Right away I wanted to be a Paralympian. That was late 2005 and in 2007 I made my first Para Pan American team. I was shocked at how na?ve I was to not have known before that this world of athletics existed. I thought it was incredible to see what those athletes can do and it just made me believe even more in what I could do.?
Carlos trains daily for his sport. His day-by-day approach to working out at a gym near his home in Palm Beach has him ?focusing on the process.?
?It?s the process that matters most,? Leon said. ?It?s about good warm ups and good cool downs, stretching and pushing myself. I love working out until my muscles are screaming for me to stop. I work out to hit the wall, and if I?m not hitting the wall of what I can do, I?m not doing it right. I call it bonking out and I love it.?
Carlos made the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, but unfortunately didn?t make the team for 2012. While he recognizes his days as a Paralympian may be numbered, he isn?t prepared to face a life without athletics.?
?It?s been a crazy ride and I?m still riding that wave,? Carlos said. ?If I step down from being a professional athlete afterwards I don?t think I?ll ever stop being athletic. This has consumed me.
Carlos has chosen to support the Warrior Games through Citi?s unique Every Step of the WaySM program. This allows him to raise funds for a competition that has evolved from the early VA sport programs that helped inspire him. The games pit disabled veterans of the five branches of service against each other in an all-out competition to see which branch is the best in everything from shooting to track and field and power lifting.
?It?s a serious deal for these competitors,? Carlos said. ?For some of them, it?s all they have to keep from getting depressed, so indirectly it?s saving these people. I was a part of the first military sports camp which has evolved into this. I know personally that it can give you something to live for.??
Carlos is one of 13 athletes whom Citi is sponsoring in its Every Step of the WaySMprogram. This innovative digital program benefits U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls and athletes of all ages in communities across America by allowing fans to help allocate Citi?s ThankYou? Points to Sport Programs through activity on Facebook and Twitter, thereby giving Team Citi athletes the chance to say "thank you" to the Sport Programs that have inspired them.
Citi, a corporate sponsor of Team USA and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), has launched its Every Step of the Wayprogram with a $500,000 donation to the USOC, represented by 50 million ThankYou? Points - the currency of Citi ThankYou Rewards. The unique Every Step of the Way program allows fans to help allocate these ThankYou Points to Sport Programs through activity on Facebook and Twitter.
The more fans participate through Facebook and Twitter, the more ThankYou Points they can direct to their Sport Program of choice, until its goal is reached. At the end of the program, the USOC will use Citi's donation to give the cash equivalent of the ThankYou Points directly to the Sport Program matched with the Team Citi athlete.?
Support Carlos? quest for gold and Warrior Games through the Every Step of the Way Application on Facebook. Follow Carlos on Twitter.
Source: http://bradenton.patch.com/articles/paralympian-carlos-leon-backs-warrior-games-for-injured-veterans
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