An organization called “OurVetSuccess” has a mission of honoring our country, and those who have served in the military. They do this by presenting stories of leadership and achievement of United States’ Veterans who have defended our country. They were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice and survived battle-related injuries. Returning to civilian life with traumatic physical concerns, such as lost limbs, would break most people. The Triumph Games’ athletes have risen above the breaking point. They are motivated by sports as a way to heal. They are driven to compete, and to win.
In honoring their stories, OurVetSuccess is introducing The Triumph Games. Twelve winning athletes will bring their physical, mental and competitive skills to a completely new environment. Cutting edge technology will enhance performance as never before. Steady streams of data will tell judges who is training and competing at peak levels. The athletes must master the technology, or lose the Games.
A Triumph Games television special will air on NBC Sports Network in October, and later on Comcast’s Xfinity platform on-demand. The program will be co-hosted by Al Roker, of NBC and the Weather Channel, and Patrick Murphy, host of Taking the Hill, on MSNBC. It is a broadcast of the games that took place in New York City last August.
“We are so proud to partner with OurVetSuccess on this groundbreaking competition,” said Al Roker. “We look forward to raising awareness with millions of viewers - both online and on-air - as we share very positive and personal stories from some of today’s most inspiring military heroes.”
Veterans who saw the need to increase positive public awareness of successful military veterans created OurVetSuccess. The Triumph Games will follow 12 world-class veteran athletes as they train at home over the next eight weeks for three rounds of competition in New York. The athletes are competing to win the Triumph Games title as Champion, and take home a $100,000 prize.
The event itinerary will begin with Round 1, which tests physical strength with a triathlon of a water-based obstacle course, a cycling race, and an Olympic-style infrared rifle competition. Round 2 tests mental acuity with a live-streamed e-sports competition featuring League of Legends and Hearthstone, the two top strategy games on the Twitch broadcast platform. Round 3 addresses the athlete’s depth of courage as they drive professional high-performance cars on the nation’s most exclusive and challenging private racetrack, located in the Hudson Valley.
The competitors, each having overcome life-changing injuries and going on to medal nationally or internationally in a wide range of sports, are known as the Terrific 12, or T-12. The T-12 were selected by a judging panel from a pool of 100 participants nominated by organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and SoldierSocks.
“Some 300 million Americans need to know the full stories of military veterans,” said Patrick Murphy, an Army veteran with service in Iraq, two-term Congressman and current anchor of MSNBC’s Taking The Hill. This is the only national television program dedicated to national security and veterans policy. “The Triumph Games will inspire millions who see the ‘Terrific 12’ compete.”
“Our veteran athletes are role models who embody leadership, integrity, character, perseverance, inspirational winning and success, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles,” said Triumph Games Co-Founder and OurVetSuccess CEO Mary L. Hagy, an Army veteran with service in the Gulf War. “They’re in it to win, but more importantly, these athletes are on the front lines of telling stories of success and valor.”
Al Roker will tell the stories of the athletes and their training via digital and television video content on NBC Sports Network this fall. Promotional and distribution partners at Comcast, NBCUniversal, Xfinity, WWE Network, and Twitch will bring the Triumph Games to millions of viewers.
Non-profit partners SoldierSocks and the Paralyzed Veterans of America (pva.org), have played key roles in providing medical devices, physical challenge elements, and support on all aspects of game development. OurVetSuccess is dedicated to increasing a positive public awareness by changing the public perception of the US veteran population to one of not only honor, but also leadership and success.
I have seen clips from this competition and the athletes were impressive and inspirational! These games will demonstrate to its many viewers that today’s military vets do not fit the old ideological perception of being handicapped because of the wounds they fell victim to in war.
Keep an eye open for this coming NBC show on the Triumph Games this October.
