We are proud to announce Wounded Warrior Tennis Program Co-Founder Coach Geoff Griffin will be inducted into the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020 for Community Service and Teaching Pro.
Congratulations Coach Geoff!
Coach Geoff has made numerous contributions to the San Diego Tennis Community while volunteering his time to supporting the military community, tennis court repairs needed in under served communities, and bringing the sport of tennis to youth and children in need.
The Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday Aug 29th at 4:30P @Balboa Tennis Club. Thank You Coach Geoff for everything you do! #wwtennis
It is now Spring Cleaning season! No, I am not talking about scrubbing toilets and mopping floors, I am talking about spring cleaning for you! You might ask, what do you mean spring cleaning for me? Well, for one, we all take time to clean out ‘personal and/or business things’ in our home or pay someone to do it. So why not make effort to clean out mental and physical clutter and make a fresh start for ourselves.
Spring cleaning might entail many different things for each of you. It might be doing something that makes you feel happy. It might be helping out a neighbor or friend. Maybe going for a walk, or perhaps getting rid of clutter in your home. It could also be cleaning out all the bad food in your pantry. Spring cleaning can take on many meanings for several different reasons. Which is why I put together a list of things to give you some ideas on how you might do a little Spring cleaning in your life!
Go on a hike and take in the fresh air and make efforts to notice the nature that surrounds you.
Watch a hummingbird taking nectar from a flower.
Watch a funny movie with a loved one.
Clean out clutter in one small drawer once a week, for a month.
Eat meals in moderation.
Don’t smoke or use tobacco.
Learn how to stretch and relax more.
Breathe Deep more often.
Learn to play a sport; golf, tennis, etc.
Read a book.
Now, if you are interested in doing spring cleaning in your home, this is also a great idea. Living in an environment that is less conjested, can help you feel more relaxed and happier. So, here are a few resources.
The next time you hear the words, ‘Spring Cleaning’ you don’t always have to feel that it is a dreadful thing. Think about doing small things that can bring a little bit of happiness or gratification to your own life. You just might end up spring cleaning all year long!
This is the latest update in the 2019 year in review for San Diego Wounded Warrior Tennis Program. The weekly Tuesday Warrior Tennis Clinics continue to have solid turnouts. Every week we strive to engage, encourage, and enlighten another veterans’ life through tennis.
The success of the 2019 Annual Tennis Camp was both incredible and amazing! It was a week filled with new friendships, overcoming fears, and dealing with challenges. It also created stronger bonds, warriors gained more tennis skills, and much about learning to believe in themselves again. So you can see, the San Diego Wounded Warrior Tennis Program is about much more than just tennis.
We want to take the time to thank all the Warriors, Teaching Pros, and Volunteers who continue to come out every week and give their dedication to the program.
The purpose of this update is also to inform you of our upcoming announcements. For the year 2020, our camp will focus on serving wounded, ill, and injured service members and veterans currently being treated at Naval Medical Center San Diego and VA Medical Center San Diego who are referred by their Recreational Therapists, and San Diego Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) alumni who are approved by staff from the San Diego WWP office. Therefore, in 2020, we will only be able to accommodate individuals from those groups, and we will not have an online application process.
We know this may be disappointing to our prior campers who wish to return, or to those who have heard about our camps and wish to experience them for the first time.
We hope that in the future we can include more participants from across the country. We appreciate your understanding, and we are always available to help connect you to tennis programs and facilities in your area. Please contact us if we may be of service.
Wounded Warrior Tennis Program founders and staff members are as busy as ever. To start the Summer season off, here are a few events and announcements to inform you about the continued work and happenings with the program.
Tennisfest 2019
Big Thanks to all who stopped by and made a donation to the Wounded Warrior Tennis Program this afternoon during Tennisfest 2019! Great day of tennis and fun for all ages. If you did not have a chance to stop by the event you can still support the program by visiting: www.sdwoundedtennis.org/donate.html
2. San Diego Festival of the Arts
We would like to thank the Kiwanis Club of Torrey Pines for their continual financial support and the opportunity to showcase our Warrior Tennis Program at the San Diego Festival of the Arts this weekend. (Pictured Program Co-Founder Steve Kappes and Warrior Program Tennis Player Mark Gordon)#wwtennis
3. USO San Diego Thanks
A big thanks and appreciation to Bobby Woods and his team @USO San Diego for all their assistance during the arrival and departure days of the annual tennis camp. Bobby and his staff have been a huge help in providing top notch support to our group @San Diego International Airport for the past 8 years. Thank You Team USO San Diego! #wwtennis
4. Thanks to Coronado Rotary Club
Many thanks and appreciation to the Coronado Rotary Club. This is the 8th year in a row they have supported the annual tennis camp. Pictured from L to R: Ivan Dunn-President; Mary Ann McCauley, Steve Kappes, Paul Laedlein – Community Services Director.
Wounded Warrior Tennis Program sends thanks to all sponsors and every donation that is given! Thank you!
This post is a recap of the 2019 Annual Wounded Warrior Tennis Camp! May 5-11, 2019.
It was another incredible experience at the 2019 Annual Wounded Warrior Tennis Camp in San Diego! Participants came from all walks of life to join together in this journey of a lifetime. It was a week of laughs, fun, and fitness. But it was also filled with weather challenges, seeing new places, and meeting new faces. I have compiled a few extraordinary moments during the week of camp that we would like to share with you.
Sunday: Welcome to San Diego
Monday: Going right to Work!
Tuesday: Challenging Weather; Rain.
The days to come would be full of challenge, hard work, skills, making new friends, and believing!
Wednesday:
Thursday
And of course, its not just about the Tennis.
The Wounded Warrior Tennis Program shares information about how the program impacts these military veterans’ lives, take a view of the local media highlights of the tennis camp in San Diego.
What is anxiety? Anxiety is a normal and mostly healthy emotion. As a result of experiencing disproportionate levels of anxiety, then it can become a disorder.
There are several types of anxiety and is experienced in different ways by different people. According to nimh.nih.gov; there are different types of anxiety. These include:
Feelings of anxiety can result in various different situations usually from some big event such as for example, a college exam, business presentation, or even a meeting with the boss. The feelings that follow can be distress or fear, and if this is on a daily basis and for no reason, this can be debilitating to ones’ life.
Do you find yourself asking the question: Am I living the best life possible today? Do you live life as you dreamed it to be? Are you living life full of everything you imagined it could be? Your answers might be no, I am not living that life. Life is not going the way I thought it would be and your reality of life is definitely not matching your dream life.
Together with the numerous things in life such as stress, job, family, home ownership, and more; life can be a whirl wind of nothing but difficult challenges. So, how can we change this and make your real life more like your dream life.
Well, before you change your external circumstances, you must take control and develop an empowering, nourishing and secure internal world. One way to do this is to change your attitude. According to Mantramag.com, ideas on how to change your reality to help change your attitude are listed below: s
So, what does the word mantra mean? It carries a meaning that can be anywhere between ‘intention’ and ‘meditation.’ When exercising this practice, its purpose is to guide you on achieving heightened levels of awareness. Synchronizing the silence and stillness can help you open your mind to a few mindful thoughts. Thoughts such as repeating the words ‘I am strong’ or ‘I am focused’, or any words that can help you achieve a healthy balance state of mind.
According to an article in Chopra.com, the mantra is an instrument of the mind and explains that man is mind, and tra is transport which helps you to achieve a deeper state of meditation.
Life in our current complicated world is full of distraction, stress, and details. The mantra helps one to achieve a life approach that takes you back to a more simplistic and more focused way to live.
When I separated from active duty over 20 years ago, I found myself feeling ecstatic and relieved versus being nervous and uncertain about the future. However, I know I wasn’t prepared for the reality of moving forward into civilian life. I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be finding a job or how I might apply my military experience to a particular career field. I guess I was just young and wanted to enjoy life, take whatever comes my way and roll with it.
Honorable Discharge
I don’t know about you veterans out there, but I felt like I was just let out of a cage. Freedom never felt so good! Deep down, however, I knew I had to buckle down and get to work.
My path finally led me to accept various jobs as a few years past by. Of course, there was no real future with these companies. This ends up causing a lot of frustration for me, so I conclude that I need to get a college degree. As a result of paying into the GI Bill during my first year in the military, I was able to pay for my Bachelor’s Degree!
The other huge hurdle is what should I major in at college, as I had no idea. I did not have a clue as to what career fields are in demand at the time. I also want to incorporate my strong interests and things I enjoy doing; but that is an extremely and unlikely feat. As I recall, I was not really informed about the types of careers or industries that are in demand. If my memory is correct, the TAP (Transition Assistance Program) training session I attend informs the group of veterans separating at that time, of primarily topics related to resume formats, job assistance programs and other topics. I do not recall learning about up and coming careers or jobs of the future.
Resources and Links
I am including a few resource links and information about new technologies, careers in demand, and other jobs of the future. I hope you will find these useful in your journey of transition to civilian life, or if you are looking to change or start a new career.
Here is an interesting look at the jobs of the future, as in 2030 and the skills necessary to fulfill these jobs.
Mental elasticity and complex problem solving
Critical thinking
Creativity
People skills
STEM
SMACK
Interdisciplinary knowledge
Take a look at these career fields, as they may not be something you would think of as your life’s work. But you might be surprised at how interesting, challenging, and how much they may be needed in the future. Read complete article here
This resource lists several career occupations in the healthcare field that are and will be needed in the future. Read complete article here
In conclusion, take command of your future. If you find yourself lost and not knowing what your future holds, like I did when I first separated from active duty; then roll up your sleeves and get to work. There are many resources to help you learn what careers might be a good fit for you based on your interests and skills, etc. It is important to understand that planning your future, especially at a younger age, can have huge positive results! For not only a rewarding work life, but also a healthy and happy one!
Tech Tuesday: How Technology Has Helped Wounded Veterans
For today’s article, I sat down and thought about what information I can compile to be informative and useful to you; our warriors, veterans and families. I, myself, read and hear about the advances in technology for businesses, schools, medical institutions, but I don’t recall learning about how exactly new technology innovations are helping our disabled military veterans. So I put my thinking cap on and began digging online.
I stumbled upon this article called “4 Ways Technology Is Changing The Lives Of Our MilitaryVeterans” from ECN Magazine, and here is a few highlights of this:
Coding Boot camps: put on by Microsoft since 2013 and are will be up to 300 veterans graduates…
A smartphone app to help veterans ‘bewell’. (Bewell24 app for veterans)
This is a very interesting article and very inspirational. Pioneer Bessie Blunt invents the “portable receptacle support” device to help those with paralysis and/or amputees. She herself faced many challenges and was a nurse, physical therapist, and a forensic hand-writing expert and had dreams of coming up with ways to help those with disabilities.
In one case, she encouraged numerous soldiers with war torn upper limb amputees who lost ability to write, that they learn Braille with their feet.
Mental Health Monday: The Bond Between Mind and Body
The mind is an extremely powerful organ in the human body. It is the center of the all around things that makes us a human being. We all have feelings, thoughts and behaviors and have the ability to be very aware of each of them. When we are in complete tune with each of these emotions, we mostly experience happiness and are content, and have found methods of how to cope with the onset of stress and challenges of life general.
These human emotions, stemming from the mind; however, can be thrown off balance when faced with something unique and life changing. These challenges can change any one of these emotions with a high or low, happy or sad, positive or negative, impact on how us, as humans can think and act. The challenges can be devastating for some, and here are a few other factors that can influence emotions, both mentally and physically.
*Loss of a Job
*A child leaving home or returning
*Dealing with a death of a loved one
*Suffering an illness or injury
*Moving into a new home
*Having a baby
and many others. (Familydoctor.org)
In order to get yourself on the quest to improve your health is to understand that the mind and body connected. So, the goal is to work on getting these behaviors and emotions back in check. There are endless strategies on how to put yourself on the path to improved health, and the first goal is to build your resilience and express your feelings.
Begin with practicing yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation for relaxation and a clear mind.
Wounded Warrior Tennis Program 